Leslie Beauregard, Director, Budget and Performance Management
Where were you born (and raised, if different)?
Born in Atlanta, GA, and raised in Richmond, VA.
When and why did you move to the Charlottesville/Albemarle area?
To take this job and a chance to live in a very cool place!!! We came here in 2003.
What neighborhood do you live in now?
Burnet Commons in the Ridge St. neighborhood of the city.
Family (spouse, kids, etc.)?
I have a wonderful husband, Tom, and two kids, Thomas, who’s 9, and Sckolher, 4.
What is your alma mater and when did you graduate?
I graduated with a B.A. (1992) and an MPA (1996) from Virginia Tech, yes, that other VA university!
What were you doing before you came to work for the City?
I was working in Hampton, VA in their Office of Budget and Management as a Senior Legislative and Management Analyst.
Your job title is Director of Budget and Performance Management for the City of Charlottesville – what, in your own words, would you say you do?
In reality, I consider myself a storyteller about the City’s budget and those outcomes that City Council, citizens, and stakeholders expect to see.
What is the best part of your job? The most difficult part?
Can they be the same? I really do love working for local government and can’t imagine doing anything else. It sounds so idealistic but knowing every day that our actions impact so many is extremely rewarding. Our “product” is not just one thing, but many things and while that makes for a hard time telling our story at times, it’s also really a treat to come into work day to day and face up front different kinds of challenges.
How does your job most directly impact the average person?
I would say almost every part of what I do impacts the average person in some way – from every program the City puts dollars into, to reporting out how effectively we provide those services.
What is the most interesting project or work experience that you’ve had while with the City?
I get to do so many different and fun things as part of my job, it’s always interesting and fun. But if I had to choose, it would be the work I have been doing related to performance measurement and management, called P3: Plan, Perform, Perfect. We’ve been working on this since 2008 and are getting ready to roll out scorecards with lots of cool performance measures and data to the public in the next few months. P3 is a lot of fun because it helps the city better focus on long term, strategic issues, provides a means of telling our story in many different formats and is an evolution, not an end product, so stay tuned everyone!
What is a little-known fact about you?
After finishing my undergraduate degree, I almost moved to FL to train with an Olympic level dressage rider/trainer. I have ridden horses since I was 9……
What do you do outside of work hours – hobbies, etc.?
Go running and work out, do fun things with the family like road trips and visiting museums, going to area wineries, work on our house.
