2021 Annual Statewide Conference

New to governmental accounting or want a governmental accounting refresher? This is the session for you to learn all you wanted to know of basic governmental accounting concepts! The presenter will also discuss how to apply governmental accounting, including practical journal entries needed to produce governmental financial statements.

Multiple local organizations were not prepared for ransomware this past year, and suffered from data loss, financial impacts, and operational down time. Is your organization prepared for ransomware and the aftermath?Ransomware, to pay or not to pay, that all depends on your internal controls. Ransomware is designed to circumvent common security controls with ease, and bring your business to a halt. It also preys on the vulnerability that cannot be patched, the user. During the presentation we will cover the following topics, and provide actionable guidance on how to prepare for and recover from ransomware attacks:

• What is ransomware and why do attackers use it?
• Common behaviors, trends, and stats
• Preventive security controls
• Backup and recovery controls
• Tested operational steps to recover from a ransomware attack.
• Awareness training, are your employees and IT team ready.

New to governmental accounting or want a governmental accounting refresher? This is the session for you to learn all you wanted to know of basic governmental accounting concepts! The presenter will also discuss how to apply governmental accounting, including practical journal entries needed to produce governmental financial statements.

This session will review common and less-utilized functions within Microsoft Excel to help you gain efficiency and aid in analyzing your organization’s data. We will discuss workbook organization, shortcuts, charting basics, and more ways to set yourself up for success.

Come prepared to laugh and learn as one of our country’s funniest and most sought-after speakers discusses what many Leaders and Managers feel is the most challenging part of their day — THE PEOPLE!! Managers and Members… Managers and Staff… Staff and Members… Staff and Staff… (heck, even husbands and wives… parents and children) Relationships! It all boils down to relationships. Come discover the secret to making progress on purpose in all your relationships and the amazing impact that our communication has on the culture and climate of your organization and home.Learning Outcomes:

• Discover the 6 most powerful words in the English language and when to use them
• Learn the secret to bringing out the best in the people we work with and people we serve
• Develop a proven process for drawing people closer

The American Rescue Plan Act provided billions in COVID-19 relief to counties and municipalities, but funds must be spent in compliance with ARPA and related U.S. Treasury guidance.  Funds not spent properly will need to be repaid to the U.S. Treasury.  This session will provide an overview of the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund with a focus on the rules for determining eligible expenditures and related reporting requirements.

Enthusiastic new elected officials with no prior experience bargaining sometimes want to jump right in and participate in negotiating your public employer’s expiring collective bargaining agreement.  What do you tell them to help them get ready?  This session will cover drafting bargaining proposals that will make your operations more cost effective and efficient, responding to common union arguments about the money they will be “saving” you if you agree to their demands to increase certain benefits, items that should be considered for inclusion in every public employer bargaining proposal, bargaining trends, the status quo obligation, and complying with the duty to bargain in good faith.

Cybercrime is becoming more prevalent in society.  Recently the White House issued an open letter warning about ransomware.  This session discusses topics on cyber-related crimes, the trends observed through the COVID-19 period, and the new schemes to look out for.  The information provided will enable leaders to better assess their organization’s level of preparedness to prevent, detect, and respond to fraudulent criminal activities.

Finance staff are now busier than ever, and Finance leaders are eager to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. Paying vendors electronically frees staff from the drudgery of manual check processing, allowing them to focus more of their time on higher-value activities such as data analysis, treasury management, and budget monitoring.

Municipal employers provide 457 retirement plans that allow employees to defer compensation into it on a pre-tax or after-tax basis. While these employer-sponsored plans do not fall under the purview of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), most states still impose fiduciary duties on government employers within their own state laws. Understanding fiduciary standards and implementing ERISA best practices can help your organization maintain accountability, mitigate liability and satisfy employee participants. In this session, attendees will learn:

• The primary fiduciary responsibilities when sponsoring a 457 plan
• The guiding principles of ERISA best practices
• Actionable elements to help develop a process to fulfill fiduciary responsibility

Without a doubt, the COVID-19 Pandemic shone a bright light on the value of and need for high-quality government services and the ability to easily and accurately plan and re-plan budgets. Top governments nationwide were able to quickly pivot and adapt to meeting the public health emergency and the financial fallout by having highly efficient processes and nimble and powerful technology to help anticipate, plan for, and communicate changes to available resources and impacts to services. In this session, Scott Coble, former Budget Manager for Montgomery County MD and current Solutions Engineer Director for OpenGov, will describe how process improvements, organizational change and modern technology can help facilitate agile public administration and foster informed engagement among the residents and businesses our governments serve.

Collecting delinquent accounts is never an easy task.  Combine this responsibility with a pandemic or difficult economic conditions, and the job is that much more challenging.  During difficult times, municipalities are placed in the demanding situation of bringing in needed revenue to fund operations, balanced against the fact that many residents may be struggling financially as a result of the crisis.  This challenge may create an opportunity for the municipality to assist residents in paying their accounts by creating positive incentives to facilitate payment.  This session will discuss the strategies that municipalities can employ to create incentives for property owners to pay not only their delinquent accounts, but future bills on time.

Liquidity data increases the accuracy of financial projections and improves financial outcomes. This conversation will show you how to harness this tool. The three most important aspects of public finance investing, in order, are (1) safety, (2) liquidity, and (3) yield. State law and your investment policy provide safety – the most important focus for tax dollars.  In the current environment, yield can be hard to find, but what is “liquidity” – the second most important focus of public investment, and how can it contribute to the safety and maximization of your tax dollars’ value in any market cycle? During our presentation you will learn:

• The difference between liquidity & cash flow.
• How to use liquidity data to identify all cash available to your entity – and how long it’s available.
• How a future liquidity forecast, in conjunction with cash flow forecasts, can help prepare your entity for upcoming cash needs.
• Knowing what your cash needs allow you to maximize the value of cash you won’t need, using stress testing & peer benchmark data.

This session will review how automated time systems will greatly reduce the amount of time required to process payroll, as well as eliminate discrepancies in hours worked, whether those discrepancies are the result of human error or intentional.

The highest performing organizations, departments, and teams always have members who demonstrate leadership at every level…not just at the top. You see, for decades, the idea of leadership has revolved around concepts like title, authority, ownership, or responsibility, but today there is a new reality…leadership is influence. Intentionally building a team where everyone understands that leadership is shared and not something “someone else does” is mission critical to creating a world-class organization. Influence is real and this program teaches 12 Key Strategies to help anyone increase the influence they have to bring about positive results. Fast, fun, highly interactive and engaging, this presentation impacts everyone professionally and personally! It’s packed with practical, “implement immediately” action items.Learning Outcomes:

• Discover secrets to inspire teams, overcome opposition and not let others pull you down
• Learn how to make progress in achieving your personal and professional goals
• Consider new, creative options and get others on board

In this session, the panel will review the bond market in the last year, including where interest rates have been, the volume in the market, refundings and new money projects.  Also, there will be a review of the legislative and regulatory developments in 2021, including effects of the COVID recovery money on public finance and the latest developments in secondary market disclosure.  Finally, the panel will describe anticipated developments in the bond market in 2022.

In an economy where benefit funding requirements are continually increasing, some sponsors are reluctant to change their investment return assumption, which is the basis for measuring future obligations, such as pensions. The markets have changed and you may be taking on more risk than you think. This session will discuss benefit plan risks in general, how underlying investment risks and volatility has changed, why you may be taking on more risk than you thought by keeping with the status quo and the various risks and consequences surrounding the investment return assumption.

Think your organization is too small to implement internal controls? Think again. This presentation will discuss the basics of the Committee of Sponsoring Organization (COSO) Framework of internal controls and identify opportunities for implementing and optimizing internal controls within your government, with special consideration given to control structures with 2, 3, and 4 individuals and helpful guidance for implementation whether at the department or government wide level.

Business disruption is inevitable. Do you have a disaster recovery and business resiliency plan to minimize the impact to your treasury operations? Assess your readiness to handle the next disruption and prepare yourself to effectively manage your receivables and payables. Learn how to improve your current solution and what best practices to follow during a crisis to keep your business running smoothly.

According to an industry leading survey, local government has spent $111B on IT related costs in 2020. Pennsylvania ranks the 4th highest in IT spend of all 50 states – closing out the year with an IT line item of $3B.From operational capacity to risk tolerance, any technology decision made is a business decision that will impact a Municipality’s ability to accomplish its mission for the foreseeable future. For this reason, non-technical administrators must fully understand core components of the technology they are investing in.As an operational or financial leader, do you fully understand the impact that your next technology investment will have on the environment? Can your technology dollars stretch even further?

Join Senior Account Executive, Nate Kline, as he illustrates the long term and short term business and financial implications of the IT systems that every non-technical municipal leader should know before weighing in on their administration’s next investment.

This session will provide an outlook of the retiree health care market and cost drivers, as well as an overview of effective strategies for managing and reducing costs and the impact to OPEB liabilities. Specific case studies will be reviewed.

Come see what more fun GASB has in store for us! This session will provide a high-level overview of pending GASB standards and the latest GASB Technical Bulletin so a governmental entity can assess implementation applicability. The session will also highlight GASB Exposure Drafts.

Leadership transitions, either planned or unplanned, can create disruptions within any organization.  The key to minimizing the effects of the change, and ensuring that the organization continues to run smoothly after key leaders move on, is to have a Succession Plan in place.  This means that you have an organizational policy around key leader departures, a content inventory containing critical information for the organization, an Emergency Succession plan to address all types of planned and unplanned departures, as well as strategies in place to communicate with the public and your stakeholders.  During this workshop we will explore these best practices. Participants will receive an Emergency Succession Plan template.

Simplified Leadership is confidence or another word for trust. Trust is the building block for every relationship, especially professional relationships and interactions.  The focus of the discussions, including the fun and interactive exercises, will be on the key drivers that can help an individual grow a very tangible asset.

Zubair Ahmed has 18 years of banking experience. For the majority of that time, he has served the needs of government, not-for-profit, consumer, and corporate clients. Zubair Ahmed is a dynamic and results-oriented professional with a successful track record in relationship management and customer service. With strong decision making, analysis and leadership skills, he strives to make certain that each client is satisfied. Zubair’s portfolio includes managing State, County, City, Townships, Hospital, and School District relationships.  He joined the firm in 2010 and held several roles including Banker Associate, Business Banking Relationship Manager, Branch Manager, and Personal Banker.  Zubair has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University.

Mike is the Executive Director for Municipal Benefits Services.  Mike is responsible for assisting the MBS Board of Directors with the overall operations of the Trust including strategy development and execution, risk management, financial oversight, program design and compliance, vendor management, and overseeing the Trust’s staff.Mike has over 30 years of experience in employee benefits management and consulting field which included serving as a regional practice leader for one of the largest employee benefit consulting and brokerage firms in the world and the benefits manager for a major national electric utility company.

Jason is the Pennsylvania Market Lead in RSMs Technology Consulting Practice. The PA Market team is comprised of Senior Technology consultants that work on client infrastructure and cloud projects, as well as providing on-site IT Engineering resources to support the RSM Managed Service clients (MITS).Jason is an experienced technology leader with 20+ years working across several major industries on highly visible infrastructure and application architecture solutions with a focus on addressing critical business needs.With IT Infrastructure defining the user experience more and more for the middle-market, he has focused on finding solutions that are future proof to limit risk in IT capital investments.   Jason has hands on experience with Microsoft Azure, MS365, AWS, VMWare Infrastructure, VDI, Oracle DB, SQL, SAP, Google Apps/Cloud, Cisco Routing/Switching, Hyper Converged Servers and NGFW/SDWAN technologies.

Kevin is a Managing Attorney with Portnoff Law Associates and has practiced law for over 25 years. He is a past chair of the Bankruptcy Committees of both the Philadelphia and Montgomery County Bar Associations and served on the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association.  Mr. Buraks has lectured extensively on the topics of municipal collections and bankruptcy law, and his articles have been published in a variety of legal journals and periodicals, including The National Law Journal. Mr. Buraks was a two-term elected member of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board, serving two years as Board President.  He volunteers his time to the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, where he represents children who are the victims of abuse or neglect.  Mr. Buraks was recognized for his work with the underprivileged on the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania Pro Bono Role of Honor. Mr. Buraks graduated from Haverford College and Rutgers Law School.

Valeria Cappucci is a Relationship Executive in the East Government Banking Division for J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. In her current role, Valeria’s responsibilities include business development, coordinating the delivery of quality services, and managing client relationships with State Governments, Authorities, Counties, Cities, Municipalities, and School Districts in the NJ, PA, and DE region.  Valeria began her career in the Financial Institutions Group in Chemical Bank in NYC in 1986 and transitioned to the Government Team in 1991. Responsibilities included operational oversight of treasury services which ultimately led to managing clients’ relationships in 1998.  After attending Credit Training in 2010, she assumed responsibility for new markets in NJ and PA.  In 2018, Val expanded her outreach to the Delaware market.  Ms. Cappucci has served in the JPMorgan Field and Virtual Service Corps and as the Coordinator for the Philadelphia Volunteer Leadership Group organizing and volunteering her time with the March for Babies, Travis Manion Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Philabundance, and Junior Achievement organizations.   Prior to this, Val spent 10 years teaching Catechesis of Christian Doctrine at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Staten Island, NY. Today, in addition to service projects, Val contributes her time developing our future leaders.  Ms. Cappucci holds a BA in Business Administration and a MBA from St. John’s University.  She is married with one child and resides in New Jersey.

Rajesh Chainani
Senior Vice President

Rajesh Chainani, or “RC” as he is commonly known, has over 20 years of industry experience specializing in Local Government Investment Pool services. Prior to joining PMA Financial Network in 2021, RC led the RBC Global Asset Management (US) Inc. team that served the Settlors of PSDLAF along with the Participants of NYLAF and continues to do so today as part of PMA.RC’s entire team is dedicated to assisting local governments and is skilled in structuring and managing investment portfolios that are focused on the cash flow needs and requirements of these public bodies. In addition to helping local governments, RC also has a passion for assisting leaders and teams succeed and is always available to provide his insights at regional, state, or national meetings/conferences.  RC earned an Accounting Degree from Queens College, City University of New York, with a minor in Urban Studies and Macro Economics. He holds Series 7, 63, 65, 50, 54, 9, 10, 24 & 53 securities licenses.

Scott Coble currently serves as Solutions Engineering Director for OpenGov, focusing on customer & sales support,  revenue generation,  budgeting & performance,  product strategy & execution, continuous process improvement, user experience, market research & competitor evaluation.  Prior to his role at OpenGov, Scott served as Budget Manager with Montgomery County, MD, Government’s (MCG) Office of Management and Budget. While there, he led a team that built a national award-winning budget application called BASIS which replaced numerous failing legacy and ERP budget systems. BASIS revolutionized the budget process (Operating and Capital) in Montgomery County and saved the jurisdiction substantial time, effort and money.

As a Consultant and Actuary for Pittsburgh-based Cowden Associates, Inc., Amy works with 21 clients and consults on 45 plans (pension, non-qualified, and postretirement medical) and enjoys collaborating with clients to understand their overall objectives and strategically help them to achieve their goals. Amy utilizes her experience and expertise to partner with clients through providing meaningful plan management options and opportunities as well as de-risking choices for an array of clients, including single employer, Taft-Hartley, and public plans. In 2018, Amy received the Acrisure Client Service Award for developing and maintaining client relationships while identifying clients’ business needs and providing solutions. She is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in actuarial science, with a minor in statistics and economics.

Ms. CruverKibi began her public accounting career in 2003 and joined Maher Duessel in 2006. Ms. CruverKibi was named Principal of the firm in 2019 and named Partner in 2021. She directs audit engagements for a broad base of governmental and non-profit entities including cities, county entities, municipalities, local authorities human service agencies, volunteer fire companies, and foundations. She has comprehensive experience with Single Audits. Ms. CruverKibi is involved in a number of professional accounting committees and associations including serving as Secretary of the Government Finance Officers Association Pennsylvania Central Region Chapter. Her other GFOA involvement includes serving on the GFOA’s Special Review Committee for Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports. A graduate of Leadership Harrisburg Area, she also serves as a Development Committee Member of the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation and is an Empowerment Committee Member of the YWCA of Carlisle. Ms. CruverKibi graduated from Shippensburg University with a B.S.B.A. in Accounting and Human Resource Management.

Colleen is a benefits consultant who works with local government professionals to successfully administer and understand their retirement plans.  Having worked with hundreds of municipalities and authorities around the Commonwealth, she is well-versed in all aspects of the statutes, regulations and policies pertaining to local government pension and OPEB plans.Colleen has been with the firm for over 30 years, working almost exclusively with Pennsylvania governmental retirement plans and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in math with an emphasis in actuarial science.  Mockenhaupt Benefits Group provides actuarial and consulting services for over 450 plans across Pennsylvania.

Alex first joined three+one as an analyst intern in 2015.  Upon finishing his internship, he graduated summa cum laude from St. John Fisher College with a degree in economics.  After a brief stint as a healthcare analytics consultant for a health insurer, Alex rejoined three+one as a relationship specialist in early 2018. Alex completed his Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Ethical Leadership from Marist College in 2020.  His passion for working in the public sector came from a semester spent interning at the Department of Commerce in Washington DC.  His role with three+one allows him to dig into the analytics and data of public finance while working closely with elected officials. Alex is a regular presenter for the National Association of Counties and various county state associations across the U.S.

Mike Doerr oversees Paymerang’s Public Sector business. He has a background in fintech and insurance technology, and he enjoys helping organizations leverage technology to transform their business practices. He received his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and has a pet Corgi named David Bowie.

Tim joined Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in 2006 and is in his 30th year in the municipal bond industry. He has provided investment banking and financial advisory services to governmental borrowers including state and state-level authorities and agencies, cities, counties, school districts, water and sewer authorities, housing authorities, and economic development agencies and authorities since 1992. Mr. Frenz has extensive experience with a host of public finance debt structures and products, including Build America Bonds, Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds, Qualified Zone Academy Bonds, special tax/assessment bonds, and tax increment financings. He is an active member of GFOA, CCAP, PASBO and PMAA.Prior to joining Janney, Mr. Frenz spent 14 years in the public finance department of PNC Capital Markets. Mr. Frenz graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and holds Series 7 and 63 securities licenses, as well as the Series 50 Municipal Advisor Representative and Series 54 Municipal Advisor Principal licenses. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children as well as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the WPSBC Foundation.

Michael is a partner in Fisher & Phillips’ Philadelphia office. He concentrates his practice on defending employers, including public bodies, against employment-related claims and advising clients on personnel management and statutory compliance issues.  He is routinely involved in defending employers in matters in which former employees have alleged race, national origin, age, disability, gender, and other discrimination claims as well as claims against employers for sexual harassment, breach of employment contract, defamation, and wrongful termination.  His practice also involves counseling clients regarding compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and Pennsylvania’s Wage Payment and Collection Law (WPCL).  Additionally, Michael assists clients in crafting employment agreements and implementing employee handbooks and personnel policies and procedures. Michael was included in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers – Rising Stars from 2013 to 2017 and was named a BTI Consulting “Client Service All-Star” for 2019.

Mike is the president of CBIZ InR, a division of CBIZ Retirement Plan Services. He provides investment advisory services to plan sponsors responsible for defined contribution plans (including 457, 401(k), and 403(b) plans), defined benefit plans, DROP. Rich works with plan sponsors to help them meet their organization’s retirement plan goals and manage the liability associated with being a fiduciary. That advice includes developing financial plans to address the risk tolerance, time horizon, and financial need of the client. Emphasis is given to developing the proper asset allocation by selecting low-cost investments and providing full fee transparency.

Mr. Gregory is the Director of Treasury Management Services & Government Banking at TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®.  TD Bank provides working capital management and payment processing solutions to commercial, government, corporate, and institutional enterprises.  Prior to joining TD, Gregory was Director of Decision Support Consulting Services at Automated Financial Systems of Exton, PA.  There, he worked with several of the top 50 U.S. banks to increase productivity, improve MIS, and enhance effectiveness in the Cash Management and Commercial Lending lines of business.  Mr. Gregory is also former Chairman of NACHA’s Bankers EDI Council and former Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Commerce Advisor, a Warren Gorham Lamont publication.  Gregory did his undergraduate and graduate work at Drexel University in Philadelphia.  Mr. Gregory resides in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

Nate Kline
Senior Account Executive

Mr. Kline brings over thirteen years of industry experience to the table. His background includes all the Company’s core sales functions, including lead cultivation, presales support and engineering, relationship and account management, technology and business reviews, solution design, and solution presentations.Mr. Kline is an active volunteer of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce (GLVCC) and currently serves on the Ambassadors Council as the Immediate Past Chair.  As an Ambassador, Mr. Kline is responsible for assisting with the onboarding process of new Chamber members, as well as being a resource for existing members.

Jeff is a partner at Barbacane, Thornton & Company LLP, specializing in the audits of governmental units and nonprofit organizations. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware and received his Master’s in Business Administration from West Chester University. He is currently certified in Delaware and Pennsylvania and is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA). In addition to his CPA licensure, Jeff is also a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Government Accounting Professional. Jeff is a member of the PICPA Not-for-Profit Thought Leadership Committee and serves as Treasurer of the Philadelphia Sinfonia Association.

Jason oversees the Client Services Department as Managing Attorney of Collection Services. He has been practicing creditors’ rights law in Pennsylvania since 2001 and has been with Portnoff Law Associates since 2003. Jason is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and is also admitted to practice in the United States Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Bucks and Montgomery County Bar Associations. Jason is a 1998 graduate of Houghton College and a 2001 graduate of Temple University, where he received both an MBA and his JD in a three-year joint degree program. Prior to joining Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd., Mr. Leininger worked as an associate attorney for a law firm in Philadelphia, where he handled bankruptcy and commercial transactions, in addition to collection cases.

David is a shareholder in the Pittsburgh office of the law firm of Campbell Durrant, P.C.  where he practices labor and employment law. In addition to assisting clients with legal issues related to federal and state Coronavirus relief funding, David’s practice focuses on negotiating collective bargaining agreements that make employers’ operations more cost-effective and efficient, representing employers in arbitration and litigation, and advising employers regarding the Affordable Care Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, FMLA, and many other employment laws. David has a law degree from Duquesne University, a Masters of Gerontological Studies degree from Miami University, and a bachelor’s degree from Grove City College.

Jamillah leads J.P. Morgan’s Government banking team in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, with a focus on the quality and delivery of our services.She is responsible for overseeing relationship management with the various lines of business (Card Services, Treasury Services, Investment Bank, Asset Management and Retail) to deliver a full understanding of J.P. Morgan.Jamillah has 17 years of experience in the consumer and commercial banking industry, developing and managing relationships with public sector clients.

Jamillah is an active member of various Association of School Business Officials, County Officials and GFOA chapters, in addition to regional Government trade associations. Jamillah is currently an active Board Member of WORC.

Mr. Morgus began his public accounting career in 1993 and has concentrated his practice to the areas of governmental and non-profit accounting and serves as Partner on several engagements with counties, cities, municipalities, authorities, school districts, and other governmental entities. He has previously served as the City of Butler treasurer and conducts annual speaking engagements on governmental accounting and auditing topics on behalf of various associations including the GFOA. Recently he has been very active in tracking the Federal and State stimulus funding surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a Senior Portfolio Manager for U.S. Bank, Dennis develops customized investment solutions for 35 clients with over $1.5 billion in assets. Dennis has thirty years of experience in investment management. He is a CFA Charterholder and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Chris is a former Chief Financial Officer for Philadelphia Parking Authority and is the Managing Director for Nawn and Company, which was founded in 1993. He has a B.S. in Accounting from Saint Joseph’s University and Masters in Taxation from Villanova University and is a Member of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs.

With more than 20 years of experience in public accounting, Bill is an integral member of SEK CPAs & Advisors the firm’s governmental audit niche, nonprofit audit niche, and low-income housing niche. He directs more than 70 engagements each year and has significant experience in performing single audits. Bill’s involvement with employee benefit plan audits and business consulting services strengthens his understanding of crucial areas within the organizations he audits. He also performs peer reviews of other CPA firms, which helps to enhance our own audit procedures. Bill’s love for technology helps him solve clients’ problems and become a better auditor. He is an instructor of our in-house training programs on governmental and nonprofit accounting, a presenter at our annual client seminars, and has been invited to speak at numerous external events. Additionally, he is a member of the firm’s Accounting & Auditing Committee.

Ted Price comes from a finance background in investment banking, where he underwrote large-scale debt transactions. He started GovInvest to tackle the problem of transparency and analysis in relation to public pensions and other post-employment benefits. He brings his finance knowledge as well as his entrepreneurial skills to help lead GovInvest and provide essential services to municipal governments. Ted graduated from Princeton with an AB in Astrophysics where he published multiple articles, and then went on to earn his MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He was a member of the Division I varsity cross country and track teams at both universities. Ted is also an airline transport pilot and flight instructor.

Rich is a Vice President at CBIZ InR, a division of CBIZ Retirement Plan Services. He provides investment advisory services to plan sponsors responsible for defined contribution plans (including 457, 401(k) and 403(b) plans), defined benefit plans, DROP. Rich works with plan sponsors to help them meet their organization’s retirement plan goals and manage the liability associated with being a fiduciary. That advice includes developing financial plans to address the risk tolerance, time horizon, and financial need of the client. Emphasis is given to developing the proper asset allocation by selecting low-cost investments and providing full fee transparency.

Mark Romito

Mark Romito’s 20 years of public sector finance experience include being a key member of the leadership teams at several organizations, including his current roles as the Director of Finance at Upper St. Clair Township and President-Elect of the GFOA-PA. In addition to his service at the state-level, Mark has volunteered on the national GFOA’s Committee on Treasury & Investment Management since 2017. Mark also teaches a graduate course in public financial management at both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

In February 2021, Belinda accepted the position as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with the Philadelphia Parking Authority, Philadelphia PA. Ms. Smith retired after 42 years from the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) where she was rewarded for her commitment and dedication through advancement within the NJDOC.  She graduated with honors from Grand Canyon University with a Master of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Ms. Smith also previously served as Vice President of the Willingboro Board of Education, NJ.

Joe is a system security specialist with experience analyzing network traffic, configuring intrusion detection and firewall systems and evaluating security controls. His experience in system administration and computer security allows him to provide valuable insight in understanding and evaluating information systems (IS) security controls, and understanding the security and risk implications of IT-connected business processes.Joe has experience in a variety of system administration and security-related tasks and has pursued applied research related to human factors and IS security.

Maureen is an Executive Vice President for Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS). With over 18 years of experience at multiple levels of government, Maureen manages OPEB trust and other retirement services for public agencies in the Northeast and has been instrumental in establishing and developing PARS’ OPEB trust programs over the last 12 years.

David has been a municipal bond lawyer at McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC in Pennsylvania for over 40 years. He has served as bond counsel on debt offerings by all sizes of governmental entities, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, state agencies, counties, townships, boroughs, cities, school districts, and authorities. He also focuses his practice on the legal aspects of developing and implementing recovery plans for distressed municipalities.  For most of his career, he has worked at private law firms, but he has also served as Chief Compliance Officer at PFM Asset Management, and, in the Corbett Administration, as chief counsel of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and as the first state-appointed receiver for the City of Harrisburg. David joined McNees Wallace & Nurick in 2013 and practices in the Devon and Lancaster offices. He was born in Pittsburgh and resides in Montgomery County. David received his B.A. in political science, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a former president of the Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers and is a fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel.

Steve is the Director of Time & Labor Management at Primepoint, LLC.  He joined the company in 2008 contributing his business experience in logistics, finance, and process efficiency from prior roles with UPS and Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. Tasked with starting up the Time and Labor Management Division, Steve’s been very successful in the development of and continued evolution of the department, which today services over 355 customers.  The department offers customizable technology modules and hardware as part of Primepoint’s payroll and HR Solutions helping businesses comply with the OSHA requirements, the affordable care act, state and federal leave laws, in addition to daily company management, business development, and continuation planning.

Elizabeth is a Director of the Catalyst Center for Nonprofit Management, as well as Marketing Director for Bee, Bergvall & Co., Certified Public Accountants. She has over 30 years of experience providing strategic consultation to both the public and private sectors. Projects Liz has worked on include the development of business and strategic plans, governance consulting, mergers and collaborations, needs assessments, survey design as well as succession planning and executive searches. She has an MS in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Communications from Kutztown University.  Liz has served on a number of nonprofit boards, holding the positions of board chair, vice-chair, as well as chair of strategic planning and governance committees.

An internationally recognized speaker, author, and trainer, Dave is one of the country’s most sought-after speakers. Presenting over 160 times a year to tens of thousands, his high energy and entertaining style, combined with great content make him a crowd favorite at meetings, conferences, and conventions.

Logan’s dynamic, relevant, and laugh-out-loud presentations have led to “encore opportunities” as some of the nation’s top companies continue to bring him back to inspire their teams. He also enjoys keynoting dozens of national and statewide conferences every year to thousands of busy professionals.

Zach is a Director with PFM Financial Advisors LLC, in PFM’s Harrisburg Office. He serves as an independent financial advisor helping local authorities, boroughs, townships, school districts, and others on the issuance of tax-exempt and taxable debt. Zach and his firm act as a fiduciary to ensure their clients achieve their specific goals when it comes to financing new projects or refinancing existing debt. Zach has completed over 500 transactions serving dozens of local government and authority clients across the Commonwealth including the Town of Bloomsburg, Brentwood Borough, East Pennsboro Township, Hanover Borough, Hempfield Township, Jefferson Hills Borough, Lewistown Borough, Marple Township, Mechanicsburg Borough, New Hope Borough, Palmerton Borough, Pocono Township, Upper Darby Township and Whitemarsh Township. Zach was elected to Camp Hill Borough Council in 2017 and is currently the chair of the Finance Committee. Zach also serves as chairman of the Camp Hill Borough Municipal Authority which focuses on storm water improvements.

At Campbell Durrant, P.C. Mr. Worner’s practice focuses on the representation of both public and private employers in preventing and when necessary, defending employment discrimination claims before administrative agencies and in the state and federal courts, human resources counseling and training, labor relations, collective bargaining, wage and hour issues and other issues which arise in the context of employment. Mr. Worner represents a large, local institution of higher education in matters relating to student discrimination claims and civil rights issues. Mr. Worner also counsels numerous local municipalities’ civil service commissions in the role of solicitor. Mr. Worner previously worked for another Pittsburgh law firm which served for many years as general counsel to the state’s largest cyber charter school. In that capacity, Mr. Worner had the opportunity to provide counseling on employment policies and practices, student, administrative, and construction law matters, as well as novel, multi-disciplinary legal issues arising from the fact that the school used advanced technology and methods to deliver instruction to its students via the internet. Mr. Worner also represented the school as lead counsel before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, en banc, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a case of first impression relating to a funding dispute between a local school district and the cyber charter school. Mr. Worner lives in Upper St. Clair with his wife, Melissa, and their two daughters, Ava and Charlotte. Mr. Worner’s priority outside of the office is spending time with his family. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing racquetball, and attempting to score another hole-in-one. A native of northern Ohio, Mr. Worner also sheepishly admits to being a fan of the Cleveland Browns.

215 Innovation Boulevard
State College, PA 16803-6603

Group Discounted Hotel Room Rates
$132 per room for single/double occupancy plus tax

Front Desk: 814-863-6603