On Monday evening, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that he had hired Ashlee Gabrysch as the city’s next permanent CFO. Late last month, Steven Mahr left the acting CFO position after nearly six months in the job.   

Adding to Mahr’s departure was the abrupt resignation of Budget Director Annette Guzman last week. Guzman said she left to devote her time to caring for her aging mother. Former Deputy CFO Noor Shaikh also left the administration in June. 

Related: Johnson says budget director’s departure won’t impact his fiscal agenda 

The mayor said Gabrysch, whose appointment does not require City Council confirmation, brings an “extraordinary depth of knowledge of Chicago’s finances and the fiscal challenges facing cities across Illinois and the country.”

“Her experience inside government, in public finance research, and analyzing Chicago’s credit gives her a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges before our city,” the mayor said in a statement. “Ashlee understands that sound financial management requires building the long-term stability necessary to continue making investments in neighborhoods, deliver essential services, and create a safer, more affordable Chicago.”

The city has been without a permanent CFO since Jill Jaworski left to work for Navy Pier in February. 

Gabrysch most recently served as senior director and mid-central region manager at Fitch Ratings, a position that placed her as the lead credit analyst covering Chicago and Illinois. She also previously served as deputy director in the Illinois Treasurer’s Office, where she helped roll out the Secure Choice statewide retirement savings program.

Her other past roles include work in the Cook County Office of the Chief Financial Officer as a financial research analyst IV and senior research associate with the Civic Federation. 

“I have spent more than a decade studying and working on the fiscal issues facing Chicago and Illinois, both inside government and from the perspective of the municipal credit markets,” Gabrysch said in a statement. “I know the seriousness of the challenges before us, but I also know the strength and resilience of this city. I look forward to bringing my experience, analytical rigor, and commitment to public service to the City of Chicago and working with the Mayor, City departments, elected officials, and communities across Chicago to build a stronger and more sustainable financial future.”

The finance department and budget office are preparing to provide their annual preliminary forecast for how the city’s budget will perform by the end of the current fiscal year, as well as a projection of the anticipated gap that needs to be closed for the 2027 budget. 

The city is facing an estimated $90 million shortfall as several council-driven revenue ideas in the 2026 budget have failed to bring in revenue, a situation that the mayor and council members behind the revenue ideas have traded blame for. Before she resigned, the former budget director said the gap must be addressed by the end of August and that layoffs could be on the table if other solutions are not utilized.  

Related: At mid-year budget hearing, leaders equivocate on commitment to fulfill supplemental pension payment  

Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday that he was still in the process of choosing a replacement for Guzman. After she left, First Deputy Budget Director Jonathan Ernst became interim director.