A former Tropicana Las Vegas executive could be the Clark County School District’s next chief financial officer, overseeing its roughly $2.4 billion budget.

The Board of Trustees on Thursday will consider appointing Jason Goudie, 46, to the role and granting him a $144,360 annual salary. The trustees’ decision comes soon after Eva White, the district’s interim CFO, announced her retirement.

Goudie hails from the private sector, having previously served as CFO for both the Tropicana Las Vegas and M Resort. He most recently has been vice president of financial and operational strategies for Accretive Consulting, which his wife, Kami Dempsey-Goudie, owns.

Goudie, who grew up mostly in Boulder City, said a recruiter contacted him about the school district CFO position earlier this year, setting in motion a string of interviews. The UNLV graduate said the prospect of leading the large school district’s financial operations intrigued him because of several changes afoot, including the state-mandated reorganization and recent legislation passed by lawmakers that will affect finances.

“I bring a little different perspective to the table being more private based (rather) than a government accountant,” Goudie said. “I’ve had more experiences outside of just pure finance and accounting.”

A certified public accountant, Goudie has a bachelor of science in business administration from UNLV. His two young children attend private school.

Last week, the district’s chief operating officer, Rick Neal, said he hoped the appointment of a new CFO would bring some “stability” to a position that’s experienced high turnover in recent months. Nikki Thorn, who assumed the role in November, left the district in January. That’s when White picked up the CFO responsibilities on an interim basis while the district searched for a permanent replacement.

White’s plans to retire later this summer, which she formalized last week, hastened the need for a successor.

The trustees must approve every out-of-district hire. If approved by trustees, Goudie’s contract would begin July 3 and automatically renew every year thereafter unless the district gives him written notice by May 1 of each year.

The board also will consider appointing Kirsten Searer as the district’s chief communications, marketing and strategy officer, with a $144,360 annual salary. She has been consulting with the district since March, helping and advising the trustees, superintendent and other staff members on a variety of communications-related matters.

Feature photo: The Clark County School District administrative offices on Monday, Jan 16, 2017. Photo by Sam Morris.