Program Overview
The State and Municipal Finance Academy (SMFA) aims to address workforce shortages in the public finance sector by creating skills development and career advancement pathways for state and municipal employees. A collaboration between the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, URI’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, and the University of Rhode Island Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, this program is designed to tackle the ongoing shortage of public finance professionals in Rhode Island’s state agencies, municipalities, and school districts.
This non-credit, professional development program is open to all, and is ideal for state, municipal, and school district employees. The program covers foundational principles of public finance, such as state and municipal budgeting, tax assessment, government accounting, political structure, state reporting requirements, and negotiations. Participants master in-demand skills through a hands-on municipal budget program that allows them to apply what they are learning in real time, guided by a variety of subject matter experts from the field.
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“The whole program between facilitator, guest speakers, and URI staff were professional, nice, and extremely informative.”SMFA Cohort 1 Graduate
Benefits and Outcomes
Career Advancement: Training that opens pathways to high-paying positions in state and municipal finance offices.
Certification: A certificate of completion from the University of Rhode Island.
Customization and Flexibility
The SMFA is offered as a hybrid program with online meetings via video conferencing, for added convenience and flexibility. With start dates in both spring and fall, interested candidates can apply at any time and choose the schedule that best fits their lifestyle.
- The SMFA is an 8-week program consisting of eight 3-hour Zoom sessions.
- Cost: $1,000 per participant. Contact our team for guidance on where you may be able to source funding.
Why Choose This Program
The SMFA is unique due to its targeted approach to addressing the specific workforce needs in Rhode Island’s public finance sector, its partnership with reputable institutions, and the tangible career and educational benefits it offers to participants.
Meet Your Facilitator
Stephen E. Coleman Jr. is Chief of the Division of Municipal Finance within the Rhode Island Department of Revenue. The Division is responsible for calculations that impact the distributions of over $1.4 billion in state local aid programs, the administration of the Municipal Transparency Portal, issuing local government reporting/guidance on to fiscal and property tax matters, centralized tangible personal property taxation of public service corporations, tracking and analyzing state legislation affecting municipalities, as well as staffing state oversight entities under the Fiscal Stability Act. He has been affiliated with local government operations for years during his time in the Division. He is a board member of the Rhode Island Governmental Finance Officer Association, has served the Municipal Resiliency Tax Force, and was a chairperson of the Asset Management Commission of Smithfield. He has conducted an annual training seminar for municipal finance directors and school business mangers held jointly between the Division of Municipal Finance and the Office of the Auditor General and is a presenter at the League of Cities and Towns biennial seminar for new local officials. He holds an associate degree from the community college of Rhode Island, a bachelor’s degree from Bryant University with a dual major in finance and economics, and a master’s degree in business administration with a master’s level certificate in finance from Providence College.