Village of Oak Park announces Kevin Bueso as new CFO
Published on December 01, 2025
The Village of Oak Park has named Kevin Bueso, MBA, a seasoned public-sector finance leader with more than 15 years of experience, as its next Chief Financial Officer, Village Manager Kevin J. Jackson announced today. In this role, Bueso will oversee the Village’s financial operations, long-term fiscal planning, budgeting and financial policy development. He will officially begin his duties on January 12, 2026.
“Kevin brings exceptional financial expertise, a strategic mindset and a proven track record of leading within multifaceted public-sector organizations,” Jackson said. “His experience navigating both countywide operations and guiding financial strategy for a regional transit system will be invaluable as Oak Park advances its long-term fiscal planning and invests responsibly in the services and infrastructure our community depends on. We are thrilled to welcome him to our leadership team.“
“I am honored to join the Village of Oak Park and grateful for the opportunity to serve a community so deeply committed to equity, innovation and responsible governance,” said Bueso. “I look forward to supporting Village leadership, staff and residents by strengthening our financial foundation, enhancing long-term sustainability and ensuring transparency in the work we do for the community.”
Bueso arrives in Oak Park after most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Deputy Executive Director of Finance, Innovation and Technology for the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). At the RTA, he led financial functions for the agency during a critical transition period for the region’s transit network. Bueso developed both annual budgets and multi-year financial plans, while maintaining oversight of accounting and treasury operations, capital project management and leadership of the organization’s information technology strategy. He advised both leadership and the RTA Board on complex financial analysis and regional funding needs, played a central role in developing long-term transit funding solutions, and guided collaborative efforts to ensure financial transparency, operational efficiency and performance improvements.
Prior to his tenure at the RTA, Bueso served in a similar capacity as Chief Financial Officer for McHenry County, where he oversaw all financial operations for a countywide organization with an annual budget exceeding $250 million. In McHenry County, he led the development of financial policies, directed the annual budget process, collaborated with elected officials and departments on long-term fiscal planning and managed core functions including auditing, payroll, purchasing, grant administration, accounts payable and receivable, and financial reporting. He also spearheaded modernization initiatives, implemented cost-reduction strategies, strengthened operational efficiencies, and advanced cross-departmental innovation projects.
Bueso played a key leadership role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, designing systems to track relief funding and administering a $59.8 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation through a comprehensive framework that emphasized equity, transparency and community engagement.
Additional professional experience includes serving as Director of Finance for the Village of Round Lake Beach and Assistant Finance Director for the City of Waukegan, as well as finance and administrative roles in the Village of Gurnee.
Bueso holds an MBA in Accounting and a BBA in Business Administration and Management, both from Roosevelt University. He is an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the Illinois Government Finance Officers Association (IGFOA), Financial Executives International – Chicago (FEI), the Illinois City/County Management Association (IL-CMA), and the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN).
Bueso will succeed interim Chief Financial Officer Donna Gayden who has been with the Village of Oak Park since September 2023. She will aid in the transition and assist with other ongoing projects throughout the coming months.
About Oak Park - The Village of Oak Park, located just nine miles west of downtown Chicago, offers a distinctive urban/suburban lifestyle in a thriving, multi-cultural community. Well-known for progressive values, tree-lined streets and bustling business districts, Oak Park serves as an ideal place to live, work and play. As a longstanding community of choice, the Village benefits from convenient access to local and regional transit, high-quality public schools, and arts and cultural attractions, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio and his acclaimed Unity Temple, which was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.