Episode Summary
In this episode of Full Disclosure – Live!, DebtBook product leaders Stephen Yokim and James Perez sit down with Kristin Roe, Deputy Finance Director for the City of Concord, North Carolina, to discuss what it really looks like to manage an ERP RFP and implementation from inside a local government finance team.
Kristin shares her background with the City of Concord, where she has served in multiple finance roles over the past 15 years and now helps oversee a wide range of responsibilities, including accounting operations, grants, debt, investments, audit management, and financial reporting. She explains how Concord’s complexity, including its airport, housing department, and multiple specialized systems, helped drive the need for a more modern ERP approach.
She also walks through Concord’s decision-making process, from recognizing the limitations of their long-standing ERP to identifying the capabilities that mattered most in a new system. Kristin highlights the importance of reducing disconnected tools, simplifying the user experience, and choosing a platform that could support both finance staff and occasional users across the organization. She shares why Concord selected their ERP, where the city is now in implementation, and what the testing and go-live timeline looks like heading into 2027.
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Featured Guest
Kristin Roe serves as Deputy Finance Director for the City of Concord, North Carolina. In this role, she helps oversee accounting operations, grants, debt, investments, audit management, and financial reporting for the city.
Kristin has worked for the City of Concord for more than 15 years, previously serving as Finance Manager and Senior Accountant.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Baker College and is a North Carolina Certified Local Government Finance Officer.
Top Takeaways From Session 04
(1) ERP decisions are about more than replacing software: For Concord, the ERP RFP process was driven by the growing challenge of managing too many disconnected systems, duplicate data, and logins across the organization. The goal was not just modernization, but a simpler, more unified user experience.
(2) No system checks every box, so prioritization matters: Kristin shares that no ERP could fully replace every specialized system or integrate with every tool Concord uses. Instead, the team focused on what mattered most: reducing complexity, improving usability, and making sure remaining processes would not become more difficult.
(3) The right support makes a major difference: Concord leaned on GFOA consulting resources, peer governments, and trusted technology partners throughout the process. Kristin emphasizes that outside expertise, collaboration, and strong internal communication are essential for keeping a major implementation on track while maintaining day-to-day operations.
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