Oak Park has found a new top financial staffer.
Oak Park named Kevin Bueso as its next Chief Financial Officer, Village Manager Kevin Jackson announced Monday evening. In the role, Bueso will oversee the village’s financial operations, long-term fiscal planning, budgeting and financial policy development.
Bueso, who has more than 15 years of public-sector finance experience, will officially begin his duties on Jan. 12, 2026, according to the village.
“Kevin brings exceptional financial expertise, a strategic mindset and a proven track record of leading within multifaceted public-sector organizations,” Jackson said. “His experience navigating both countywide operations and guiding financial strategy for a regional transit system will be invaluable as Oak Park advances its long-term fiscal planning and invests responsibly in the services and infrastructure our community depends on. We are thrilled to welcome him to our leadership team.
Bueso will succeed interim Chief Financial Officer Donna Gayden who has been with Oak Park since September 2023. She will aid in the transition and assist with other ongoing projects throughout the coming months, according to the village.
Bueso arrives in Oak Park after most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Deputy Executive Director of Finance, Innovation and Technology for the Regional Transportation Authority. In the job, he advised both leadership and the RTA board on complex financial analysis and regional funding needs, played a central role in developing long-term transit funding solutions and guided efforts to ensure financial transparency, operational efficiency and performance improvements, according to the village.
“I am honored to join the Village of Oak Park and grateful for the opportunity to serve a community so deeply committed to equity, innovation and responsible governance,” said Bueso. “I look forward to supporting village leadership, staff and residents by strengthening our financial foundation, enhancing long-term sustainability and ensuring transparency in the work we do for the community.”
Prior to his tenure at the RTA, Bueso served in a similar capacity as Chief Financial Officer for McHenry County, where he oversaw all financial operations for a countywide organization with an annual budget exceeding $250 million. Bueso played a key leadership role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, designing systems to track relief funding and administering a $59.8 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation through a comprehensive framework that emphasized equity, transparency and community engagement, according to the village.
Bueso’s career experience also includes serving as Director of Finance for the Village of Round Lake Beach and Assistant Finance Director for the City of Waukegan, as well as finance and administrative roles in the Village of Gurnee.
Bueso’s appointment comes after former Oak Park Finance Director Carrie Marckess resigned in August, just five months after she was hired to begin gradually taking over leadership of the village’s Finance Department from Gayden.