Local Government Fellow

James Wagner

Tulsa, OK


Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, City of Tulsa, OK

James Wagner is the Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for the City of Tulsa. He previously served as the City of Tulsa’s Chief of Performance Strategy and Innovation within the Office of Performance Strategy and Innovation (OPSI). OPSI, which is now embedded within Finance, focuses on using data to drive the city toward priority outcomes developed by the mayor and city council. In the time Mr. Wagner worked in the Office of Performance Strategy and Innovation, the City adopted its first strategic plan, partnered with Gallup to design the Gallup-Tulsa Citivoice Index, a new method of measuring thriving in cities, and created Urban Data Pioneers, an award-winning program to engage residents in data analysis. OPSI’s initiatives also include incorporating design thinking into programs, conducting low-cost randomized controlled trials, and building a citywide data analytics platform.  Prior to his work in city government, Mr. Wagner was the Principal Transportation Planner for the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization where he focused on public transportation planning and capital project development. He holds degrees in finance, city planning and civil engineering.