Dr. Janice Oda-Gray

Janice Oda-Gray brings together public- and private-sector experience in finance, accounting, budgeting, forecasting and operations to strengthen one of Chicago’s most important resources: its capacity to make informed financial decisions.

As Chief Administrative Officer of the City Council Office of Financial Analysis (COFA), Oda-Gray helps build the people, systems and analytical capabilities necessary to provide Chicago’s 50 alderpersons with independent, nonpartisan financial and budget analysis.

For Oda-Gray, the responsibility extends beyond producing reports. Her focus is building an institution capable of providing meaningful decision support today while remaining strong enough to serve Chicago for years to come. She approaches financial questions knowing that decisions made today can shape the City’s financial position for five, 10 or even 15 years.

“Leadership is not about building something for the leader,” says Oda-Gray. “It is about creating an institution that outlasts you, sustains the future, and empowers people.”

Building Teams for Sustainable Performance

When Oda-Gray joined COFA, she was its only employee before another full-time position was added. Rather than simply filling positions, she focused on building institutional capacity. She assessed the specialized skills required to support COFA’s responsibilities and expanded the team with expertise in data analytics and research.

Her objective was to develop a team capable of responding to complex financial questions while maintaining the independence and analytical rigor expected of a public institution. Oda-Gray empowers specialists to make decisions within their areas of responsibility while maintaining accountability and communication.

She calls the team her “dream team,” describing a culture grounded in trust, ownership, accountability and confidence. When multiple alderpersons request analysis simultaneously, COFA documents assignments, evaluates their significance and prioritizes work according to impact, ensuring limited resources are directed toward issues with the greatest potential significance.

Turning Data into Decision Support

In an increasingly data-driven government environment, Oda-Gray sees technology as a powerful tool, but not a substitute for professional judgment. Technology can make information available quickly, but analysts must determine what changed, why it changed and why it matters.

“Technology can give you the information,” she explains, “but people have to understand the story behind the numbers.”

For COFA, technology and improved processes increase efficiency while preserving the human expertise necessary to interpret financial information. Oda-Gray also views innovation more broadly than technology. It can mean improving reporting and administrative processes, strengthening internal controls or identifying opportunities to operate more efficiently.

COFA’s role is not to make policy decisions, but to provide the best objective information available so policymakers can make informed choices. Oda-Gray measures value not simply by reports produced, but by whether analysis helps decision-makers understand their choices.

Leadership beyond the Current Budget

As COFA works on Chicago’s 2027 budget, Oda-Gray is already thinking beyond the next fiscal year. Financial decisions involving revenues, expenditures, debt, operations and investments can create consequences extending beyond a budget cycle and, in some cases, across generations. This makes accurate information, disciplined analysis and institutional continuity essential.

Oda-Gray encourages aspiring chief administrative officers to develop knowledge of finance or economics alongside writing and communication skills. Advanced education can provide an important foundation, but leaders must also translate complex information for audiences with different levels of financial understanding.

Looking Around the Corner

Oda-Gray sees an opportunity for COFA to become increasingly proactive in helping Chicago understand its financial future. Her leadership philosophy can be summarized in three words: Look around the corner.

That means strengthening information for today’s decisions while building the people, systems and analytical capabilities future leaders will need. It means preparing for questions before they become crises, developing professionals who carry institutional knowledge forward and building an organization whose value does not depend on any individual.

That institution-building philosophy is reflected in Oda-Gray’s recognition among the Top 10 Chief Administrative Officers 2026. For Oda-Gray, the greater accomplishment is leaving behind stronger people, stronger systems and a stronger institution than the one she inherited.