Uri Monson
Secretary of the Budget
Governor Josh Shapiro appointed Uri Monson to serve as the Secretary of the Budget in January of 2023. Monson grew up in Philadelphia and has served in a variety of public service roles for nearly 30 years.
Secretary Monson previously served as Deputy Superintendent of Operations and Chief Financial Officer for the School District of Philadelphia. During his time there, the School District of Philadelphia improved its fiscal outlook to allow for a return to local City control and achieve an investment level credit rating for the first time since 1977.
Monson also served as the Chief Financial Officer of Montgomery County, PA; Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority; and as Assistant Budget Director for the City of Philadelphia. Prior to returning to Philadelphia, he worked for the US Department of Education in Washington, DC as a Congressional Liaison and as a policy analyst and program manager for the Office of Postsecondary Education.
Monson began his public service through the Presidential Management Internship (PMI) Program, when he served as a program analyst at the US Department of Education and worked in the Office of the Vice President of the United States and the New York City Office of the Superintendent for Alternative High School Programs.
Monson earned a master's degree in Public Policy from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Columbia University, as well as a bachelor's degree in Midrash from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Monson is an active member of his synagogue, served as a Vice President and Treasurer of Camp Ramah in the Poconos, and is a former President of the Philadelphia Committee on City Policy. He was named as a person to watch in Philadelphia Magazine's 2009 "Best of Philly" Issue and cited as the top "Wonk" in the City. Monson currently resides in Wynnewood, PA with his wife and three children.
Brenda Warburton
Executive Deputy Secretary of the Budget
As Executive Deputy Secretary of the Governor’s Office of the Budget, Brenda Warburton works with the Budget Secretary to develop, coordinate, and oversee the execution of a balanced financial plan for the Commonwealth that reflects the policies and priorities of the Governor, promotes the efficient allocation and use of resources, and ensures that all funds received and disbursed for Commonwealth programs are accounted for in accordance with current laws, regulations, and policies.
In addition to the Office of the Budget, Brenda has held leadership positions at the Department of Revenue (Director of Research), Department of Labor and Industry (Director of UC Tax Services), and the Independent Fiscal Office (Deputy Director) during more than two decades of public service with the Commonwealth.
At the Department of Revenue, Brenda directed the research and analysis to support the 2004 Pennsylvania Business Tax Reform Commission’s recommendations for revenue-neutral changes to increase fairness and competitiveness in the Commonwealth’s business tax structure. As a result of this effort, the Department of Revenue received the Federation of Tax Administration Award for Outstanding Research and Analysis in 2005.
Brenda received a Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from American University. Brenda was a Presidential Management Intern (PMI) finalist (1995), an Environmental Fellow at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs (1993-1995), and a Fulbright Scholar in the Federal Republic of Germany (1989-1990).
John Kaschak
Deputy Secretary for Comptroller Operations
As the Commonwealth's Deputy Secretary of Comptroller Operations, it is John Kaschak's role to ensure that the Office of Comptroller Operations is a trusted advisor to the agencies that we serve by offering fiscal insight, oversight, and foresight related to financial systems, processes, and policies.
While at the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, John served as the Chief Operations Officer and oversaw the processing of ten million tax returns and the collection and accounting of over $40B in revenues annually.
He was one of the architects behind their three-pronged transformation plan, which included modernization, reorganization, and employee empowerment.
During his previous term in the Office of Comptroller Operations, John served as the Director of the Bureau of Audits. In this role, he coordinated the merger of five Comptroller Office audit divisions into one Bureau of Audits, while also establishing the Commonwealth's first internal controls policy and the first Commonwealth-wide audit committee.
Before John's two decades of public service, he spent over four years in the public accounting profession, conducting financial statement and single audits of a variety of state and local government entities in both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Maryland.
John holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration-Accounting from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).
John served on the U.S. Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office, Green Book Advisory Committee and two terms as a member of the American Institute of Public Accountants' (AICPA) Government Performance and Accountability Committee (GPAC) and the related CGMA Advisory Group. He also served two terms as a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (PICPA) Council, as well as their Local Government Committee, and is a past president of the Northeastern States Tax Officials Association.
Natalie Krug
Deputy Secretary for Budget Operations
As Deputy Secretary for Budget Operations, Natalie Krug and her team work closely with agencies to prepare the Governor’s Executive Budget for introduction to the General Assembly. The office then monitors legislative discussion on the budget and oversees implementation of the final enacted budget, including approving agency spending plans, establishing complement levels, and monitoring expenditures and other fiscal activity.
Natalie began her Commonwealth career with the Office of the Budget in 2015.
In that time, she has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Director of Policy, as well as Assistant Director and Director for the Bureau of Budget Analysis. She served as the Governor’s Appointee on the 2023 Basic Education Funding Commission.
Prior to her time at the Office of the Budget, Natalie worked in the non-profit sector, providing research assistance and data analysis at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and Center for American Progress in Washington, DC, as well as the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg, PA. She has co-authored a number of research reports and contributed to EPI’s flagship publication, The State of Working America, 12th Edition. She also completed an internship at the Delaware Department of Labor’s Office of Occupational and Labor Market Information.
Natalie holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Delaware.
Natalie serves as an Eastern Regional Director for the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Budget Officers. She also teaches a graduate course at York College of Pennsylvania. Natalie currently resides in Cumberland County with her husband and two children.
Zach Reber
Deputy Secretary for Fiscal Policy and Program Coordination
As Deputy Secretary for Fiscal Policy and Program Coordination within the Governor’s Office of the Budget, Zach Reber manages collaboration and coordination between the various areas of the Governor’s Office and the Governor’s Budget Office to ensure the Commonwealth Operating Budget is considered throughout the decision-making process and aids in the entire Commonwealth Budget process.
Zach also oversees policy priorities of the Department of Revenue and the Department of Banking and Securities. Zach also manages interactions with the General Assembly on budget related matters as well as fiscal impact of pending legislation and regulations on the state budget.
Zach has served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in various leadership roles for the last decade. Zach joined the Office of the Budget in July 2021. Prior to his current role, he served as Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Budget, for three Budget Secretaries, including the current Secretary of the Budget. Prior to joining the Office of the Budget, he was a member of the Governor Tom Wolf administration where he served as Executive Director of Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center, helping to bring together the business and workforce communities to identify barriers to employment, as well as, the Deputy Secretary of Policy and Planning, overseeing policy priorities in the space of Health and Human Services, Economic Development, Agriculture and Transportation.
Before joining the Governor’s office, Zach served as the Policy Director for the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) helping to create and oversee Governor Tom Wolf’s economic development policy agenda. Earlier roles at DCED include Special Assistant to then Secretary of DCED, Dennis Davin, and a Loan and Grants Specialist for economic development projects. Zach’s first position with the Commonwealth was with the PA Department of Revenue in 2012.
Zach also served an internship in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Zach has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Alvernia University in Reading PA, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Honors Program and a minor in History. In his personal life, Zach is a fourth-generation farmer, owning and operating the family farm with his two brothers. He resides in Schuylkill County with his wife and his two daughters.
