For public-sector finance leaders, balancing a growing community’s expectations against limited resources has never been straightforward. Rising infrastructure costs, workforce demands and increasingly sophisticated technology are adding another layer of complexity. For Liliya Sablukova, Chief Financial Officer of the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority in Florida, the answer is not simply tighter budgeting. It is a combination of financial discipline, continuous learning, technology adoption and developing people who can make better decisions in the future.

Public-sector finance is often reduced to budgets, forecasts and compliance. In fast-growing communities, however, the CFO’s job can look considerably more complicated.

Road repairs compete with landscaping. Infrastructure maintenance competes with community amenities. Rising labor and material costs can turn previously manageable projects into difficult budget decisions. At the same time, residents expect public services to remain reliable and responsive.

That is the environment in which Liliya Sablukova has spent the past three years serving as CFO of the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority in Manatee County, Florida.

With more than 15 years of experience spanning governmental accounting, budgeting, investments, cash-flow forecasting and fiscal strategy, Sablukova has built her career around a practical question: how can public organizations make financially responsible decisions without losing sight of the people those decisions affect?

Her current position followed a role as Senior Fiscal Services Manager for Manatee County Government, where she managed countywide financial operations involving budgeting, grants, capital projects and financial reporting.

The transition brought a different kind of challenge. Rather than overseeing broad countywide systems, she became responsible for financial strategy within a rapidly expanding residential community where infrastructure, services and quality-of-life expectations are closely connected.

When the Numbers Meet Community Expectations

For Sablukova, financial management begins with prioritization.

Safety-related infrastructure has to come first. A pothole presents a direct risk to drivers. A sidewalk lifted by tree roots can become a hazard for pedestrians. Those problems cannot necessarily be deferred simply because budgets are under pressure.

Other spending decisions offer more room for debate.

Community landscaping, mulch, grass cutting and beautification contribute to residents’ experience, but maintaining those services can become significantly more expensive as labor and material costs rise. A financial leader may therefore need to examine whether a maintenance cycle can be extended or whether resources should be redirected toward higher-priority infrastructure.

Those choices can become particularly difficult when board members and residents have different expectations.

The role of a public-sector CFO, in that environment, extends beyond producing financial reports. It involves communicating trade-offs, explaining why certain investments take priority and helping decision-makers understand the longer-term consequences of today’s spending.

That people-centered dimension is central to Sablukova’s leadership philosophy.

AI Is Starting to Change Government Finance

Technology is adding another dimension to the job.

Sablukova recently participated in discussions with city mayors and administrators in Fort Myers about the potential use of artificial intelligence in government operations. One example involved cameras mounted on business vehicles capturing information about road conditions, with AI subsequently analyzing the data to help identify infrastructure requiring attention.

The example illustrates how AI could move public-sector technology beyond traditional administrative automation.

Instead of relying exclusively on periodic inspections or resident complaints, government organizations could increasingly combine sensor data, imagery, analytics and AI to identify problems and prioritize work.

That shift is already becoming part of the broader government technology conversation.

Gartner predicted in 2026 that at least 80% of governments will deploy AI agents to automate routine decision-making by 2028, while also warning that fragmented strategies and legacy systems remain major barriers to implementation.

The technology therefore creates an unusual leadership requirement. Government executives need to understand not only what AI can automate, but also where human judgment, accountability and public trust must remain part of the process.

Gartner’s research found that 50% of government respondents identified improved citizen experience among their top priorities for AI, while the company expects explainable AI and human-in-the-loop mechanisms to become increasingly important for consequential government decisions.

For finance leaders, that means AI adoption cannot be separated from governance, procurement and workforce planning.

The Workforce Challenge Behind the Technology

Sablukova’s approach places professional development alongside technology as a core part of modernization.

Her advice to younger professionals is straightforward: remain curious and never stop learning.

That philosophy matters in an environment where technology can change faster than formal job descriptions. Finance professionals who once focused primarily on accounting, budgeting and reporting may increasingly need to understand data analytics, automation, cybersecurity, AI governance and digital procurement.

IDC has similarly identified data readiness, governance and operating models as major requirements for governments preparing to adopt agentic AI. Its 2026 analysis says 40% of national governments in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan are expected to invest 10% of their IT budgets in data architecture and governance solutions as they address barriers to agentic AI adoption.

The lesson extends beyond government IT departments.

AI may be introduced through a technology platform, but successful adoption depends on the people responsible for interpreting outputs, challenging recommendations and integrating new systems into established workflows.

That is why Sablukova emphasizes training, conferences, certifications and exposure to new ideas.

Leadership as Talent Development

Her leadership philosophy is equally focused on developing other people.

Rather than viewing employees simply as resources to manage, Sablukova sees leadership as an opportunity to help team members build confidence and capabilities. She encourages employees to attend professional conferences, participate in training and seek experiences that expand their knowledge.

The objective is not simply to make today’s team more productive. It is to develop future leaders who can eventually create opportunities for others.

That approach reflects a broader shift in workforce management. As AI handles more routine analysis and administrative work, organizations may place greater value on judgment, communication, adaptability and continuous learning.

McKinsey’s recent research on AI adoption in the public sector similarly argues that technology alone is not enough. Government organizations continue to face challenges around data access, workflow integration, model risk, operating costs and workforce capabilities.

In other words, the AI transformation is also a people transformation.

A Different Definition of Career Success

Sablukova’s own career path reinforces that idea.

She did not approach professional development as a perfectly mapped journey. Instead, she describes a career shaped by curiosity, self-motivation and a willingness to take on unfamiliar challenges.

That perspective is particularly relevant for women pursuing leadership roles in finance and government, where career progression does not always follow a predictable route.

Her message is to begin before everything is certain, continue learning and treat setbacks as part of professional development rather than evidence that the path is wrong.

For public-sector organizations, that philosophy has practical value. Communities facing rising costs and growing expectations need leaders capable of adapting rather than simply maintaining established processes.

Sablukova’s career illustrates that financial leadership is increasingly about more than balancing accounts.

It is about deciding where limited resources create the greatest public value, understanding how technology can improve those decisions and developing the people who will eventually take responsibility for the next set of challenges.

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in government operations, that combination of fiscal discipline, technological curiosity and human-centered leadership may prove just as important as the technology itself.

Market Landscape

Public-sector technology is moving from experimentation toward broader operational adoption, but workforce capability and governance remain critical constraints.

Gartner reported in 2025 that 74% of government CIOs outside the U.S. had already deployed or planned to deploy AI within the following 12 months, while 49% reported current or planned deployment of AI agents. The same survey found that 80% planned to increase AI investment.

At the same time, McKinsey notes that many government AI initiatives remain stuck between pilots and scaled deployment because of data access, workflow integration, model risk and operating costs.

That creates an important HRTech implication: AI adoption is becoming a workforce-design issue, not merely an IT procurement issue. Finance, HR, operations and technology leaders increasingly need shared skills around data literacy, AI governance and change management.

For public-sector organizations, the competitive advantage may therefore come less from purchasing the newest AI system and more from developing employees who know when and how to use it responsibly.

Top Insights

• Public-sector CFOs are increasingly balancing infrastructure costs, community expectations and technology investments while maintaining transparency and fiscal accountability.
• AI-powered infrastructure monitoring could help governments identify road and maintenance problems faster, but human oversight remains essential for prioritization and accountability.
• Continuous learning is becoming a strategic workforce capability as finance professionals encounter AI, automation, analytics and increasingly digital government operations.
• Leadership development can become a technology-adoption strategy when employees are trained to interpret AI outputs, challenge assumptions and make informed decisions.
• Women in public-sector leadership can benefit from career paths built around curiosity, adaptability and continuous development rather than waiting for a perfect professional roadmap.

Get in touch with our fintech expert