CMA’s Strategic Consulting Group is headed up by Managing Director Margaret Guarino who joined CMA after a successful 40-year career in public finance as an issuer, banker and financial advisor (see résumé below). The Group’s focus is to provide on-site consulting services to assist our clients to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their day-to-day operations. Services include, but are not limited to:
- Preparing a five-year financial plan that addresses, among other things, operations, existing and future debt, efficiency and management practices
- Assisting our clients as they spend, track, and report funds received under the American Rescue Plan Act
- Developing a plan to reduce or eliminate structural budget deficits
- Identifying/quantifying revenue enhancement and expenditure reduction opportunities
- Reviewing existing contracts and leases and making recommendations, as appropriate
- Participating in the preparation of the client’s budget and its presentation
- Preparing and presenting a comprehensive rating presentation to the rating agencies
- Reviewing existing contracts and leases and making recommendations, as appropriate
- Fleet studies
- Salary studies
Margaret Guarino, M.A.
Managing Director
Margaret manages CMA’s Strategic Consulting Services Group, which provides its clients with management support in several areas that are vital to their ongoing success. Grant related activities for CMA clients are supported by the Strategic Consulting Services Group. Margaret joined CMA in 2015 after a successful 40+ year career as a banker with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Her career in banking was preceded by positions as the head of a not-for-profit housing corporation and Senior Vice President at the Public Development Corporation of New York City under New York City Mayor Ed Koch.
Over the past two years, Margaret has worked closely with the cities of Long Beach and Glen Cove, the towns of Islip and Riverhead and the US Virgin Islands to prepare multi- year financial plans that address, among other things, operations, existing and future debt, efficiency and management practices as well as comprehensive credit rating presentations and deficit reduction plans that include revenue enhancement initiatives and expenditure reduction opportunities.
Margaret earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute of Technology. She has three adult sons and lives with her husband on Long Island.