Ryan Skor has been selected to become the City of Bismarck’s next Finance Director, according to a June 2 announcement. Skor was interviewed on May 29 by a panel that included Mayor Mike Schmitz, City Commissioner Anne Cleary, City Administrator Jason Tomanek, Human Resources Director Leanne Schmidt, and Bismarck Parks and Recreation District Finance Director Kathy Feist. The Bismarck City Commission then held a special commission meeting on June 2 and unanimously accepted the recommendation of the hiring committee.
Dmitriy Chernyak had served as the city’s previous finance director but resigned in November 2025. Comptroller Eric Lund had been serving as acting finance director in the interim.
“We are thrilled to have Ryan joining our team with the City of Bismarck. We anticipate his skillset being a tremendous benefit to our organization,” said Jason Tomanek. “It goes without saying the Finance Director position is a critical position to all operations of the City of Bismarck. The City of Bismarck’s finances are purposefully woven throughout each department because we are caretakers of the community’s tax dollars, and we have a responsibility to be responsible stewards of that money.”
The city’s 2026 budget was just over $350 million, which includes salaries for about 650 full-time employees across 17 departments. The preliminary budget is traditionally approved by the city commission in July, with final approval in September each year.
Skor previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the North Dakota Retirement and Investment Office from August 2022 to January 2025, following nine years with the Office of the North Dakota State Treasurer as Director of Finance from July 2013 to August 2022. He is a Certified Public Accountant who earned his Bachelor of Accountancy and Master of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota.
