Jara Kern is a writer and marketing strategist with Right Angle Studio in the Chicago metro area. For the December 2021 issue of Government Finance Review, she enjoyed interviewing representatives from the seven governments and organizations that have been recognized with 2021 GFOA Awards for Excellence. She earned her MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds an undergraduate degree in classical music performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College.