Paris Saunders joined the DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer as special assistant in March 2014 and was promoted a year later to agency fiscal officer. In May 2022, Saunders was appointed as associate chief financial officer for the Education Cluster. In this role, he is responsible for the overall financial management oversight of all education agencies in the District government. This includes DC Public Schools, DC Public Charter Schools, University of the District of Columbia, Office of the State Superintendent of Education, and several other education-related agencies, with budgets totaling $3.9 billion. In addition to providing leadership, he guides the accounting, budgeting, accounts payable and administrative functions, including internal/external audit compliance functions.

Prior to joining the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Saunders served as assistant vice chancellor at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, where he was responsible for the university’s auxiliary operations. Throughout his nearly 25 years in the finance industry, Saunders has invested the last 18 years in the education finance industry.

Saunders holds an executive master’s degree from the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, and a bachelor’s degree in management/accounting from Missouri State University.