Jennifer Teal

Jennifer began consulting in 2017 after nearly 20 years of public sector experience, including 10 years of leadership experience in local government. Most recently, Jennifer served the City of Gahanna, Ohio, where she worked as the deputy finance director, chief financial officer, and finally, city administrator. In her finance roles, Jennifer was instrumental in guiding the City out of the recession while strengthening its financial position and management strategies. Jennifer led the City through a bond rating increase, multiple debt issuances, the development of key financial policies, and multiple rounds of union negotiations with utility and public safety bargaining units. Working with the elected leadership, Jennifer transformed the City’s budget and financial reporting processes to align with best practices and Government Finance Officers Association award standards, developed the community’s first Citywide strategic plan, and led an in-house process improvement and innovation team. As a consultant, Jennifer has worked on more than 125 projects across 27 states. She is a skilled facilitator, trainer, and problem solver, and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Jennifer’s commitment to empowering others in the public sector has led to the development of the Raftelis Performance Academy (RPA), the only leadership development, performance improvement, and innovation training program in the country designed to meet the unique needs of local governments and utilities. Through the RPA, Jennifer has designed curricula and programs serving hundreds of utility and local government employees and supported the development of in-house innovation and leadership development programs in several organizations. In addition to this work, Jenifer works with local governments and utilities across the country to develop impactful strategic plans, and conduct assessments of organizational culture and operations. Jennifer is active in the local government and utility industries and has presented at several conferences on topics related to strategic planning and workforce development. She has recently co-authored articles that have appeared in the Journal of Public Integrity and Water and Environment Technologies. She is a frequent lecturer at the Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs, where she has taught graduate and undergraduate seminars in Local Government Administration.