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DULUTH — The city’s newly hired finance director, Juanita “Nina” Salinas, made quite a northerly move to begin work in Duluth on Monday.
Salinas most recently served as chief administrative officer for the city of San Antonio’s 6th District, where she oversaw constituent services, zoning, public works, events and outreach. In that role, she also supported the district’s review of the city’s $4 billion annual budget and coordinated work across multiple city departments.
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Salinas’ previous work experience includes stints as chief operating officer and strategy consultant for UGO Strategies, with more than 35 years of service in leadership roles.
Salinas holds an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BBA in accounting from Texas A&M University.
“I’m excited to welcome Ms. Salinas to the city of Duluth leadership team,” said Mayor Roger Reinert in a prepared statement. “She rose to the top of a strong candidate pool and is remarkably well-suited for the finance director position. Nina has a well-rounded resume spanning government, global industrial, and consulting fields, and we are eager to have her on board, leading our finance team.”
“Ms. Salinas comes to Duluth having led a career grounded in fiscal responsibility, organizational alignment, and comes to us with a people-first leadership philosophy,” said City Administrator Matt Staehling in the same news release. “Her incredibly varied skill set and leadership style are exactly what the department needs in order to address the city’s unique set of financial opportunities and challenges.”
For her part, Salinas expressed her eagerness to join the city of Duluth’s leadership team.
“As a native of Laredo, Texas, my journey here is serendipitous. I-35 runs from my hometown on the Mexican border to Duluth, where my family and I will now plant our roots,” Salinas said in the news release. “I look forward to getting acquainted with the community, and embracing this city’s natural beauty and vibrant arts scene, as well as immersing myself in new outdoor winter activities.”
Salinas is bilingual in English and Spanish, and will bring with her a history of community service, with experience as a nonprofit board member, dog-rescue foster and supporter of Latino professional initiatives.
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The Duluth City Council voted to approve the appointment of Salinas as finance director on Nov. 24. Her first day in the role was Dec. 1.
Salinas will succeed City Auditor Josh Bailey, who has served as Duluth’s interim finance director since the departure of Jennifer Carlson in August, when she left to accept a new job as vice president of finance and strategy for the College of St. Scholastica. Bailey will return to his previous duties, once again serving as Duluth’s city auditor, alongside Salinas.
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