Columbus, Ohio Deputy Auditor Moves to Advisory Firm

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CHICAGO - Columbus, Ohio's assistant city auditor is leaving her post to join the firm that is the city's financial advisor.

Megan Kilgore, who will be a principal, joins Umbaugh a few weeks after it merged with Columbus-based financial advisory firm Prism Municipal Advisors LLC. Prism was the city's longtime financial advisor.

Prism's founder Bradford Sprague died suddenly from a heart attack four weeks ago as the two firms neared a final merger agreement. Jim Hargrove, Prism's co-owner, will continue to head the Ohio office where Kilgore will work, she said.

"I'm truly just going across the table," Kilgore said. She leaves after 12 years at the city, serving under legendary Columbus auditor Hugh Dorrian, who recently celebrated 50 years at the city.

Dorrian and Sprague were both mentors over the past 12 years, Kilgore said.

"I've had two great teachers: Brad and Mr. Dorrian," she said. "I remember, when I started at the city, Brad taking me down to a local haunt and teaching me about yield curves," she said. "With Mr. Dorrian, every single Friday for a whole summer we would meet in a back conference room and he would teach me muni finance 101," she said. "That's worth a college degree to me." Kilgore also took Dorrian's class on government accounting at the Ohio State University. She now teaches that class. Kilgore was also instrumental in launching the Ohio chapter of Women in Public Finance.

In her new role, Kilgore will step down as a public member of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, a role she says she relished.

"I was most proud of being named to the MSRB, and I am so thankful of the support they have showed me over the last weeks," said Kilgore.

She leaves the city on Oct. 9 and begins at Umbaugh on Oct. 12.

At Umbaugh, Kilgore said her focus will be on municipalities, counties, utilities and economic development projects. She will be working with the firm's long-time clients, which include Columbus, Franklin County, Cuyahoga County and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

"I view Ohio still as a frontier, and given the extra capacity Umbaugh brings to the merger, I think we will be in a position to being expanding and building out with additional clients," she said.

The city does not plan to hire a new deputy auditor, instead tapping existing staff to take on the duties.

Kilgore said she's happy she'll remain close to the public finance business in Columbus.

"It's a luxury to love your job, and I can't imagine working a job that's not directly tied to the public sector," she said.

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