SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., February 2, 2026 – After a competitive recruitment, City Manager Laura Snideman has appointed Christie Donnelly as the new Finance Director for the City of South San Francisco.
Ms. Donnelly will lead the City’s Finance Department, which provides a wide range of financial services, including accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, payroll, and risk management. She will provide key leadership during a pivotal time for the City, with the City Council’s focus on long-term fiscal sustainability as well as implementation of the new enterprise resource planning system.
Ms. Donnelly has over a decade of experience in local government finance, with prior roles with El Paso County in Colorado and progressively responsible roles with the City of Lompoc, California, where she had served as its Management Services Director since 2022.
Ms. Donnelly stated, "I’m honored to join the City of South San Francisco as its new Finance Director. I look forward to partnering with the City Council, City Manager, staff, and community to sustain strong financial stewardship and to keep the City’s financial information clear, timely, and transparent."
She is a current candidate with the Government Finance Officers Association for its Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) program. She has also served in various leadership roles with the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO), including the Administration Committee and Student Engagement Committee. Ms. Donnelly earned her MS in Accounting from Regis University and her BA in Psychology from UC San Diego.
The City of South San Francisco proudly remains The Industrial City, a reflection of its steel mill and ship building past, redefined to reflect the innovative, entrepreneurial, and industrious spirit which has made South San Francisco the Biotech Capital of the World, with 217 active biotech companies and growing. A vibrant community of 66,185 residents, South San Francisco enjoys a high quality of life with an extensive public parks system, active library and learning programming and a dynamic, engaged community making South San Francisco a great place to live, learn, work, and play.