December 16, 2020 (Washington, DC)—Summit Consulting announces the appointment of Sarah Cunningham as its newest Director. Ms. Cunningham brings a deep and respected reputation in federal and local financial management, enterprise risk management, federal credit budgeting and execution, and policy analysis.
Ms. Cunningham’s two-decade-long career started with the private sector in credit risk analysis, where she was responsible for monitoring financial risk thresholds and synthesizing analyses for recommendations to senior management. She also developed tools to automate profit and loss statements.
She transitioned to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where she started in FCC/telecom, then shifted to the Credit Crew. Over time, she was promoted to a senior leader, ultimately serving the OMB for more than 11 years in total. After OMB, she went on to serve as the Assistant CFO for budget at HUD for 2.5 years, where she led the use of large-scale data analytics to evaluate program performance and recommend reforms. She served as a principal point of contact on budgetary matters with OMB and legislative branch agencies. She was also the lead credit expert for the department in budget, audit, and other financial management issues for more than $3 trillion in loan guarantees, including Ginnie Mae securities and Federal Housing Administration single-family mortgages.
Most recently, Ms. Cunningham served for three years as the CFO of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, a major urban county with 1.1 million residents and a $1.9 billion operating budget. There, she led a team of more than 130 staff and was accountable for all aspects of budget compliance, treasury and debt, financial management, and procurement.
In addition to earning a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan, Ms. Cunningham is a Certified Government Financial Manager.