Stacey Jordan

Stacey Jordan serves as the Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer at the City of Hopewell, Virginia. With more than two decades of experience spanning private-sector accounting, senior CFO roles and public-sector finance leadership, she brings deep expertise in financial management, operational strategy and organizational transformation. Since joining Hopewell in 2024, Jordan has played a central role in strengthening the city’s financial foundation, implementing sustainable processes, building long-term fiscal resilience and supporting a culture of transparency and accountability.

Reframing Financial Leadership as a Strategic Function

Financial leadership in local government requires much more than managing budgets and producing reports. Effective financial management is about building trust, creating sustainable systems and ensuring every dollar supports better outcomes for the community.

Jordan’s approach has been shaped by her experience in private-sector accounting and senior CFO roles. Early in her career, she worked in fast-paced corporate environments where accuracy, strong internal controls and timely financial reporting were fundamental expectations. Those experiences established the discipline that continues to guide her work today.

In government, where transparency is critical, those same principles become even more important. As Jordan progressed into CFO positions, she began viewing finance as a strategic function rather than simply a reporting function. She learned to connect financial decisions with long-term organizational goals and service delivery, communicate complex issues clearly and build trust across departments.

Her experiences managing through economic downturns and unpredictable revenue cycles also strengthened her focus on scenario planning, risk management and financial stability.

Those lessons became especially valuable when she joined Hopewell in 2024 to help lead the city’s financial reconstruction efforts.

Building Long-Term Fiscal Resilience

Jordan’s transition from private industry to public-sector finance shaped her understanding of how financial discipline can support organizational stability.

Across both environments, she developed a strong appreciation for accuracy. Whether closing the books, tracking variances or analyzing cost drivers, Jordan learned that small assumptions can significantly influence an organization’s financial position.

When reviewing a municipal budget, Jordan naturally gravitates toward the details, having seen how one small assumption can shift an entire financial picture.

As a CFO, Jordan knows that financial decisions are directly connected to people, operations, and future obligations. That perspective continues to influence her approach in Hopewell, where every financial decision has a direct impact on residents and city services.

“ Accurate data, clear processes, and reliable reporting are essential because they demonstrate a city’s financial readiness and credibility to external partners. “

Having experienced budget cuts, unexpected revenue changes, and periods of uncertainty, Jordan believes resilience must be embedded into an organization’s mindset.

Building reserves, creating contingencies and planning five or ten years ahead are essential components of sustainable financial management. Fiscal resilience is not an annual budget exercise but a commitment to preparing the organization for the future.

Transforming Financial Reconstruction

When Jordan joined the City of Hopewell, efforts were already underway to strengthen the city’s financial foundation. The Robert Bobb Group had begun developing standard operating procedures and reconciling past financial records. Jordan’s primary responsibility was ensuring audits were completed and that the Finance Department could effectively support the audit process internally.

Among the many initiatives involved in the turnaround effort, Jordan identifies the transition from foundational improvements to a fully functioning financial system as the most significant cultural shift.

Reconciling years of unaudited records and implementing MUNIS, a municipal enterprise resource planning and financial management system, were critical structural steps. Yet, the deeper transformation came from creating consistent processes and establishing a shared financial framework across departments. This included clarifying how purchases are initiated, how grants are monitored, how departments work with Finance, and how financial information moves through MUNIS.

Instead of departments operating differently, the city adopted a common approach that supported transparency, accountability and long-term stability. By creating a common playbook for financial operations, the city moved toward a more disciplined and collaborative culture where expectations were clear, processes consistent and departments more confident in working with Finance.

Rebuilding Stakeholder Confidence

Rebuilding Hopewell’s financial position is closely tied to rebuilding trust. Jordan understood that transparency could not merely be a message communicated externally but reflected in daily operations and decision-making.

She focused on consistent and honest communication with the City Council, departments and auditors. Jordan ensured stakeholders understood where the city stood in the audit process, what had been completed, what remained outstanding and what challenges were being addressed.

Even when updates were not perfect, sharing them openly helped change perceptions that the city’s finances were a “black box.”

Jordan also focused on making the Finance Department more accessible. Clean reconciliations, accurate reports, and timely submissions create confidence over time. When stakeholders see that level of reliability month after month, confidence naturally returns. Through consistency, communication and accountability, Jordan has worked to establish financial practices that support lasting trust within the organization and the community.

Strengthening Municipal Governance

Small and mid-sized municipalities often operate under significant resource constraints while competing for state funding, federal grants and economic investment. Accurate data, clear processes, and reliable reporting are essential because they demonstrate a city’s financial readiness and credibility to external partners.

“ Building reserves, creating contingencies and planning five or ten years ahead are essential components of sustainable financial management. “

Maintaining these practices consistently is one of the biggest challenges municipalities face. Delayed reporting, inconsistent documentation and reactive decision-making can limit opportunities and create operational challenges. Jordan’s approach centers on strong internal practices, clear expectations and organization-wide alignment around accuracy and transparency. Achieving that consistency also requires finance and operations to work together from the beginning of any project or initiative.

Creating Stronger Alignment Between Finance and Operations

Finance cannot operate separately from the departments responsible for delivering services, and operational teams cannot treat financial requirements as an afterthought. Instead, both functions must work together from the beginning of every project or initiative. Strategic finance leadership means more than reviewing numbers. It means helping departments plan, forecast and understand the long-term impact of decisions.

Operational leaders also must communicate their needs, timelines and constraints so financial teams can develop realistic budgets and avoid unexpected challenges. When Finance and operations work together effectively, cities become more efficient, more grant-ready and better positioned for long-term stability.

Developing Future Leaders

For professionals looking to build meaningful careers in publicsector finance, Jordan advises that technical expertise must be paired with integrity and curiosity.

Jordan believes that accuracy and reliability build the trust needed to influence decisions that truly shape a community.

She also encourages emerging professionals to understand operations beyond financial statements. The strongest financial leaders ask questions, visit job sites, work closely with departments and learn how services are delivered. That understanding allows them to connect financial decisions with real outcomes for residents.

By combining integrity, operational awareness and a willingness to learn, future public-sector finance leaders can build successful careers, making a meaningful difference in the communities they serve.