Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)’s CFO Kevin Bueso is a relatable finance chief. As a father and sports lover, active in his community, he has built a career leading finance in the public sector. He has worked in financial leadership positions around Chicago for nearly his entire professional career, including as CFO of McHenry County and Assistant Director of Finance for the City of Waukegan.
Although the day-to-day operations may be a bit different for Bueso compared to CFOs in the private sector, the challenges are largely the same. He balances labor issues, budgets, business improvements, public perception, technology integration, and the work-life dynamic.
Now, a year and four months into his role, Bueso is taking advantage of the systems he spent the last year creating.
Set the stage for success
Apart from building the finance function and systems in place, Bueso has spent a large part of recent months organizing the system's regional budget this year, which has a special focus on talent retention and cybersecurity.
“A major accomplishment [this year] was securing approval for the 2024 regional budget, which included funding for our agency's priorities,” said Bueso.
“This means we can invest in crucial areas like cybersecurity, promoting our 'Transit is the Answer' strategic plan to address the fiscal challenge, and most importantly, in our workforce through employee engagement activities,” he said.
He also recognizes that establishing a culture of open communication and collaboration within the finance team as a major contributor to his team’s improvements. “We've been driving innovation in core areas like budgeting, financial reporting, and IT. This collaborative spirit positions us for continued success.”
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), an area that requires strong communication, risk analysis and sound legal understanding, is a focus for Bueso, as he looks to continue improving his team’s communication style. Through networking, he has spent time fostering these types of relationships and conversations around DEI.
“I've also been actively involved in fostering industry connections,” he said. “I led discussions with professional organizations like [Government Finance Officers Association] on forecasting best practices and Latinos In Transit on [DEI] initiatives. These dialogues set the stage for valuable collaboration in the future.”
Work-life balance
When taking on a role with large responsibilities, prioritizing work-life balance can be challenging. However, for Bueso, his remedy for this has been to entrench it within the team’s culture. His hybrid work environment, encouraging teammates to take time to volunteer, and developing networking and organizational groups has allowed his team to meet their goals without sacrificing the things they’re passionate about.
“A work-life balance is incredibly important to me, allowing me to be present for my family and contribute to the community I value,” he said. “I actively seek out team engagement activities that have a positive community impact. In fact, [early next month], our team is volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which is something I'm looking forward to.”
Community-focused organizations within finance also allow him to blend his passions with his work in an actionable way. “I've become a member of organizations that align with my personal values, like Latinos In Transit, The CFO Council, and the American Public Transportation Association,” he said. “These memberships allow me to contribute my expertise while staying connected to causes I care about.”
Technology and cybersecurity approach
Although the public sector tends to lag behind the private sector in technology implementation, Bueso and his team have been working on driving digital transformation efforts within the finance function. “While I can't go into specifics about our cybersecurity posture, I'm happy to share that we're making significant investments in 2024 with implementation planned for Q3 in areas such as managed cybersecurity and managed data backup.”
“We're currently evaluating our enterprise resource planning system,” he said. “The goal is to optimize our current setup and prepare for the future, which undoubtedly includes the integration of GenAI in various day-to-day tasks and processes. This will allow us to streamline operations, improve efficiency and leverage the power of AI for enhanced decision-making.”
The people involved in these decisions around technology and cybersecurity are incredibly important, Bueso noted. “The long tenure of some team members is an additional asset,” he said. “Their institutional knowledge is crucial for decision-making and project execution. They also serve as fantastic mentors for newer members, fostering knowledge transfer and continuous improvement within the team.”