Gilberto Prado named chief financial officer
Gilberto Prado named chief financial officer
 |
| Gilberto Prado |
The Northwest ISD Board of Trustees has named Gilberto Prado as the district’s next chief financial officer, placing an experienced school finance leader at the helm of all financial and business affairs for the fastest-growing school district in North Texas.
Mr. Prado joins Northwest ISD from Cedar Hill ISD, where he has served as chief financial officer since 2019. In this role, Mr. Prado has implemented best practices in operational areas such as technology accessibility and infrastructure, facilities, maintenance, and food service. He guided Cedar Hill ISD from a projected deficit to a surplus by implementing key spending strategies and identifying revenue sources.
“Northwest ISD has a reputation as a premier school district in Texas, and it also has a reputation for financial integrity and transparency,” Mr. Prado said. “I’m excited to join a talented team and get to work supporting the students, staff and community.”
Prior to serving as Cedar Hill ISD’s CFO, Mr. Prado served as executive director of budget, position control and human capital/workforce management, purchasing, and risk management at Garland ISD from 2015 to 2019. In this position, Mr. Prado directed and supervised all purchasing functions for the district as well as all risk management functions. He also oversaw the creation, maintenance and monitoring of the district’s positions and associated funding.
He began his school finance career in Dallas ISD, starting as a purchasing specialist in 1995 and advancing to become executive director of budgeting services by the time he left the district in 2015. At Dallas ISD, he directed the development and maintenance of the district’s $1.7 billion budget. He oversaw revenue projections and enrollment trends to forecast year-end revenue and expenditure projections.
Throughout his career, Mr. Prado has earned accolades for financial acumen, such as the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association and the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International. He is a member of the Texas Association of School Business Officials and has trained future education leaders in school finance in partnership with SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development.
Mr. Prado earned his bachelor’s degree in international politics and economics from Middlebury College in Vermont.