Biography - Director of Finance Melissa McCaw

Melissa N. McCaw was appointed Director of Finance on March 14, 2022. As the Director of Finance, McCaw's is responsible for overseeing the Finance Department and its divisions, such as Accounts and Control, Risk Management, Purhchasing, Assessor's and Tax. McCaw is responsible for compiling the Mayor’s Recommended Budget and 5-Year Capital, along with delivery of employee benefits including active and retiree medical, pension as well as the coordination of the financing of long-term capital projects using investment grade bond financing. This position also oversees the production of the annual audit and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report filed with the State on an annual basis.

McCaw holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Wesleyan University and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Finance & Budgeting from the University of Connecticut. She is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of executive budgeting, finance, operations and strategic planning experience in government and higher education organizations.

Prior to joining the Town of East Hartford, McCaw served as the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), also known as the CT Budget Chief, from 2019 to 2022. OPM is the Governor's staff agency in Connecticut and is responsible for policy, planning, budgeting and management of state government. Secretary McCaw made history as the first woman of color and first female Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, a position of considerable clout within the executive branch with oversight of the state budget and finances and overall legislative policy for the administration.

During Secretary McCaw’s tenure, she managed a State budget of more than $20 billion and led the reformation of the finances for the State of Connecticut, bringing Connecticut from fiscal crisis to fiscal strength. Connecticut’s fiscal position is the strongest it has seen in decades. Accomplishments under her tenure include:

• Closed a $4 billion budget deficit in FY2021 and FY2022
• Strategic budget management to three years of consecutive surpluses in fiscal years 2019, 2020 and 2021
• Built and maxxed out a 15% Rainy Day Fund reserve for the first time in Connecticut’s history
• Met the pension ADEC with additional payments to pay down unfunded liabilities
• First credit rating upgrades in over 20 years by all four rating agencies
• Managed over $3 billion in federal funds to strategically invest in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and support Connecticut’s recovery, protecting the State’s Rainy Day Fund.
• Negotiated labor contracts with over 15 bargaining units
• Provided a historic equity increase in managers salaries to level the playing field on increases provided to union employees but withheld from managers
• Historic investments in equity and expansion of services in critical areas

McCaw previously served as the Chief Financial Officer and the Director of Budget, Management & Grants for the City of Hartford for 3 years overseeing both the Budget and Finance functions, with a general fund budget of $570 million and an all funds budget in excess of $1 billion. McCaw led the City through 3 years of intensive restructuring including significant reductions and savings, restructure of department staffing and operations, benchmarking of key areas of expenditures, labor negotiations, revenue maximization, shift to a pay-as-you-go capital improvement program, renegotiation of leases and development of the city’s municipal recovery plan, establishing a new standard of fiscal responsibility.

Prior to this, McCaw was the Budget Director at the University of Hartford for nearly seven years. In this capacity, McCaw developed and managed the university budget, led the administration through years of financial challenges, implemented university wide agency reductions and/or restructures and co-chaired Strategic Planning initiatives to strengthen the University’s financial and business model. This model maximized the use of assets and technology and streamlined operations.

McCaw began her career at OPM as a Budget Specialist within the Health and Human Service and General Government focus areas of the Budget and Financial Management division for nearly eight years. McCaw specializes in fiscal sustainability, economic growth and operational strength that balances the needs of constituents with positive financial stewardship. McCaw also served as the Vice-Chair of the Governor’s Council on Woman and Girls with Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz.