Vanessa I. Burke is the Partner-In-Charge with The Pun Group in their Bay Area, California and Phoenix, Arizona offices. Vanessa brings to The Pun Group over 27 years of combined experience in auditing, consulting and finance. She has served clients in a variety of industries, including small to very large state and local governmental agencies, public pension plans, insurance companies, not-for-profits, healthcare, technology and manufacturing and distribution clients. Her career in public accounting was spent primarily with the National firms of Grant Thornton LLP, Moss Adams LLP, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and regional/local firms where she has specialized in government and not-for-profit auditing and accounting. Vanessa has also held executive leadership positions as both CFO and Controller in government and private industry where she has worked on financial restructurings, turnarounds, municipal bankruptcies, and distressed municipalities. In 2012, Vanessa was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Stockton where she successfully navigated the finance and administrative services department through the City’s chapter 9 bankruptcy filing and testified on trial during the bankruptcy hearings.

Vanessa holds her CPA license in California and more recently achieved her certification as one of 650 Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) in the United States through the GFOA. The CPFO certification prepares individuals for financial leadership positions in local and state government and is designed to verify their knowledge in the disciplines of government finance including Governmental Accounting, Auditing and Financial Reporting, Treasury and Investment Management, Debt Management, Operating and Capital Budgeting, and Retirement & Benefits, Risk Management and Procurement.

Vanessa is a frequently sought-after speaker and has presented on a variety of technical and non-technical topics for the CalCPA, Women in Public Finance, American Society of Women Accountants, California State University San Francisco, Santa Clara University, California State Municipal Finance Officers, the League of California Cities, and Beta Alpha Psi.

Professional and Civic Involvement

• Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• Member, California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA)
• Member, Association of Governmental Accountants (AGA)
• Member, Women in Public Finance (WPF)
• Co-Chair, CalCPA Education Foundation Annual Government Conference
• Member, CalCPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee

Education

BS Degree in Business Administration, emphasis in Accounting from The University of California, Riverside
Licensed by the State of California.