Larisa Benson MPA, University of Washington 2002

 

Larisa is currectly the Director for Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP). She is responsible for the Governor's signature management initiative focused on improving the results of state government, melding an intensive focus on performance measurement with an emphasis on priority-based budgeting.

 

Serving on the faculty of the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, Larisa taught the core courses in budget & finance and public management for graduate students. She continues to teach executive seminars for mid-career public managers in performance measures and leadership through Cascade for Public Service and Leadership. As a founding co-director of the Executive MPA program, Larisa brought together her passions for public service and learning, designing an innovative curriculum that is academically rigorous yet thoroughly practical. Her areas of expertise include leadership, performance measures, budgeting and negotiation.

 

In the City of Seattle Budget Office, Larisa was the chief architect of the City of Seattle's results-based budgeting initiative that included strategic business plans for 30 city departments and the integration of performance measures into the city budget and department director performance evaluations. She also helped create the City of Seattle's Labor-Management Leadership Committee, served as an instructor-trainer for the City's employee involvement program, and served as Council staff lead on the selection of a new city wide financial management system.

As a negotiator for the Seattle School District during contract bargaining with the teacher's union, Larisa helped bring performance-based evaluation and school-based decision making to a successful contract agreement negotiated utilizing interest-based bargaining techniques. Larisa served as Executive Director of the Seattle Aquarium Society during the creation of a new master plan and discussions that eventually led to shifting the governance of the Aquarium from public to nonprofit. She serves as a trusted policy advisor to local elected officials and on the board of directors for local nonprofit agencies. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Scott, and daughter, Alina.

 

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