Joanne Buenzli Crane is the U.S. Census Bureau’s chief financial officer (CFO). She began her career at the U.S. Census Bureau as the associate director for administration and chief financial officer in 2013. After three years of overseeing significant process improvements in budget, finance, acquisition, human resources, and facility and space planning, Crane recommended and implemented the transition of that position to two separate leadership roles at the Census Bureau: chief financial officer and chief administrative officer.

In her new role as CFO, she leads the Budget, Finance, and Acquisition Divisions. She advises senior leadership on budget, acquisition, and financial matters, including funding strategies and novel solutions to new or unique programmatic requirements. She builds consensus among internal and external stakeholders to ensure robust funding and acquisition solutions to support the Census Bureau’s priorities.

Crane previously worked as the acting chief financial officer and the budget director at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She was responsible for managing and overseeing budget formulation, execution, and communications regarding the budget for NOAA’s geographically dispersed entities, with an annual budget of $4.7 billion. She advised the under secretary and the executive team on budget decisions and supported the entire organization on all budget issues, including execution controls.

Prior to joining NOAA, Crane served as the chief financial officer for the Economics and Statistics Administration, the parent organization for the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Census Bureau. Crane held this role during the 2010 Census, which gave her experience in providing financial leadership and oversight of large, high-risk programs. Prior to that, Crane worked with the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ director, deputy director, and associate director for management as an economist and an analyst. She is a recipient of the Department of Commerce Silver Award and Census Bureau Bronze Medal Award.

Crane is a graduate of the Elliot School for International Affairs at The George Washington University.