DSISD names CFO

DRIPPING SPRINGS — Last week, the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Gina Mitschke as the district’s new chief financial officer.

This comes on the heels of previous hiring decisions in the district’s finance department and administration. Cedric Menchion was the chief financial officer from September 2020 to June 2021; Catherine Knepp was the assistant superintendent for finance and operations from October 2021 to November 2022; and Elaine Cogburn started as the deputy superintendent for finance and operations in September 2022.

Mitschke comes to DSISD from Leander ISD, where she most recently served as the director of budget and compliance and brings a total of 16 years in school finance and administration.

During her time at Leander ISD, Mitschke led the development and monitoring of the district’s $450 million budget, identified funding opportunities that allowed LISD to maximize resources to meet district goals for its 40,000 students, oversaw the development of written processes for internal policies, ensured the district adhered to all local and legal policies and monitored changes in federal, state and district policies to ensure compliance.

As the CFO for DSISD, Mitschke will be responsible for the oversight of all financial and business affairs of the district, including providing financial management leadership to achieve the district’s short- and long-term instructional and strategic planning goals while ensuring legally sound and effective management practices.

Mitschke will report to Cogburn, who currently serves as the deputy superintendent for finance and operations.

“I had the privilege of working with Gina at Leander ISD and I am thrilled that she has decided to join Dripping Springs ISD. She brings deep school finance knowledge and management skills to DSISD and she will be a valued addition to our business office team,” Cogburn said.

Mitschke will begin her new role with DSISD this spring.