AGENDA

Noon–1:00 p.m.

Program Committee Meeting

Zambezi | Lobby Level

Noon–6:00 p.m.

Registration

Registration F | Lobby Level

1:00–2:00 p.m.

GFOAT Committee Meetings

Show your commitment to GFOAT and your career; attend a committee meeting and get involved. The informal nature of these meetings allows you to experience more than one committee.  You can pick the committee that best suits you.

Ethics and Internal Control Committee

 Nile River Room | Lobby Level

Governmental Affairs Committee

Kalahari Salon A | Lobby Level

Membership Committee

Kalahari Salon B | Lobby Level

Communications Committee

Kalahari Salon D | Lobby Level

Scholarship, Fellowship, and Foundation Committee 

 Kalahari Salon A | Lobby Level

2:00–3:30 p.m.

GFOAT Executive Board Meeting

Zambezi | Lobby Level

3:45–5:00 p.m.

5:00–6:00 p.m.

Opening Sponsor Reception

Kalahari Foyer | Lobby Level

7:00–8:00 a.m.

NETWORKING BREAKFAST

This breakfast is for all conference attendees.

Kalahari Salon E | Lobby Level

REGISTRATION

Registration F | Lobby Level

8:00–9:15 a.m.

OPENING GENERAL SESSION • 1.5 CGFO/CPE

President’s Welcome- John Zagurski, Chief Financial Officer, Town of Flower Mound

Executive Director Opening Remarks – Martie Simpson, Executive Director, GFOAT

Welcome to Round Rock- Honorable Craig Morgan, Mayor of Round Rock

Brett Fenn, Managing Director, Interest Rate Derivatives Structuring & Marketing, Texas Capital Bank

Kalahari Salon E | Lobby Level

9:15–9:40 a.m.

COFFEE BREAK/SPONSOR NETWORKING

Kalahari Foyer | Lobby Level

9:50–10:45 a.m.

11:55 a.m.–12:55 p.m.

NETWORKING LUNCHEON and BUSINESS MEETING
Co-Sponsored by OPENGOV
1.0 CGFO/CPE

Embracing AI in the Finance Office – Leveraging the Technology to Help you Leave the Office on Time
Stuart M. Langer, CPA, Senior Vice-President of Product Strategy, OpenGov
Moderator: GFOAT President John Zagurski, Finance Director, Town of Northlake

Kalahari Salon E  | Lobby Level

1:00–1:50 p.m.               

CONCURRENT SESSIONS • 1.0 CGFO/CPE

2024 Economic Outlook and the Impact on Monetary Policy
In this presentation we will look at the latest forecast for the economy through 2024 and into 2025. Relatedly, we will examine how this outlook is likely to influence the Fed’s monetary policy decisions this year. In other words, when do we get rate cuts and how many?
Tom Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President, Fixed Income Strategies Group, South State Duncan Williams

Kalahari Salon A-B | Lobby Level

Books are Boring

Budget books have not changed over the past decade, but technology and the public’s expectation have. Your residents and business don’t want to read through hundreds of pages to find the one bit of information they are looking for. Come hear two speakers that are taking a different approach to public presentations of the budget document and how they are engaging the public in new ways.
John Thomson, Interim Finance Director Town of Northlake, Jennifer Goldfield, Marketing & Communications Coordinator Town of Northlake

Kalahari Salon C-D | Lobby Level

Hot Topics
Come join us for an interactive discussion of topics we are all struggling with in our finance departments.  We will again be using Slido, so there will be opportunity to engage and interact with your peers.
Amy Dozier, Director of Finance, Kerrville Public Utility Board and Sergio Villasana, CPA, CIA,CGFO, Financial Director, City of McAllen, and Meg Jakubik, Director of Budget, Town of Flower Mound

Kalahari Salon E | Lobby Level

Internal Controls for Small Cities
Internal controls are extremely important but can be even more difficult the smaller the department.  Come join us for discussion on some tips for tightening up your controls and keeping your cities more secure.
Rachel Russell Ormsby, Partner & Market Industry Leader, FORIVS, and Karen Kurtin, Director and Government Outsourced Accounting Leader, FORVIS
Zambezi-Nile  | Lobby Level

2:00- 3:15 p.m.

GENERAL SESSION • 1.0 CPE/CGFO

Sorry, But It’s Not Your Money
Join us for a discussion on recognizing that we are here to facilitate councils’ direction and not literally control the purse strings. Our job is to help present the funds, make available as needed and deliver budgets and audits that meet their needs while balancing the councils’ goals and ideals with what can be legally and ethically spent.
John Zagurski, CGFO, Chief Financial Officer, Town of Flower Mound; Steve Williams, City Manager, City of Schertz; and Aaron Rector, CGFO, Interim City Manager, City of Keller

Kalahari Salon E   | Lobby Level

3:15–3:45 p.m.

REFRESHMENT BREAK/SPONSOR NETWORKING

Kalahari Foyer | Lobby Level

GENERAL SESSION • 1.0 CPE/CGFO

Pulling Your Team Together
Join us for a fabulous discussion on building a team from one of the owners of the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the World Series Champion Texas Rangers (and you may have heard of his dad – Nolan Ryan!)
Reid Ryan, CEO/Owner, Ryan Sanders Baseball
Moderator: GFOAT President John Zagurski, Chief Financial Officer, Town of Flower Mound

Kalahari Salon E | Lobby Level

6:00–9:00 p.m.

GFOAT’s Kalahari Mic Drop Social

Warm up those vocal chords and come sing with us!!!  Hold “Em, Fold Em and ante up or join your friends for your favorite board game.  There will be food, drinks and so much fun.  See you there!!! 

Texas Hold’em

A donation of $25 to the GFOAT Foundation will be taken at the door.

7:00–8:00 a.m.

NETWORKING BREAKFAST
This breakfast is for all conference attendees.

Kalahari Salon E | Lobby Level

8:00–8:50 a.m.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS • 1.0 CPE/CGFO

Rock Hard (Compensated) Abs: A Look at GASB 101, Compensated Absences

In this session we will go over one of GASB’s newest pronouncements, GASB 101, Compensated Absences. We will discuss why and how the current guidance is changing and the impact to your government’s financial reporting. This course will also discuss the roadmap for implementation and provide a template to assist in identifying and categorizing your government’s compensated absences based on the new guidance.

Danny Martinez, CPA, CGFM Government and Public Sector Accounting Advisory Lead, Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC

 Kalahari Salon A-B| Lobby Level

Auditing and Accounting for Smaller Revenue Streams 
Come Join us for discussion on some tips to audit and account for smaller revenues streams that are often overlooked because of sales tax and property tax and hear some interesting case studies of franchise, hotel tax and beverage tax audits.
Brandi Sanner, Account Executive and Travis Fletcher, Audit Supervisor, Avenu Insights and Analytics 

Kalahari Salon C-D| Lobby Level

Investing 101 -Back-to-Basics
This session will cover back-to-basics portfolio concepts that are important for public funds investors to understand. They include an overview of fixed income securities, the risks associated with investing, and best practices for developing and implementing an investment program.
Nelson Bush, Managing Director, and Nathan Smith, Director, PFM Asset Management LLC

Kalahari Salon E| Lobby Level

Prepare for Victory! Surviving Bid Protests!
In the competitive world of government contracting, bid protests can be a formidable challenge. BUT, they don’t have to be a roadblock to your success!
Diane Palmer- Boeck, CPPA, PPMC. Government Procurement & Leadership Solutions

Zambezi-Nile| Lobby Level

9:00–9:50 a.m.

9:50–10:10 a.m.

COFFEE BREAK/SPONSOR NETWORKING

Kalahari Foyer | Lobby Level

GENERAL SESSION • 1.0 CPE/CGFO

Texas Municipal League Update
Bennett Sandlin, Executive Director, Texas Municipal League

Kalahari Salon E| Lobby Level

11:00 a.m.–Noon

CLOSING SESSION • 1.0 CPE/CGFO

TRIPPIN’ TEXAS: One Day at a Time
Chet will share his deep love for Texas along with stories from the road that he’s gathered while making thirteen seasons of his Emmy-award winning program.  If you weren’t proud to be a Texan when you walked in, you will be when you leave.
Chet Garner: a Texas-Sized Storyteller

Kalahari Salon E| Lobby Level

Noon

ADJOURN

1:30 p.m.

BRUCE TESTA SEMIANNUAL GOLF OUTING
Forrest Creek Golf Club, 99 Twin Ridge Pkwy, Round Rock, TX 78664

The Forest Creek Golf Club provides hill country golf at its finest. The 7,147-yard par-72 golf course has been nationally recognized as one of the finest public golf courses in Central Texas. Named “Best Public Golf Course in Central Texas” by Golf Digest, Forest Creek offers some of the most fabulous golf in the Texas Hill Country. Our Golf Course is replete with rolling fairways, pristine greens, and an abundance of native foliage.

Tee time is 1:30 p.m. with a Modify Shotgun Start. The cost is $70.00 plus tax per person, which includes the green fee, cart, and range. This will be a Texas Scramble (bogey is your friend) and is limited to 58 golfers so sign up right away by emailing Tony Sekaly at tony.sekaly@texasclass.com or call 713-502-8575.