By Shayna Nevermann
Special to NKyTribune
Managing a city’s finances requires more than balancing numbers on a spreadsheet. It requires careful planning, clear accountability and an understanding that every decision involves resources entrusted to the city by its residents and businesses.
For City of Florence Finance Director Jason Lewis, that responsibility is closely connected to a career built around leadership and service.
A lifelong Northern Kentucky resident, Lewis graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in German and International Relations. While at West Point, he also served as captain of the Army men’s soccer team, an early leadership role that required him to balance the demands of academics, athletics and military training.
After graduation, Lewis commissioned as a Field Artillery officer in the U.S. Army. He spent more than five years on Active Duty before transitioning to the Michigan National Guard in 2019.
Lewis then attended the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, earning a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in corporate finance in 2021. After completing the program, he joined Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, where he worked in corporate and supply-chain finance for three years.
At P&G, Lewis managed complex budgets and financial processes involving millions of dollars. His work included leading budgeting for manufacturing operations with more than $150 million in spending, developing financial forecasting processes and helping identify opportunities to reduce costs and recover losses.
But in 2024, Lewis made the deliberate decision to return to public service.
He joined the City of Florence as finance director, bringing together the leadership lessons he learned in the military and the technical financial experience he developed at Notre Dame and P&G.
Today, Lewis leads the development and management of Florence’s approximately $89 million annual budget. That work includes forecasting the resources needed to support police, fire, public services, water and sewer operations, city administration and major capital investments.
He also guides financial discussions with Florence City Council, develops five-year revenue forecasts and provides recommendations that inform the city’s tax rates and long-term financial decisions.
The work requires city leaders to look beyond a single budget year. Decisions made today must account for future operating costs, infrastructure needs, economic conditions and the city’s ability to continue delivering reliable services without placing an unnecessary burden on taxpayers.
Lewis also oversees the city’s payroll and accounts payable processes and leads an eight-person Finance Department. His additional responsibilities include financial oversight of the city-owned World of Golf and Florence Aquatic Center, including discussions about rates, operating costs and future capital needs.
Since joining Florence, Jason has also helped develop and implement a new employee pay plan for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The plan included meaningful adjustments for entry-level first responders and public services employees—positions essential to maintaining the city services residents rely on every day.
His role places him at the center of Florence’s commitment to thoughtful planning, responsible stewardship and transparent decision-making.
He was born and raised in Northern Kentucky and now lives in Edgewood with his wife, Laura, his Highlands High School sweetheart, and their four children.
Outside of the Florence Government Center, soccer remains an important part of his life. Lewis serves as the assistant varsity boys soccer coach at Covington Catholic High School and coaches his son’s U8 recreational team. From West Point and Active Duty military service to corporate finance and local government, each stage of Lewis’ career has reinforced the same central principle: Leadership begins with accepting responsibility for the people and resources placed in your care.
Now, he is applying that principle to helping protect the city’s financial strength for the future.