Maury deputy finance director leaves county better than she found it

Shiphrah Cox did not originally plan to work in government, but having an education in business and accounting eventually dropped her into the current role as deputy finance director for the Maury County Finance Department, a chapter that now closes as she moves on from county work.

Cox is from Pakistan, married in 2014 her husband Tim, with whom she has a daughter, Yasmin.

Though she was not born here, she attended Martin Methodist (now University of Tennessee Southern), earning a Master of Business Administration degree.

Exactly six years from starting with county budget work, she is moving into the role of finance director for a company out of California, working remotely from home so she can spend more time with family.

Cox said she was finding her interest in business and accounting work stretching back to high school.

“I was thinking about the medical field too, I just didn’t see myself being a doctor,” Cox said. “The way everything has gone, I didn’t plan it. I was looking for a job in Columbia after we had Yasmin.

“I was in the right place, right time,” Cox said.

When the job was still limited to Maury County, Cox said her career progressed quickly as she started her work as a grants accountant and moved into the role of senior accountant.

Following the 2018 Financial Management Act that allowed the departments of county finance and school finance to be coupled together in the same office, Cox moved into the role of deputy finance director under Doug Lukonen.

Around the time that the school funding came under the umbrella of the county office, Cox said the broadened office responsibility required the answering for and clearing of a number of audit findings that then plagued the county.

In fact, the audit findings directly resulted in the need to combine financial management of county and schools.

For Cox, working to have a clean audit for county and school funds has been one of her most satisfying achievements, she said.

“The state of Tennessee comptroller recognized that we had made progress,” Cox said. "And yes, seeing that we have a clean audit, that’s usually the biggest thing for our office because it’s probably the most public.

“Usually when it’s bad, it is more public, but these last couple of years it’s been good."

A few years ago, the county had more than 10 audit findings for which to answer, and in only a couple of years Cox said their team has taken that number to zero.

“That’s probably the most rewarding thing,” she said. “To see that after we had put in a lot of hours, we [achieved] a clean audit.”

While the economic climate has improved over the last few years, Cox said school finance management remains the toughest part of the job.

“Also, dealing with Doug,” Cox said, laughing.

“If she starts crying, get her out of here,” Lukonen said in jest last week.

Lukonen and Cox rising to meet the challenges has resulted in Maury County having one of the top credit ratings amongst its neighbors around the state.

The experience has yielded many good memories for Cox, being a part of a team with everyone “pushing for the best job they can do.”

“I call this place my second home,” she said. “My office is empty, and everybody is hating it because I had collected so much, had pictures everywhere, and I was here so much.”

Now with changing priorities, she'll be able to focus more on being a mom.

She hopes the next person to fill her role takes the opportunity to do many of the same things that have made her successful in the job.

“Tag team with Doug, know the trends and eat, sleep and breathe knowledge of the county,” Cox said.

Cox’s last day was Friday, Sept. 30, prior to her new remote finance director role with Bonafide Medical Group in California.

“I have had the honor and privilege to work with Shiphrah for the last five years,” Lukonen said. “She was the first ever deputy finance director for the county, due to creating the position with the 2018 Financial Management Act.

Lukonen praised Shiphrah’s role to help the team transform the financial status of Maury County schools and government.

“Shiphrah’s work ethic, detailed mind, kindness and undeniable loyalty to our office mission made her an excellent deputy director,” Lukonen said.

“She will be sorely missed, but we are extremely proud of her for branching out to new opportunities. I have no doubt she will excel wherever she goes.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Maury deputy finance director leaves county better than she found it