How Georgia’s top accounting official uses technology and change management to champion a new era in government finance

Gerlda B. Hines, Georgia’s state accounting officer since September 2021 and the first woman permanently appointed to the role, is working to eliminate antiquated finance and accounting processes—essentially bringing Big Tech to hundreds of agencies.

Hines previously served as commissioner, chief of staff, interim commissioner, deputy commissioner, and CFO for Georgia’s Department of Human Services, where she oversaw a $1.9 billion budget and led the department’s executive team. Before that, she was deputy CFO for the Georgia Department of Community Health and VP/CFO at the Georgia Student Finance Commission.

Courtesy of the Georgia state accounting office

I recently sat down with Hines, who is known for her problem-solving skills, she said. When the state accounting officer position opened, her name kept coming up because of her CPA credentials and deep knowledge of the state. “I was amazed when they called me because I had just been appointed commissioner of the Department of Human Services,” she told me.

Hines admits she’s always been the first to volunteer for new tasks, dating back to her youth: “I was the person growing up to say, ‘I’ll do it.’”

Now, she faces the challenge of revamping the state’s finance and accounting processes. “Nothing was standardized in the way we did business around accounting,” she said.

After evaluating technology vendors, Hines and her team selected Workday (a CFO Daily sponsor). Unlike company CFOs who seek board approval, Hines and her co-executive sponsor, Commissioner Rebecca Sullivan of the Department of Administrative Services, had to present their budget request to the governor’s office and to state legislators, including chairmen and budget directors of both houses.

The partnership with Workday began in January 2023, with the project kicking off in December 2023. More than 121 agencies are set to soon go live with this HR, finance, and procurement technology transformation. “This is an enormous project for Georgia,” Hines said. “The last time something like this was implemented was in 1999.”

Tackling change management

Change management in the age of AI turns employees into active contributors—encouraging experimentation, co-creation, and continuous learning, according to McKinsey research. As a problem solver, Hines knew that selecting the technology was only part of the transformation; change management was equally essential and challenging. Some staff worried the new system could mean job losses, so her team prioritized encouraging employees to continually try out the platform and provided upskilling and reskilling to help them adapt, she said.

For several months, Hines has driven broad, consistent engagement across agencies—using newsletters, dedicated change agents, and regular meetings spanning finance, HR, and technology—to keep everyone informed and aligned. Her approach emphasizes proactive communication, active stakeholder involvement, and ongoing readiness assessments to support successful adoption, she said. “We take a pulse by sending out readiness assessments to see where everyone is in the project,” she added.

Hines also noted many agency employees are reaching retirement age, making talent recruitment a challenge. Modern platforms, she believes, can help bridge talent gaps and attract younger workers interested in advanced technology. “Moving away from manual data is going to allow us to do more analytics and look at trends,” she said.

Hines also told me that she hopes her leadership can inspire young women: “If you can see it, you can accomplish it.”

Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com

Leaderboard

Joao Laranjo was promoted to CFO of Stellantis N.V., effective immediately. Laranjo succeeds Doug Ostermann, who has resigned from the company for personal reasons. In 2024, Laranjo joined Goodyear as VP of finance. He rejoined Stellantis earlier this year as CFO of Stellantis North America under the company’s new management. Laranjo also previously worked at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as chief accounting officer for Latin America, rising to CFO for the region. He began his career at General Electric in 2001, serving as an associate auditor and later as controller for GE Healthcare in South America.

Amir Jafari was appointed CFO of Couchbase, Inc. (Nasdaq: BASE), a data platform provider, effective immediately. Jafari joins Couchbase from Blend Labs, where he most recently served as CFO and head of finance and operations. Before Blend, he held CFO roles at multiple companies, as well as in finance and product leadership roles at ServiceNow.

Big Deal

The Bank of America Institute's 2025 Workplace Benefits report finds that despite a general sense of optimism when looking ahead, employees are experiencing heightened stress. About 77% of employees surveyed are stressed about the current economic environment, 43% are stressed about their typical workday, and 37% are stressed about their personal and family lives. They're also grappling with matters like how to balance credit card debt with emergency savings and taking vacation time versus caregiving at home. 

While many employers focus mainly on traditional benefits such as retirement plans and health insurance, employees increasingly value broader financial wellness programs—including equity, debt support, and work/life balance—which help attract and retain top talent. More than eight in 10 employers say that financial wellness boosts job satisfaction, retention, and productivity, according to the report.

Going deeper

Overheard