Linn County Finance Director Dawn Jindrich has received the Outstanding Public Service Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
The work of finance professionals is critical to government’s ability to serve the public, but often occurs behind the scenes. This new award from GFOA publicly recognizes members for their dedication to the profession, their colleagues, their organizations, and their communities. Award recipients are nominated by their peers as someone who exemplifies the role of subject matter expert, mentor, innovator, leader, and outstanding public servant. Jindrich is one of 32 government finance professionals nationwide who earned this award, and the only one in Iowa.
“On behalf of the Board of Supervisors, we are proud of Dawn’s work, her professionalism, and the integrity she brings to public finance. She has dedicated her career to Linn County and ensuring the County’s fiscal health. We thank her for her outstanding service,” said Linn County Board of Supervisors Chair Kirsten Running-Marquardt.
Jindrich began her career with Linn County in November 1994 as the County’s budget director. As an innovator in this role, she was tasked with many things, including designing a new budget process, creating the first Linn County budget document, and, in general, pioneering as a woman in a male-dominated work environment. Jindrich’s efforts proved successful from the beginning. Her first budget document won the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award — an award that Linn County has continued to receive for more than 30 years — and she successfully implemented a Board-approved Budgeting for Outcomes process to help the County allocate resources more efficiently. Additionally, Jindrich worked to revise the County’s financial policies which helped secure and maintain Linn County’s Aaa bond rating, the highest rating possible.
Throughout her career at Linn County, Jindrich helped navigate the County through growth and disaster. Most notable are the flood of 2008, the 2020 derecho, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The work Jindrich had done to implement GFOA best practices paid off and the County was able to leverage its general fund balance to acquire the resources necessary to meet financial obligations as the community rebuilt.
In May 2019, following a retirement, Jindrich was promoted to Linn County Finance Director, the position she currently holds.
Jindrich also sits on state panels, educating the legislature and other County officials across the state on the impacts of property tax reform, and she volunteers her time with the League of Women Voters, educating residents on the County’s financial processes and the property tax cycle.
“I have worked with Dawn for 15 years and I have yet to meet another professional, in the public and private sector, who can match her knowledge, caliber of talent, understanding of the complexities of the public sector, and ability to assist policymakers in creating sustainable and financially sound programs that better serve the public,” said Linn County Board of Supervisors member Ben Rogers. “Dawn is one of the reasons why Linn County has been able to not only recover and rebuild after two large-scale natural disasters but has positioned Linn County to thrive as an organization that provides critical and necessary human services, quality of life amenities, and is one of the only counties our size to have a Aaa bond rating.”
“I’m in Dawn’s office almost every day and I believe she does a fantastic job keeping the County’s finances balanced and transparent. She has the County’s best interests in mind and provides us with the information we need to make fiscally responsible decisions that are accountable to the taxpayers,” Linn County Supervisor Louie Zumbach said.
