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SIPA Faculty
Martha Stark
Adjunct Professor
ms4476@columbia.edu
Martha Stark served as New York City's first African American female Finance Commissioner from 2002 until 2009. A corporate and tax lawyer with a passion for numbers, tax administration and management Stark is credited with several innovations at Finance, a 2,300-person agency responsible for collecting $23 billion in revenues.
Stark has written about several policy issues including housing, property taxes and the District of Columbia's finances. From 1993 until 1994 she served as a White House Fellow in the Clinton Administration at the United States Department of State.
In addition to serving as an Adjunct Professor this semester, Stark is a Distinguished Lecturer at Baruch's School of Public Affairs. Since 2009 Stark has taught several graduate level courses including Financial Management, Public/Nonprofit Sector Management, Urban Service Delivery, Leadership and Strategy, and a course she developed herself entitled Taxes Made Fun.
Stark is a lifelong New Yorker from Brooklyn who currently lives in Park Slope.