Team

Mr. John McCarthy is the Director of the Office of Financial Services for the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. This position includes responsibility for managing Saint Paul’s $800 million operating and capital budgets, and the planning and administering of City debt.

Mr. McCarthy has been employed by the City for over 15 years, serving in the City’s Office of Financial Services Budget Section, before being appointed as Interim Director. Mr. McCarthy earned a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College, and a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School.

Mr. McCarthy is also a member of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), and the Joint Property Tax Advisory Committee.

Sarah E. Brown is the Treasurer for the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. As manager of the Treasury division in the City's Office of Financial Services, she is responsible for all aspects of Treasury operations including the collection and disbursement of all City funds, managing an investment portfolio in excess of $550 million, managing cash and liquidity, and administration of a nearly $600 million general obligation and revenue debt portfolio for the City and its agencies.

Prior to joining the City, Ms. Brown worked as a Debt and Compliance Analyst for the Debt Management Division at Minnesota Management and Budget, and as an estate tax auditor for the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Ms. Brown has over 10 years of state and local government experience.

Ms. Brown received a Master of Public Administration from Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, International Political Economy and Chinese from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Ms. Brown is an active member of local and national chapters of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and Women in Public Finance. Additionally, Ms. Brown serves as Secretary for the Women in Public Finance—Minnesota Chapter, member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), member of the GFOA Capital Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee, Secretary for the GFOA Black Caucus, and served on the 2023 GFOA Nominating Committee.

She has been recognized as one of the Bond Buyer’s 2021 Rising Stars, selected as a fellow for the 2022 ICMA Leadership Institute on Race, Equity and Inclusion, and honored as a 2022 Trailblazing Woman in Public Finance at the Bond Buyer’s 21st Deal of the Year awards.

Neal Younghans is the Debt Manager for the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. As the Debt Manager, he is responsible for debt issuance, continuing disclosure reporting, developing and executing the City's Debt Budget, and managing various City revenues.

Neal joined the Saint Paul team in 2022 after working as the City of Minneapolis’ Principal Budget and Evaluation Analyst. While in that role, he led the creation and development of the city’s $1.5 billion capital budget, administered the city’s resident capital committee (the Capital Long-range Improvement Committee), and developed the Public Infrastructure and Economic Development portfolio budgets.

Mr. Younghans received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and a Master of Public Policy graduate degree from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School in Minneapolis.