Danny Adams
Laughter is Medicine • General Session 5 (CLOSING)

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Chet Garner, The Day Tripper
Texas is Haunted • General Session 2 (KEYNOTE)

Chet Garner is the creator, host, and executive producer of The Daytripper, a 13-time Emmy-award-winning Texas travel show airing on PBS stations across the country. 

Born in Comanche and raised in Port Neches, Texas, Chet’s love for storytelling began at a young age around the Boy Scout campfire and toting around his grandfather’s VHS video camera.

Chet earned a degree in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin and went on to graduate first in his class from Baylor Law School.  However, after practicing law for 3 years, he decided to follow his passions and simultaneously inspire folks to appreciate the beauty, history, and food of the Lone Star State.

What followed was a crash course in travel, filmmaking, marketing, and doing whatever it takes to start a successful TV show.  When not traveling Chet is at home in Georgetown, Texas with his wife and 5 children (14, 12, 9, 7, and 3) – although he’s usually got them on the road too.

Learn more about The Daytripper at http://thedaytripper.com. 

Blu Kostelich, President–Elect, and Chief Financial Officer, City of Waco
Ghost of Directors • General Session 4

Blu brings over 18 years of service and experience in finance and operation roles, with seven of those in public sector finance. Blu is the President-Elect for the Governmental Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT) and served as both the Treasurer and Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee for GFOAT.

Blu recently served as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Lubbock, Texas, where he managed the Finance, Accounting, Purchasing, Business and Economic Development, Risk Management, Central Warehouse, and Print Shop departments. Prior to his tenure in Lubbock, Blu worked for the City of Bridgeport as the Director of Finance and held roles in the private sector as an Operations Manager for TAMKO Building Products and a Senior Analyst for Lennox International.

Blu received his bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his Master of Business Administration with a finance specialization from Southern Methodist University. Blu spent the first five years of his post-graduate career as an Armor and Calvary Officer in the United States Army, including a thirteen-month deployment to Baghdad from 2008-2009. Blu was awarded the Bronze Star and two Army Commendation Medals throughout his service.

City Manager Bradley Ford shared, “Blu brings a proven track record of financial stewardship and dedication to public service. I look forward to his leadership and financial acumen as we continue to serv

Bennett Sandlin, Executive Director, Texas Municipal League
TML Update • General Session 1 (OPENING)

Bennett Sandlin was named Executive Director of the Texas Municipal League in October 2010. Prior to that, he served as TML General Counsel where he helped cities primarily in the fields of tax, economic development, budget, and finance issues, including the municipal hotel occupancy tax and the economic development sales tax. Bennett authored the Revenue Manual for Texas Cities, and was an instructor in Public Funds Investment Training. Bennett is a 1993 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and previously worked at the Municipal Affairs Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office.re.

Clara Santos, GFOAT President & Director of Administrative Services, City of San Antonio
President’s Address • General Session 1 (OPENING)
Ghost of Directors • General Session 4
Economic Update • Session 8

Department Fiscal Administrator

Clara has served as the department fiscal administrator for the human resources department for the City of San Antonio since 2011.  She has more than 25 years of municipal government experience in various accounting and management positions including finance director for City of Shavano Park and City of Boerne, and comptroller for the Center for Health Care Services.  She has been a CPA since 1991 and is currently a member of the CORBA committee for GFOA. She has also recently been accepted to the GFOAT Board of Directors as the South Representative.  Clara and her husband have been married for almost 40 years; they have four daughters and a son-in-law.

Martie Simpson, Executive Director, GFOAT
Executive Director Remarks • General Session 1 (OPENING)

Martie Simpson is the Executive Director for the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas. She started her municipal finance career with the City of Killeen in 1997 and finished her career with the city in 2014 as the executive director of finance.  Martie served as the finance director for the City of New Braunfels from 2014 to 2018.  Martie is a Certified Public Accountant with a degree from Baylor University and is a past president for GFOAT.

John Zagurski, GFOAT Past President and Chief Financial Officer, Town of Flower Mound
Ghost of Directors • General Session 4

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Speaker TBD
Welcome Remarks • General Session 1 (OPENING)

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Chris Morrill, Executive Director/CEO, GFOA
GFOA Ethics Presentation • Networking Lunch

Chris Morrill is the Executive Director/CEO of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the US & Canada, a 22,000 member professional association that advances excellence in government finance to build thriving communities. He has decades of experience in local government, serving as city manager of the City of Roanoke, VA, the only seven-time All-America City, Assistant City Manager and Budget Director for the City of Savannah, GA, a budget analyst for Catawba County, NC, and downtown project manager for Lynn, MA.

Chris also served as Senior Municipal Finance Advisor to the South African National Treasury under a United States Agency for International Development project. In this position, he assisted the South African government with developing local government finance legislation, municipal budget reforms, and capacity building programs. He was in the first group of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers in the former Soviet Union, where he advised the City of L’viv, Ukraine on finance and management issues.

Morrill co-authored The Savannah Story: The Road to Equity and Sustainable Community Development in Economic Development in American Cities: the Pursuit of an Equity Agenda. He completed a three-year fellowship in the Kellogg National Leadership Program, exploring conflict resolution and community building in Peru, China, Northern Ireland, and South Africa.

Chris is a recipient of the Southern Christian Leadership Council (Roanoke Chapter) Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award.  He is an ICMA Credentialed Manager, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a leadership fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chicago Office

203 N. LaSalle St Suite 2700
Chicago, IL  60601
Direct:  (312) 578-2266

Tania Askins, Managing Director, Hilltop Securities
I&S • Session 16

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Brandon Barth, Deputy Chief , Town of Flower Mound 
Deployment Reimbursement – Trick or Treat? • Session 5

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Todd Buikema, Assistant Director for Publications, GFOA
New to Governmental Finance • Session 6

Todd Buikema is the Assistant Director for Publications in GFOA’s Technical Services Center (TSC), and is the coeditor of GFOA’s Governmental Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting publication (GAAFR) and GAAFR Plus supplements. Todd also is a trainer for GFOA’s national training courses, in the areas of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and internal controls. Todd came to the GFOA with more than 19 years of experience in governmental accounting, auditing, and financial reporting. Immediately prior to joining the GFOA staff, Todd served as Assistant Financial Controller at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, one of the largest community colleges in the country. Before that, he obtained 14 years of experience in public-sector auditing, first as a manager at PTW, and then as a senior manager in the Public Sector Services section of Crowe LLP. Todd received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Calvin University. He is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA) in the state of Illinois and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Illinois Society of CPAs.

Chicago Office

203 N. LaSalle St Suite 2700
Chicago, IL  60601
Direct:  (312) 578-4407

Keith Dagan, Retired
Department Triage • Session 3

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Gwen Estrada, ARPA Executive, City of San Antonio
RPA Update • Session 17

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Sharon Frey, Recruitment & Staffing Administrator, City of San Antonio
Hiring for Fit • Session 11

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Terri Garcia, Office Coordinator, HdL
Sales Tax Tools • Session 4

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Bruce Haupt, Chief Finance & Administration Officer, Harris County Flood Control District
Leveraging AI Tools in Operations • Session 1

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Jason Hughes, Managing Director, Hilltop Securities
Debt Issuance • Session 2

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Mag Jakubik, Budget Director, Town of Flower Mound
Deployment Reimbursement – Trick or Treat? • Session 5
Hot Topics – Scams for New Finance Directors • Session 10

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Amanda Jeffers, Marketing Operations Manager, MGO
Topic TBD • Session 7

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Brent Mason, CPA, Senior Manager, Government Advisory Services, Eide Bailly
Hauntingly Effective Year-End Practices • Session 9

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Rick Menchaca, Jr., Vice President & Manager, UMB
Special Districts • Session 20

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Glen Mizell, Purchasing Manager, City of Grand Prairie
CGFO • Session 13

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Aaron Rector, City Manager, City of Keller 
Hot Topics – Scams for New Finance Directors • Session 10

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Robert Scott, Deputy Town Manager, Town of Prosper
Controlling the Beast Within: Internal Controls • Pre-Conference 1
SEC Enforcement • Session 14

Sam Singery, CPA, Manager, Government Advisory Services, Eide Bailly
Hauntingly Effective Year-End Practices • Session 9

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