Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Teresa MacCartney, director of the Office of Planning  and Budget, earned national recognition for her efforts as Georgia’s Chief Financial Officer. The National Association of State Budget Officers named MacCartney the 2016 recipient of the Gloria Timmer Award, the organization’s highest honor.

“For the past four years, I’ve worked closely with Teresa to develop fiscally conservative budgets that prioritize the needs of Georgians, particularly educators and law enforcement officers," said Deal. "At the same time, we’ve grown our Rainy Day Fund from $374 million to $1.9 billion. Her efforts have helped Georgia maintain its AAA bond rating, allowing us to better use taxpayer resources. I’ve long considered Teresa an exceptional budget officer and am proud that NASBO recognizes her as one too.”

MacCartney began her career in 2001 as a policy analyst at the Office of Planning and Budget, working her way to director in 2012.

“Having Teresa as budget director is like having Michael Phelps anchor the 4x100 meter Olympic relay,” said Chris Riley, chief of staff to Deal. “She has been instrumental in ensuring that the governor’s budgets are responsible, sustainable, and serve the needs of Georgians.”

The Gloria Timmer Award is named for after the former Kansas budget director, NASBO president, and NASBO’s executive director. The first award in her honor was given in 2001.

“MacCartney has overseen the restoration and enhancement of Georgia’s funding for its education system, which took a hit during the recession,” according to NASBO. “For K-12 education alone, she worked with the governor to add more than $1.5 billion over the past three years” with much of that funding going to grant more time in the classroom and retain experienced teachers. 

“MacCartney has not only served the State of Georgia well, but she has also served NASBO over the years. She is always willing to provide feedback and step up to help NASBO when needed and we have greatly appreciated her contributions. On behalf of all NASBO members we applaud your outstanding leadership and service to the state of Georgia and NASBO.”