Announcing leadership changes in the Office of the Treasurer

Friday, February 17, 2017

Pauline Marx to retire June 30, 2017 and Tajel Shah appointed Chief Assistant Treasurer

After twelve years as Chief Assistant Treasurer and many years serving the public sector, Pauline Marx has announced that she will be retiring at the end of the fiscal year. In her initial years as Chief Assistant Treasurer she managed various functions including administration, budget, information technology, and human resources. For the last nine years Pauline has managed customer service, cashiering/remittance operations, citywide investment and banking functions and represents me as a Trustee on the Retiree Health Care Trust Fund Board.  In addition, she has provided leadership to the field of municipal finance as a board member of the Government Finance Officers Association and as board president of the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers.

During her tenure, Pauline has navigated the changing investment and banking landscape successfully and has improved business practices for the management of investments.  She has improved efficiency and security for financial transactions and led the competitive bidding process for all of the City & County’s banking relationships.

I will miss Pauline’s steady leadership and wish her well on her next journey.

And more news.

It is with pleasure that I announce the appointment of Tajel Shah as Chief Assistant Treasurer effective upon Pauline Marx’s retirement. Tajel has been a talented member of the Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Office leadership team for nine years. During her tenure as Deputy Director, Tajel has modernized the Office by bringing all tax functions online and has redesigned workflow and business operations to be more responsive, transparent and efficient. She has ensured that the Office's annual budget is focused on outcomes that support accountability and innovation.

Before embarking upon a career in public service, Tajel worked in the private sector engaging Fortune 500 companies in their early forays online and leading corporate expansion abroad. Tajel's passion for public service and justice began early. She served as the youngest woman of color heading a national organization committed to making post-secondary education accessible to all students and advocating for the rights of women and minorities.

Pauline and Tajel will work together to ensure a smooth transition. Congratulations to both of them.

José Cisneros
Treasurer, City and County of San Francisco