Costa Mesa names Kelly Telford as the city’s new Finance Director

The City of Costa Mesa is pleased to announce that Kelly Telford, a 15-year veteran of municipal government finance with experience in accounting, budgeting and operations management, has been named as the city’s Finance Department Director.

Telford, a certified public accountant, is currently the Director of Financial Management for the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles and she has worked in the public accounting firm industry consulting for state and local governments her entire career.

“We are very pleased to have found someone like Kelly to manage the city’s finances,” City Manager Tom Hatch said. “Her knowledge of budgeting at the local government level and her ability to handle large municipal budgets makes her a perfect fit for our Finance Department. We look forward to her joining the Costa Mesa team.”

In Costa Mesa, Telford will lead city’s 23-member finance team, overseeing Treasury Management, Accounting, Budget Research and Purchasing.

“I am honored for the opportunity to serve the city of Costa Mesa and am excited to become a part of the dynamic and innovative team,” Telford said. “I look forward to working with such talent in serving and keeping the city of Costa Mesa among the most desirable cities in the region.”

As the Director of Financial Management for the Los Angeles County’s Community Development Commission, Telford was a member of the Executive Management Team and managed general ledger functions, payroll, accounts receivable/payable, grant accounting and reporting and housing accounting.

She prepared the agency’s $450 million budget and provided financial forecasts of the impacts of labor negotiations and pension liabilities.

Prior to working for the commission, she spent 13 years working as a manager and senior manager at two large public accounting firms, where she developed several new financial management programs and systems and provided consultation to state and local governments on internal audits and special projects.

Telford has a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting and business administration from Cal State University Fullerton. She is a certified public accountant and a member of the Government Finance Officers Association. She will begin her career in the City of Costa Mesa on Monday June 25, 2018.