City Manager Craig Whitehead has announced the selection of Lacey Lies as the city’s new Director of Finance, beginning March 7.
Lies (pronounced “lease”) was previously employed with KPMG LLP in San Antonio, Texas, where she served in various roles in the tax department, including as an associate, senior associate and, most recently, manager. Originally from Wichita, she and her husband relocated to Independence from San Antonio in 2015 to be closer to family, and she continued to work for KPMG remotely until accepting the position with the city. Prior to KPMG, she served a stint with Grant Thornton LLP in Wichita as a tax intern.
Her job responsibilities included supervising multi-disciplinary teams; managing a portfolio of more than 30 clients; developing new departmental processes and procedures; developing schedules and budgets; and serving as a liaison between teams within the company.
A Certified Public Accountant, Lies received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University with a major in accounting and minor in statistics.
Whitehead explained Lies brings a wealth of valuable knowledge to her new position.
“I am pleased that we found a person of Lacey’s caliber to be our next finance director,” Whitehead said. “She brings great financial management, accounting and software skills to our organization, and we look forward to her joining our team.”
While at KPMG, Lies was the recipient of the “Standing Ovation Encore Award” on four separate occasions. She is an alumna of several K-State organizations, including Young Alumni Leaders, Beta Alpha Psi, University Honors Program and Kappa Delta (vice president/community service).
Lies’ duties with the City will include administrative and accounting work and directing all financial functions. She will be responsible for preparation of the annual budget, oversight of grant programs and compliance with financial management standards.
“Independence is my home. I want this city to grow and prosper and believe I can help achieve this by offering my time and talents as the Director of Finance,” Lies said. “I am passionate about helping others, and I want to be a part of a program that allows opportunities like those that exist in Independence to continue and thrive.”
Lies’ husband, Ryan, is employed with the Kansas Department of Parks, Wildlife and Tourism as the assistant manager at Elk City Reservoir. They have a 2-year-old son, Hudson, and a 6-month-old daughter, Emerson.