BALTIMORE, MD (Tuesday, September 29, 2026) – Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced the appointment of Shallah Graham as Budget Director for the City of Baltimore. As Budget Director, Graham will report directly to Bob Cenname, Deputy Director for the Department of Finance.
"Shallah brings extensive financial leadership experience to this role," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "I am confident that as we continue to drive historic progress citywide, she will help us build responsible budgets that deliver essential services and community-driven investments to every single neighborhood."
Shallah Graham has nearly 20 years of government experience, including 14 years in police finance executive leadership. Most recently, she served for seven years as the Chief Financial Officer of the Baltimore Police Department. Joining the department in 2019 as part of a new leadership team, she was tasked with driving lasting organizational change. In her first year alone, she successfully navigated unprecedented challenges- including the pandemic and major cultural shifts- by restructuring the budget for greater accountability and developing cost-saving measures without reducing city services. Over her tenure, her executive oversight expanded to include asset management, human resources, and sworn recruitment.
"I am excited to join the team as the new Budget Director for the City of Baltimore. I firmly believe that the residents of Baltimore deserve transparency, continuous improvement, and fiscal accountability," said Budget Director Graham. "In this role, I look forward to working diligently to ensure the budget reflects these core values, and that we manage city resources with the highest level of integrity and efficiency."
Prior to her work in Baltimore, Graham spent nearly a decade in fiscal leadership roles for the City of Fort Worth. Her success in streamlining processes and establishing value-added budgeting practices led to her promotion to assistant director of police. In that position, she managed fiscal services, human resources, information technology, research and planning, policy, and safety, while also serving as the budget director for the Fort Worth Crime Control and Prevention District.
Graham's extensive background in local government also includes foundational roles in the Parks and Community Services and Economic Development departments for Fort Worth and Tyler, Texas, as well as previous experience with the U.S. Department of Defense. She holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Tyler and a BBA in finance from Florida Atlantic University.
About the Bureau of the Budget and Management Research
The Bureau of the Budget and Management Research (BBMR) formulates the City's annual operating budget and recommends annual capital expenditures to the Director of Finance. This involves BBMR planning how the city spends money each year, and ensuring proper oversight of all budget expenditures. The Bureau also prepares fiscal notes for all local legislation and provides policy and fiscal research and analysis on a variety of administrative, departmental, and citywide issues.
