Growing Team, Expanded Roles
three+one is excited to announce today a pair of key senior leadership transitions that will position the firm to continue its strategic growth and positive national impact well into the future.
Effective January 1, 2025, our CEO and Co-Founder, Joseph Rulison, will assume the role of Executive Chair of three+one, continuing his visionary leadership in providing public sector and higher-Ed entities across the country with innovative, revenue-generating financial tools to best serve their taxpayers, students, and stakeholders.
The role of CEO will be assumed by Garrett Macdonald. As our current Executive Vice President, he has served the company for nearly a decade and will continue to oversee the firm’s operational strategy and vision, manage company performance, and ensure positive outcomes for our clients nationwide.
In making this announcement, Rulison emphasized that this transition has long been part of three+one’s succession planning, having been developed by senior leadership and the board of directors as part of the firm’s strategic growth.
As part of this announcement, Rulison noted, “This transition comes at a pivotal time for three+one as we look forward to 2025 and beyond. Since the beginning, we have built up a depth of talent and institutional memory. This next phase is simply part of our vision of ‘expanding company, new roles’ but with the same commitment to excellence that has served our firm and our client-family for the last 10 years.”
Peter Forsgren, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, added that “We are excited to continue fostering the incredible culture of three+one. We are all part of one unified team, and are thrilled to expand opportunities for every member of our organization. Garrett has truly embodied our core value of “exceeding expectations” for our team members, our exceptional clients, and our stakeholders.”
As Macdonald prepares to take the helm officially in January, he reflected on his own journey with three+one, entering our doors as an intern a decade ago to now taking the top chair. “I’m truly grateful to, as Warren Buffett put it, ‘tap dance to work’ every day. The trust and confidence Joe, Peter, and the Board have placed in me is an incredible honor. The three+one team has achieved so much together, and the best is yet to come. Joe has been an outstanding mentor, always fostering a culture that pushes us to exceed expectations for both our team and our clients. I’m excited to continue learning from him in this new role and to keep nurturing that culture of excellence.”
As to the firm’s legacy and future, Macdonald added, “At three+one, we live by the saying, ‘People don’t care what you know until they know you care.’ While we are a data-driven company and focused on innovation, technology, and user experience, people matter most. Doing our job well can mean a school district can hire an extra tutor for an after-school program, a county can support new mental health initiatives, or an understaffed finance office can ease its workload. Those are the stories that drive us each day to succeed! three+one’s commitment is not just to deliver results, but to lift those around us and create positive ripples that extend far beyond what we can see. I look forward to continuing that important legacy.”
