Veteran city employee takes over as Glendale’s finance director

Michele Flynn, a 19-year veteran employee of the city of Glendale, has been elevated to director of finance.

Since April, Flynn has served as the city’s interim director of finance. She succeeds the previous finance director, Bob Elliot, who retired this past spring.

“Michelle is one of the most honest, trustworthy individuals you will come across,” City Manager Yasmin Beers said during a City Council meeting on July 30, before recommending her appointment.

“She believes in the longstanding culture that we have in the city of Glendale, and specifically within the finance department, as it relates to transparency and the work that we do,” Beers added.

Flynn was tapped by the city to oversee its first internal audit formed in 1999, according to city spokeswoman Eliza Papazian. Hired in 2000, she also headed the city’s administrative investigation function.

During her tenure with the city, Flynn has held several roles, including principal internal auditor, budget administrator, city auditor and assistant director of finance.

“I intend to keep the momentum going in finance and [encourage] my staff to continue to grow professionally and expand their knowledge of the other departments within the city to best serve the needs of the Glendale community,” Flynn said in an email following her appointment.

Prior to working for the city, Flynn was an audit manager at Ernst & Young and handled internal auditing for Home Savings of America. She’s certified as a public accountant, internal auditor and government auditing professional, Beers said.

According to Flynn, internal auditing allows her to learn about many operations within an organization in a relatively short period of time — which keeps her interested.

“No two internal audits are ever the same, so there is always something new to learn,” she said.

The position’s duties include tackling some of the cities biggest challenges, including balancing the budget and projecting future finances, according to Mayor Ara Najarian.

Najarian said he is confident Flynn could rise to the occasion, underscoring her experience and training under Elliot.

“I’m going to sleep well tonight knowing you are our new finance director,” Najarian told Flynn when she was appointed.