KARAN REID. Courtesy photo

Karan Reid is CFO for city of Emeryville; replaces interim chief Bill Zenoni

By Donna Beth Weilenman
Staff Reporter

Karan Reid, currently the chief financial officer of Emeryville, will be Benicia’s new finance director, City Manager Brad Kilger said Monday.

Kilger chose Reid, 49, to fill the vacancy left when Rob Sousa retired last year. Bill Zenoni has been the city’s interim finance director since late November 2011.

Reid’s first day on the job will be July 23, said Anne Cardwell, director of Aministrative Services. She said Monday she expects Zenoni will assist in the transition of duties.

Reid said she would be speaking with Zenoni today to arrange meetings with Benicia’s finance staff and to discuss the upcoming change.

Kilger said Reid has more than 21 years of experience in municipal finance. She began in Napa, “where she spent seven years building her skills and her professional reputation,” he said in his announcement.

She was hired by Emeryville as its chief financial officer and accounting manager 14 years ago, he said.

Reid said she was looking forward to working in Benicia. “I really enjoy its small-town, waterfront presence,” she said. When she’s not handling city finances, she said, she has done some sailing, and “I like walking along the waterfront, particularly in hectic times.”

She said Benicia and Emeryville have similar city staff sizes and offer many of the same services to residents, though Emeryville doesn’t provide water service, as Benicia does.

Kilger described Reid as valuing “working and communicating with the City Council, the community and all levels of staff to stay informed of the city’s activities and assist in meeting the organization’s goals.

“Her broad range of responsibilities has afforded her a direct role in assisting all city departments in developing and administering department budgets in Emeryville, and has earned her respect for being a key asset in the financial management of department programs.”

Reid, a Walnut Creek resident, earned a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Arizona, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers and the Governmental Finance Officers Association.

Kilger said Benicia “was very lucky to get someone with Ms. Reid’s extensive background and experience.”

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