Carin Kale

Carin has 25 years of experience in housing and health and human services policy, strategy, finance and operations in Massachusetts state government. Carin began her career in state government while a graduate student at the Boston University School of Social Work when she was awarded an internship at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Human Services. Her experience there led to various positions in state government including the budget writing House Ways & Means Committee, the Executive Office of Communities and Development, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transitional Assistance (formerly the Department of Public Welfare), and the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

With extensive experience in state budgeting in the legislative and executive branches of government Carin has been on the receiving end of state agency budget presentations and has written numerous budget presentations. She knows the value of connecting dollars with results. As co-chairman of the Finance Subcommittee of the Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence, Carin led a multi-agency initiative to align budget priorities and present customer focused impact statements to members of the Legislature. This effective customer focused “Budget Briefing Book” led to expansion funding for domestic violence services and Carin was awarded Outstanding Contribution to the Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence.

Colleagues have told Carin that she is unique for a budget/finance professional because she balances tough fiscal discipline with a strong customer service focus. Carin attributes this to fact that she fell into fiscal jobs “accidentally.” She had always been interested in developing effective policies and programs to serve those in need and she learned early on that the budget process was the place to truly influence programs to serve customers. This realization is what has led her to focus on Managing for Results and the Weidner methodology.

Carin most recently served as Interim Deputy Commissioner for Administration and Finance at the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and prior to that as Assistant Commissioner for Administration and Finance at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. In both positions Carin worked to ensure that financial and operational structures and procedures were in place to benefit agency staff and, ultimately, the customers they serve.

Carin is also involved in local government. In February 2008 she was appointed by the Board of Selectmen in her hometown of Hamilton, Massachusetts to a Government Study Committee to examine the structure of town government and identify improvements. In May 2009 the town meeting voted to support the Committee’s recommendation to change from a town administrator to a town manager form of government and to expand the Board of Selectmen from three to five members. Carin is also on the board of the Hamilton-Wenham League of Women Voters.