Matt Smith teaches courses in public fiscal management and budgeting in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. He brings years of experience in public finance administration in Minnesota at the state and local levels. In May 2024, he completed a 40-year career in public service, having served as state Commissioner of Revenue (under governors Carlson and Ventura), Director of Finance for the City of Saint Paul, and concluding with several roles in Dakota County, including Finance Director, Deputy County Manager, and County Manager (2016–2024). He received his BA (History) and MS (Agricultural Economics) degrees from the University of Minnesota.
Matt hopes the students in his classes will appreciate the importance of good public fiscal management (and how to tell good from bad) and what that means in both concept and practice. He tries to expose students to a wide variety of resources, perspectives, and practical examples in state and local government finance.
I know that the vast majority of my students have no great desire to become a finance or budget director, but as public managers they will still hold a lot of responsibility for fiscal management. I want to help de-mystify government finance and budget processes for them so they can play their future roles effectively.
—Matt Smith
