Calabasas CFO wins award




Gary Lysik

Gary Lysik


The chief financial officer for the city of Calabasas has been named a top CFO in the San Fernando Valley area.

The San Fernando Valley Business Journal gave Gary Lysik the honor at a luncheon last week in Woodland Hills. There were 48 nominees, 20 of whom were honored with special certificates and five who were named top CFOs based on the size of the budget they managed.

Lysik said he didn’t hear the master of ceremonies call his name, and when his colleagues from the city told him to stand up, he thought they were joking.

“It was certainly unexpected and exciting,” Lysik said. “It was a thrill for me, especially to be in the presence of some pretty big people with very big companies. To be No. 1 in my category, that’s pretty good. It was quite humbling.”

Alex Soteras, president of the Agoura-Oak Park-Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, nominated Lysik, the city’s first CFO, who took the position in December 2003.

Mayor Mary Sue Maurer commended his work.

“Gary is an important part of a strong management team that has earned Calabasas the highest city bond ratings,” Maurer said. “He makes sure Calabasas finances are as transparent as possible and he takes particular pride in ensuring the public can easily understand often complex financial transactions and budget proposals.”

The Journal noted Lysik’s success. “(Lysik) worked to design and implement a complete set of financial policies and procedures, and has improved processes that caused the city to progress from a Bminus rating to a AA rating. This was critical in helping the city get the lowest interest rate for any new California municipal building project in years.”

Before taking on the role of Calabasas’ CFO, Lysik was the director of finance for the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Lysik has a doctorate degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University, a master’s degree in business management and a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *