Los Gatos Assistant Finance Director Resigns

Los Gatos Assistant Finance Director Jenny Haruyama, 42, has resigned to accept a job in Tracy as administrative services director effective Aug. 16.

News of Haruyama's departure came as a surprise this week when it was discovered that the city in the San Joaquin Valley had announced on July 3 that City Manager Leon Churchill had officially appointed her to the post.

According to a press release issued by the City of Tracy, Haruyama will be responsible for the oversight and operations of the new administrative services department, which will include finance, human resources, information technology and risk management.

“I am confident that Ms. Haruyama is someone who we can trust to get the job done, yet periodically challenge us to do better from a financial, operational, and productive point of view. She is a local government professional who cares deeply about making government work better,” Churchill said in the release.

Haruyama has served as the town's budget manager and assistant director of finance for the past three years, successfully guiding the town's response to challenging economic and fiscal conditions.

She also manages the organization's Web-based services and has championed several highly visible financial and human resources information system upgrades.

“I am very excited about this incredible opportunity to serve the City of Tracy as its administrative services director. The character of the community and the quality of management provided by the City Council, city manager, and staff continuously impresses me. I look forward to working with city and community leaders in my new role, building upon Tracy’s commitment to customer excellence, innovation, and financial stewardship," Haruyama said in the statement.

In 2007 she received the Municipal Managers Association of Northern California Rising Star Award and in 2003 the MMANC Wes McClure Management Assistant Award. 

Haruyama has a master of public administration from Cal-State Hayward and a bachelor's degree in business from San Jose State University.