GFOAT Corpus Christi Fall 2026

October 14-16 | Omni Corpus Christi

Speakers and sessions are subject to change. All events are at the Omini Corpus Christi unless otherwise noted. Handouts will not be provided on site.

AGENDA

Wednesday, October 14

8:00 am – 2:00 pm	Bruce Testa Semi-Annual Golf Outing
10:00 am – 6:00 pm	Sponsor Registration
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm	Registration
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Committee Meetings
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm	Don’t Get Torpedoed Because There Are Sharks in the Water! – Corpus Christi A Pre-Conference session on IT General Controls for Non-IT employees. Bob Scott (ACM, Prosper), Mike Bell (Senior Cybersecurity Advisor, TML Risk Pool), & Ryan Burns (Director of Cyber Services, TML Risk Pool)
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Opening Sponsor Reception

Thursday, October 15

7:00 am – 10:00 am	Registration
7:15 am – 8:15 am	Networking Breakfast
8:15 am – 9:05 am	Concurrent Sessions Creating Belief: Why Your Best Ideas Don’t Happen – Corpus Christi C Nathan Manlove (President, AMMO) Clear for Takeoff: Preparing for Audit and Actuarial Success – Corpus Christi B Tyler Hoffman (Senior Manager, Forvis Mazars) & Blake Orth (Senior Consultant Actuary, GRS) Non-Municipal Budgeting – Laguna Madre Monika Arris (Budget and Finance Director, Collin County) & Kate Boatler (Assistant General Manager, Lake Cities MUA) Ask Me Anything – Corpus Christi A Martie Simpson (Executive Director, GFOAT), Meg Jakubic (Director of Budget Services, Town of Flower Mound) & Bob Scott (ACM, Prosper) Engaging Your Legislators - Aransas Rick Ramirez (Director of State and Federal Relations)
9:15 am – 10:05 am	Concurrent Sessions Making Materiality Work: A Practical Guide for Government Finance Professionals - Aransas David Bullock (Partner, MGO) Building Understanding with GFOA's New Budget Award Criteria – Corpus Christi C Katie Ludwig (GFOA) Navigating the New Normal – Corpus Christi A Greg Warner (Managing Director / Co-Head of Municipal Cash Management, HilltopSecurities Asset Management) & Matt Harris (Senior Vice President, HilltopSecurities) Maneuvering Through a Changing Audit Landscape - Corpus Christi B Clayton Rogers (Manager, Pattillo, Brown & Hill) & Martie Simpson (Executive Director, GFOAT) Where Is Your Money Going? - Decoding Credit Card Processing Fees – Laguna Madre Mike Cannata (Senior Consultant, Merchant Cost Consulting)
10:05 am – 10:45 am	Sponsor Break
10:45 am to Noon	Welcome and General Session GFOAT and Corpus Christi Welcome Sergio Villasana (GFOAT President & Director of Finance & Procurement, City of Corpus Christi) Greetings & Housekeeping Martie Simpson (Executive Director, GFOAT) TML Update & Legislative Update Monty Wynn (Executive Director, TML)
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm	Delegate Lunch Awards
1:10 pm – 2:40 pm	Keynote – J. B. Sauceda – Corpus Christ A,B and C J. B, Sauceda (Entrepreneur, Storyteller, and Texas Cultural Voice)
2:40 pm – 3:10 pm	Sponsor Break
3:10 pm – 4:00 pm	Concurrent Sessions Accounting: Infrastructure ED: Standard Setter and Preparer’s Perspective3 Bob Scott (ACM, Prosper) Small City Budgeting – Laguna Madre Cayce Lay Lamas (Director of Finance, Town of Westlake) & Beau Boyer (Budget & Purchasing Manager, City of Canyon) Financing The Issuers The Market Overlooks – Corpus Christi B Brian Shiels (Sr. VP, The Baker Group) & Gabe Guerra (President & CEO, Kleberg Bank) From Numbers to Understanding: Communicating Government Finance – Aransas Shannah Hayley (Communications & Community Outreach Director, City of Plano) Your Next Software Contract Will Have AI In It. Here's What to Ask Before You Sign – Corpus Christi C Brian Rubin (Vice President of Product Marketing, Springbrook Software)
4:10 pm – 5:00 pm	Concurrent Sessions All Hands on Deck: Ethical Decisions Under Pressure in Local Government Finance – Corpus Christi A Thao Vo (Director of Management Services, City of Grand Prairie) & Sergio Villasana (GFOAT President) Budget Best Practices – Resource Maximization – Corpus Christi B Casey Bennett (Budget Manager, City of Addison) & Collin Boothe (Managing Director of Finance, City of Waco) HOT Topic: Hotel Occupancy Tax and Short-Term Rental Compliance – Laguna Madre Marlon Castillo (Data Analyst, Azavar Audit Solutions Inc.) Municipal Finance Hot Topics - Aransas Karen Evans, Nicole Ganey, & Aaron Rector An Introduction to GASB Implementation Guides -Corpus Christi C Dean Michael Mead (Partner, Carr Riggs & Ingram)
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm	Conference Social on the USS Lexington

Friday, October 16

7:30 am – 8:30 am	Committee Networking Breakfast
8:30 am – 10:00 am	President's Address Friends with a Lifeboat: How to Work with Partners to Triage Your Processes Sergio Villasana (GFOAT President), Keith Dagen (TML), & Katie Ludwig (Director of Resource Development, GFOA)
10:00 am – 10:30 am	Coffee Break/Sponsor Networking
10:30 am – 11:50 am	Concurrent Sessions GASB 103 – Corpus Christi A Bob Scott (ACM, Prosper) & GASB Public Safety Budgeting – Laguna Madre Julie Behrens We’ve Always Done It This Way” to Better Bids: Using AI to Transform the Scope of Work – Corpus Christi B Glenn Mizell (Purchasing Manager, City of Grand Prairie) Leading the Next Generation Christina Flores (HR Director, McAllen)