Janani Ramachandran Yates

Partner

Janani Ramachandran Yates has nearly 15 years of experience in federal, state, and local government, driving efficient and modern financial processes, effectively steering teams through crisis and growth, and leveraging analytical capacity to increase performance and reduce costs.

As Deputy Budget Director for the City of Detroit, she comprehensively rebuilt the City’s budget decision-making apparatus, enabling a more transparent and evidence-based process. From 2018-2021, Janani was Associate Budget Director to Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia, where she led the strategic management of the District’s $10 billion capital infrastructure budget. During her tenure, she also helped direct the District's financial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the strategic allocation of CARES and ARPA federal aid packages totaling nearly $4 billion.

Earlier in her career, Janani served as a senior financial analyst with Arlington County, VA and held budget and operations roles with the federal government at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

She holds an MPP from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and a BA, cum laude, from Amherst College.

Education

  • Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, MPP

  • Amherst College, BA, cum laude

Experience

  • City of Detroit, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, 2021-2024

  • District of Columbia, Office of the City Administrator, 2018-2021

  • Arlington County, Virginia, Department of Management and Finance, 2017-2018

  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2012-2017

Recognitions

  • Mayor’s Excellence in Leadership Award for the financial stewardship of the District of Columbia during the unprecedented first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Delegate to Local Government 2030, a national group of 50 under-40 local government leaders tasked by the National Academy of Public Administration with developing solutions to 10 Grand Challenges for the next decade in government. 

  • OMB Finance Fellow in a “rising stars” program for 20 twenty promising young professionals chosen from across the federal government.

  • Hacket Family Award, granted to one 2nd year Ford School graduate student for exceptional academic achievement

Volunteering and Boards

  • Alumni Board, Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan

  • Class Secretary, Amherst College