2024 CSMFO ANNUAL REPORT
Ernie Reyna, City of Perris
2024 was an amazing year for CSMFO. The year began with the annual conference kicking off January 30 through February 2, which was held at the Disneyland resort. Members were eager to get back to Disney as this location is extremely popular offering not only an opportunity to learn, but also many opportunities to network and just have fun at the happiest place on earth. In 2020, the last time the annual conference was at Disney, 1,849 members were in attendance, but that number jumped up to 2,133 attendees in 2024. The conference truly lived up to its theme of May the Magic of Finance be with You!
West Coast Alliance
Currently, CSMFO enjoys a reciprocal relationship with neighboring states including Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. Those states send their respective presidents to our conference to learn and bring back ideas to their home states, while the current CSMFO President will do the same as they visit those three states. During 2024; however, the four states involved with this partnership wanted to further enhance this agreement and memorialize into a partnership now known as the West Coast Alliance.
On June 12, 2024, during the Annual GFOA conference in Orlando, Florida, these four states met in person to officially sign the West Coast Alliance. This agreement contained many benefits to these states including the opportunity to attend the other states annual conferences at the same rate as their respective members. This benefit can potentially be huge for a member from any of the four states that would like to travel to another state and experience how other states put together their conferences and what their break-out sessions focus on. Learning from each other is how we grow as an organization and get better.
The West Coast Alliance also provided one other key feature. After many years of having a reciprocal agreement with the four states, a fifth state was added, which was Colorado. Colorado’s total state membership is more than 900 members with their annual conference typically occurring in the third week of November. This year, I had the privilege of attending their annual conference, which was held in beautiful Colorado Springs. My main take-away from the time I spent learning and experiencing everything I could there was that they are not very different from CSMFO. Similar in both structure of their conference and the type of break-out sessions, Colorado does their conference right, satisfying their members thirst for knowledge.
New CSMFO (Interim) Executive Director
In June 2024, Executive Director Jean Rousseau resigned as Executive Director leaving the leadership of CSMFO with a void to fill. The position of Executive Director has generally been a stable position, so the Board of Directors had to make a quick decision and figure out which direction to take the organization. So, in August the CSMFO Board of Directors appointed our very own Margaret Moggia as Interim Executive Director.
Margaret has many years of experience with the organization but also experience with other organizations such as serving on the GFOA Board as well as CMTA. With Margaret, sliding into the position of Executive Director is seamless as she began to hit the ground running and quickly started to do the work necessary for someone in her position. She is a nature leader and has experienced every side to CSMFO and served as President in 2018. Margaret understands the organization and knows what needs to be done, often anticipating the needs of the Board, leadership, and the members. She is a true asset to CSMFO and anyone that knows Margaret knows that she is passionate about what she does, and it truly shows in the work she produces. Please join me in congratulating Margaret as she is a key part of CSMFO and the bridge to our Association Management Company.
New Association Management Company
In addition to welcoming a new (Interim) Executive Director, CSMFO also made the transition to a new Association Manager Company (AMC). An AMC provides management and specialized administrative services and assists in such tasks as agenda setting, sitting in on committee meetings, note taking, and serves as headquarters to CSMFO. The transition to a new AMC was not easy and very time consuming. A request for proposal was released in 2024, which lead to a series of interviews to find the perfect fit for CSMFO. After much consideration and time, CSMFO selected its new AMC known as Impact Association Management.
Impact has begun the huge undertaking of guiding CSMFO into the next level of service that it needs to be continually successful. Impact personnel have the necessary staff to help CSMFO become the best possible organization it can be with the help from the Board of Directors and all of leadership leading the way and with Alyssa Merkle of Impact serving as our Administrative Director, the sky will be the limit when it comes to the partnership between CSMFO and Impact.
Thank You
My time as President has come to an end, but during 2024, and with the assistance of so many in leadership, I set off to help CSMFO become even better. After the 2024 conference, I represented the organization at Oregon’s annual conference in beautiful and snowy Sunriver in March. I then crossed the country to Orlando, Florida to attend the GFOA conference where members showed up in full force and where I hosted a welcome reception at a Brazilian steakhouse. I unfortunately missed the Washington conference in September, which was in Yakima, but was very fortunate to attend Colorado’s annual conference in November, which was in Colorado Springs.
I am truly thankful and honored to have been selected as your 2024 CSMFO President and know that CSMFO is heading in the right direction with the upcoming leadership and your 2025 President, Jennifer Wakeman.
President
Jennifer Wakeman, City of San Ramon
As President-Elect, my efforts in 2024 were primarily focused on planning the 2025 Annual Conference to be held in San Jose and the 2024 Strategic Planning Session held in Santa Cruz.
Members of the 2025 Host Committee were able to relax for a couple weeks following the 2024 Annual Conference in Anaheim before planning began for San Jose. This was a unique venue to plan since CSMFO had originally contracted this location for the 2021 Annual Conference. As we all know, COVID-19 had other plans, and the conference went virtual that year. Some members of this years’ Host Committee were also part of planning for 2021 and commented on the changes to the downtown in the last 4 years. Another new aspect of this conference was managing the costs of union labor since the City of San Jose owns the San Jose Convention Center. This group was so much fun to work with and all the great events and details of the conference reflect their efforts and decisions. I truly enjoyed working with this group of familiar and new faces and look forward to more collaborations in the future.
Host Committee: Amber Johnson, Andrew Leal, Aneil Murthy, Brandon Young, Craig Boyer, Diana Ramos, Marcus Pimentel, Margaret O’Brien, Lily Ng, Nick Kurns, Pauline Marx, Sarah Brown, Susan Talwar, Victor Shin, Will Fuentes, and Wing-See Fox
Staff: Marisa Villanueva, Evelyn Meza, Beth Ramirez, Janet Salvetti, Laura Nomura, Harriet Commons, Margaret Moggia, Alyssa Merkle, Becky Koch, Teri Anticevich and Amanda Kelly
The 2024 Strategic Action Plan called for me to work with members of leadership and the Past Presidents Advisory Committee to develop and implement a new framework for strategic planning. This has been an incredible process, and I hope CSMFO members and future Board members appreciate the thoughtful consideration that has gone into the work done this year by CSMFO’s leadership. Over a two-day workshop, CSMFO’s mission and values were confirmed, the vision revised, goals refined, and objectives outlined. CSMFO will start 2025 with strategic goals and objectives that provide clear direction and intentions to last the next three years. Our hope is that this new framework will provide greater leadership support and organizational sustainability to ensure member benefits for years to come.
During the year, I also had the opportunity to partner with President Ernie Reyna and Past President Rich Lee on several other projects of organizational significance. The 2023 Strategic Planning session revealed a need for re-evaluation and process documentation of CSMFO’s programs and systems and led to a discussion of the association management contract set to expire in 2025. In early 2024, we developed a collaborative process across leadership to issue a request for proposals for association management services and the Board ultimately selected Impact Association Management. Mid-year, the Board found itself in the position of needing an Executive Director and the Executive Committee held many discussions around next steps and timing before deciding to hire Margaret Moggia as the Interim Executive Director.
Already, we know that 2025 will bring the on boarding of Impact Association Management, planning for the recruitment of a permanent Executive Director, and implementation of CSMFO’s new multi-year strategic plan. There is much work to do, and I can’t wait to get started. Thank you so much for the honor of serving as President-Elect in 2024 and here’s to a year in service as President in 2025!
Past President Message
Rich Lee, City of South San Francisco
The end of 2024 marked nearly a decade of volunteer leadership with CSMFO, which began in 2015 as a member of the Career Development Committee, and now transitioning after the end of my term as Immediate Past President in 2024.
As Immediate Past President, my primary role was to serve as the liaison to local chapter chairs, ensuring that they had the support they needed from the Board. As a former chapter chair, I recognize that local chapters are the lifeblood of this organization, enriching the member experience in ways that extend far beyond our signature annual conference. To our dedicated chapter leaders, thank you for your commitment to our members and our organization.
One of the significant efforts I was a part of was the issuance of an RFP for association management services. Thank you to the leadership members that were a part of the ad hoc group for ensuring that our association management services continue to provide the resources CSMFO needs as our organization’s continues to grow and change.
Other highlights include representing CSMFO at Hoover Institute’s Public Pension Forum. The forum provided an opportunity to engage with representatives from other public pension systems across the country and academics from universities studying public pensions. The insights gained were invaluable and provided an opportunity to share my perspective as a public sector administrator and former finance director.
Another highlight was being a part of the group of CSMFO leaders that held an online panel discussion at an MPA course with San Francisco State University to discuss emerging trends in local government. After the panel discussion, I was able to observe case study presentations on municipal bankruptcies. I was able to share insights that students wouldn’t find in a textbook because I had colleagues that were connected to many of the case study municipalities.
My final highlight is a good segue to what I will be continuing to volunteer for CSMFO - the CSMFO Podcast. In collaboration with the Communications Committee, CSMFO has entered the podcast era that will highlight the experiences of our volunteer leaders and members.
As I close this chapter, I carry immense gratitude for the ways CSMFO has shaped me—helping me grow as a leader, a municipal finance professional, and a public servant. It has been an honor to serve, and I look forward to supporting CSMFO’s continued success.
Margaret Moggia, Interim Executive Director
Founded in 1957, the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO) is a statewide organization serving all California local government finance professionals. CSMFO aim to improve the knowledge, skills, and performance of its members responsible for fiscal policy and management through networking and continuing education. We are proud of the growth of our membership members to approximately 2,400 members, and an annual conference attendance of 2,200 registrants, including over 100 exhibitors and sponsoring companies.
CSMFO is strategically guided by the leadership of a 10-person Board of Directors. On an annual basis, the Board adopts an annual action plan to continue to move the association forward by bringing value to its members. CSMFO leadership diligently prioritizes tasks which are thoughtfully aligned with the mission, vision, and goals. Daily operations are overseen by an interim Executive Director, and supported by an association management firm and an annual conference planning firm. CSMFO’s major programs are its annual conference, education program including core courses and webinars, chapter events, awards program, and online CSMFO news publication. These efforts are driven by the eleven standing committees and twenty geographical chapters.
A Year in Review
On a monthly basis, the Board of Directors and other volunteer leadership meet to discuss association business and hear updates from the standing committees and chapters. A recap of some of the Board action and discussion include the following:
• Association Management Services – CSMFO is supported by a firm that manages the administration, finances and operations of the association. An evaluation of our service delivery and the forward direction desired for the association, led the Board of Directors to authorize the solicitation of a request for proposal for association management services. After interviews and thoughtful discussion, the Board approved a three-year agreement with Impact Association. As an accredited association firm, Impact brings an engaged team with organization, experience, and ideas to leverage data to enhance and expand CSMFO’s training and networking opportunities. Impact is fully onboard as of January 1, 2025.
• West Coast Alliance agreement – For years, CSMFO and other state association presidents enjoyed a unique collaboration by attending each other state conferences. At the 2024 GFOA Conference in Orlando, five states came together to sign a West Coast Alliance agreement that provides access to each state’s conferences at the member pricing of each state. The five states include Alaska GFOA, California Society of Municipal Finance Officers, Colorado GFOA, Oregon GFOA and Washington FOA.
• Selection of 2028 Conference location – Plan ahead to visit Long Beach for the 2028 Annual Conference. A site visit to the
conference center and local hotels reflected a venue that will meet the growing needs of our conference attendees and experience.
• Association Business – As with your own agency, CSMFO has its own business to take care of from the annual audit, enhancing its investment options, approving instructor agreements and the annual advice and service from Michael Coleman. The Board also had discussion around certain policies (job posting advertising and membership dues) and approved the annual budget.
• Strategic Planning – Building upon past successes, CSMFO leadership meet annually to review its action plan and plan ahead for driving forward success in the association. In April, the Board was presented with a strategic framework that guided the Board and other volunteer leaders at the annual planning meeting in October. Led by Jacob Green & Associates, nearly 40 leaders met over two days to affirm our strategic goals of organizational sustainability, professional development and member engagement. The group also defined what each goal meant to them and developed a consensus definition that aided in the development of the objectives of each goal. The plan will shape the future vision for CSMFO to enhance our service delivery, developing metrics to make data driven decisions, and focus on the financial forecast that better understand the costs that drive the association business and assess the method to derive the revenues to support these costs.
• Commercial Code of Ethics – Over the past few years, the commercial partners have increased their presence with CSMFO. They have always been great partners to CSMFO and its members, and decisions were made to create their own stand-alone committee and the introduction of the first commercial partner board member. With this added presence, they decided that a stand-alone Code of Ethics policy be developed and approved by the Board.
• Appointment of new Interim Executive Director – In June, CSMFO’s Executive Director step down and in August the Board appointed me to serve as the Interim Executive Director. During my time, the following goals were accomplished:
• Develop transition plan for new association management company.
• Engage with each Board member and Committee Chair to receive their vision/strategic vision
• Evaluate and develop financial policies for consideration with the Board of Directors
• Research and share vision for strategic partnership engagement
• Develop new volunteer onboarding
As we look ahead to 2025, it is an opportunity for continued growth as the Board, volunteer leadership and support staff lean into the new strategic plan. In addition, CSMFO will continue to onboard Impact Association and learn from their expertise to elevate our training, networking, and other programs.
Thank you to all who volunteer, participate in KnowledgeBase, attend training and grow through our membership programs. We strive to enhance the value of your membership.
Administration Committee
Chair: Kyle Johnson, City of Glendora
Vice Chair: Don Patterson, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District
Vice Chair: Gloriann Sasser, Moraga Orinda Fire District
Senior Advisor: Steve Heide, Retired, Chino Valley Fire District
Members: Alberto Preciado, City of Citrus Heights
Troy Grunklee, City of La Puente
Mike Sung, City of Millbrae
Felicia Galindo, City of Tracy
Stacey Dabbs, City of Colton
Brett Miller, San Benito County Water District
The Administration Committee is responsible for maintaining the various policy and procedures documents of the organization, administering CSMFO's contracts, enhancing the effectiveness and use of the technology used by the CSMFO, maintaining an internet presence and CSMFO website, and facilitating the information sharing among members. The Committee is also responsible for miscellaneous special projects at the direction of the Board of Directors.
The Administration Committee completed the 2024 Strategic Plan item to redesign and refresh the CSMFO website. This goal was completed through coordination of the Administration Committee and an Ad-Hoc Committee comprised of representatives from the standing committees, the Executive Director and President. The new CSMFO website launched in January of 2024 during the 2024 CSMFO Annual Conference. The overall feedback received from membership has been positive. The website is constantly evolving with feedback from leadership and the general membership to continue to meet the needs of the CSMFO membership. During 2024 the CSMFO News webpages and Michael Coleman’s website californiacityfinance.com were brought onto the new website. Next steps for the CSMFO website include consideration of revenue generation through advertising within existing policies and with consideration of current annual conference sponsorship advertising incentives.
The Committee finalized a standard template professional services agreement (PSA) in 2024 to bring standardization for preparation and review of PSAs used across all committees. Additionally, the committee began reviewing the CSMFO Bylaws and Policies and Procedures for streamlining and consistency. The Bylaws review has been completed and is now awaiting legal review as well as consideration of new roles and responsibilities work completed by the Executive Committee and the Board. The Committee began reviewing the Policies and Procedures document for consistency with the Bylaws and other policy/procedural documents. The policy/procedural documentation will continue to be reviewed and updated in 2025.
Finally, the Committee will continue to work to standardize the contract review process, participate in centralizing policy and procedural documentation, and address future strategic planning goals in 2025.
We would like to sincerely thank the volunteers that contributed to all the work put forth by this committee during 2024, without whom this work could not have been completed: Steve Heide, Alberto Preciado, Troy Grunklee, Mike Sung, Felicia Galindo, Stacey Dabbs, and Brett Miller.
Career Development Committee Report
Chair: Nick Kurns, Scotts Valley Water District
Vice Chairs: Grace Zheng, City of Mountain View and Jennifer Fillinger, Cucamonga Valley Water District
Senior Advisor: Mary Bradley, City of Fremont, and David Cain, Retired Member
Board Liaison: Amber Johnson, Central Contra Costa Transit Authority
Members: Viki Copeland, City of Hermosa Beach; Margaret Moggia, Town of Discovery Bay; Laura Nomura, Retired Member; Lorena Quijano, City of West Hollywood; Terri Willoughby, Retired Member
SMA Staff Support: Amanda Rae Hall, Janelle Mollgaard
Impact Staff Support: Alyssa Merkle, Emily Heitman
Other Staff / Consultant Support: Harriet Commons, Craig Lesner
A core element of CSMFO’s mission is to provide high-quality, accessible professional development and continuing education to municipal finance professionals. Each year, hundreds of members participate in cost-effective, CPE-qualified training programs designed to strengthen their expertise. In 2024, the Career Development Committee (CDC) continued to support this mission by offering a robust training program, including expanded course offerings.
Training programs in 2024 were primarily offered virtually, with two exceptions—the newly launched Public Speaking for Finance Professionals course and the Weekend Training Program. Over the past year, 13 core courses were offered:
• Introduction to Governmental Accounting (6 sessions)
• Intermediate Accounting (5 sessions)
• Advanced Specialty Accounting Topics (8 sessions)
• Budgeting Course I (2 sessions)
• Budgeting Course 2 (2 sessions)
• Accounting for Capital Assets (1 session)
• Investment Accounting (1 session)
• Fundamentals of Tax Revenues (1 session)
• ABC’s of Municipal Finance (4 sessions)
• Financial Management & Analysis 1 – NEW (2 sessions)
• Financial Management & Analysis 2 – NEW (2 sessions)
• Public Speaking for Finance Professionals – NEW (2 sessions)
• Weekend Training Program
Program enrollment remains strong, with over 1,400 members participating across California - an increase from 1,100 in 2023. Class sizes ranged from 15-25 participants for the Advanced Specialty Topics courses to 60 participants for the Introduction to Governmental Accounting course, which consistently reaches full capacity. Virtual training continues to expand accessibility, particularly for members in remote areas, and we plan to maintain this virtual-first approach in 2025.
The CDC’s Weekend Training Program successfully returned in 2024, following a one-year hiatus. This year’s program was held in November in San Jose, welcoming 32 participants for in-person learning and networking.
CSMFO’s Webinar Program saw continued success in 2024, thanks to the ongoing partnership with the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and moderator Craig Lesner. The CDC hosted 12 webinars, marking a record year for content delivery. Webinars reached over 4,000 locations, demonstrating their broad impact and growing demand.
2024 Webinar Topics Included:
• State Fiscal Update from the LAO
• Election Year Economics for California Municipalities
• Ensuring a Sound and Sustainable Pension Fund – CalPERS MidCycle ALM Update
• Property Tax Basics, Mechanics, Real Estate Trends, and Budget Forecasting
• Cash Flow Forecasting Made Easy
• GFOA Best Practices Help You Monitor your Internal Controls
• Business Roundtable Measure and Development Impact Fees after Sheetz v. El Dorado County
• Developing an Effective Financial Management Framework: Fiscal Policies
• CalPERS Actuarial Valuations
• Generative AI & Chat GPT
• A New ERP System: Magic or Headache?
• Elevate Your Leadership
New Opportunities for Member Engagement
Additionally, the CDC played a key role in implementing the Board’s strategic objective: New Opportunities for Member Engagement. The pilot Front Porch Forum program was introduced, modeled after similar initiatives in other states. This initiative aims to foster meaningful conversations among members on specialized topics, further expanding professional development opportunities.
The success of CSMFO’s Career Development Committee programs is a direct result of the dedication and collaboration of many individuals. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to every member of the CDC for their commitment to professional development. A special thanks to Harriet Commons, whose diligence ensures the seamless delivery of our programs. I also want to acknowledge Janelle Mollgaard and SMA for their continued high-quality support, and we look forward to working with Emily Heitman and the Impact team in 2025.
Finally, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to our core course instructors for their tireless work in delivering world-class training to our members. Thank you to the CSMFO Board of Directors for your steadfast support in advancing professional education. As we look ahead to 2025, we remain committed to expanding access, enhancing our curriculum, and fostering a strong community of finance professionals.
Commercial Partner Committee Report
Chair: Neil Murthy, Chandler Asset Management
Vice Chair: Mark Petrasso, Zions Bank
Board Liaison: Tim Seufert, NBS
Senior Advisors: Scott Catlett, Eide Bailey; Joan Michaels Aguilar, HdL
Committee Members: Wing-See Fox, Urban Futures Inc.; Evelyn Morentin-Barcena, RAMS; Laura Labanieh Kitson, CalTRUST
The Commercial Partner Committee was formed in 2023 as a part of a broader effort to incorporate commercial members into the leadership and organizational structure of CSMFO. The purpose of the Commercial Partner Committee is drive engagement among CSMFO commercial members.
Duties of the Committee include:
1. Host semi-annual commercial member roundtable meetings with commercial members.
2. Raise awareness of opportunities and events with CSMFO.
3. Promote Conference sponsorship and membership for Commercial Members.
4. Engage with commercial members at the CSMFO conference and chapter meetings.
The Committee met monthly throughout 2024 and led the following initiatives:
Review of Commercial Member Dues – The Committee reviewed current member benefits, relative fees for similar associations and composition of the current membership roster to form their recommendation to the CSMFO Board regarding commercial member dues.
Commercial Member Roundtable Meetings – With support from CSMFO Leadership, the Committee held quarterly meetings to connect with commercial members. The meetings addressed upcoming events and ways to maximize CSMFO Membership. Participants provided valuable feedback on the annual conference and their experiences with CSMFO.
Commercial Ethics Policy – Led by Commercial Board Member Tim Seufert of NBS, the Committee reviewed the Commercial Ethics Policy and provided approval before adoption by the Board.
2024 Conference Support – Committee members were instrumental in outreach to Commercial Partners to drive sponsorship for the 2025 Conference. The Committee worked collectively and in coordination with MAMS to drive sponsorship and meet budget goals for the Exhibit Hall Sponsors.
Looking forward to 2025, Wing-See Fox of UFI was appointed as Chair of the Committee and Evelyn Evelyn Morentin-Barcena of RAMS CPA was appointed Vice-Chair. The Committee welcomed the addition of Laura Labanieh Kitson of CalTRUST and Tori Roberts of Tori Roberts, CPA. The Committee will explore new ways to expand member benefits and encourage additional commercial members to join the CSMFO Community.
Committee Members:
Chair – Jennifer Becker (City of Burbank)
Vice Chair – Wing-See Fox (Urban Futures, Inc.)
Vice Chair – Heidi Schoeppe (Webb Municipal Finance)
Senior Advisor – Drew Corbett (DKG Consultants)
Senior Advisor – Will Fuentes (City of Campbell)
Board Liaison – Jason Al-Imam (City of Newport Beach)
Publication lead, ad, and logistics – Audie Whitt (SMA)
Members:
Kofi Antobam (City of Rancho Mirage)
Erika Gomez (City of San Jacinto)
Joan Michaels Aguilar (HdL)
Margaret Moggia (CSMFO Interim Executive Director)
Ernie Reyna (City of Perris)
Karla Romero (Coachella Valley Water District)
James Russell-Field (Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District)
The Communications Committee completed another active and successful year, providing relevant and timely information through CSMFO News and social media. The Committee continued to focus on sharing a variety of communications with diverse topics and viewpoints designed to engage members at all levels of the organization.
Between January and December of 2024, 58 articles were published through CSMFO News, in addition to the Annual Conference Magazine. The Communications Committee focused on content that pushed breaking news, provided technical tips and insights, shared local Chapter activities, supported the CSMFO Annual Conference, and highlighted current and past CSMFO leadership team members and CSMFO Committee initiatives.
CSMFO continued to bolster its presence on social media, republishing CSMFO News content through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. In addition to CSMFO News content, CSMFO utilized social media to publicize the CSMFO Annual Conference.
2024 Accomplishments
In April of 2024, the CSMFO News was successfully migrated to the new CSMFO website. The news submittal portal for the Communications Committee was reconstructed, and the news categories were refined and streamlined to facilitate users being able to locate content. The prior CSMFO News pages were also archived and linked in the new website so that article published prior to the migration would still be accessible to visitors of the website.
In December of 2024, the Communications Committee released the first ever CSMFO podcast! This project is the brainchild of CSMFO Past President, Executive Producer, and dedicated audiophile, Rich Lee. Over the coming months, the Committee aims to bring members an inside look at CSMFO through interviews with various leadership and staff as well as finance professionals throughout California. The podcast is available in both video and audio only versions, so members can watch online, bring CSMFO along on their daily commute, and subscribe on their favorite podcast platform. The Communications Committee looks forward to releasing more podcast episodes in 2025 and providing CSMFO members with another way to engage and connect with this great organization.
Authors, Contributors, and Committee Members
The Communications Committee relies on the hard work and support of volunteers. Special thanks to the many authors who contributed content and/or published an article in the last year, and apologies if anyone was missed:
Joan Michaels Aguilar, Jason Al-Imam, Jennifer Becker, Alan Bond, Dan Buffalo, Sara Castro, Scott Catlett, Misty Cheng, Drew Corbett, Heather Dyer, Wing-See Fox, Will Fuentes, Erika Elizabeth Garcia, Gomez, Steve Heide, Jorianne Jernberg, Nick Kurns, Rich Lee, Margaret Moggia, Don Patterson, Vanessa Ramirez, Justin Resuello, Ernie Reyna, Jocelyn Rodriguez, Karla Romero, Jean Rousseau, James Russell-Field, Heidi Schoeppe, Tim Seufert, Dallas Shattuck, Sandee Stallings, Jennifer Stevenson, Kelly Telford, Christian Townes, Tracy Vesely, Jennifer Wakeman, Audie Whitt, Terri Willoughby, and Marcus Wu as well as features from each CSMFO Committee and Chapter.
Communications Committee Report Continued
The Communications Committee operates under a very short turnaround for publishing content. Thank you to our committee members and CSMFO staff who are willing to write, coordinate, edit and plan content for the CSMFO News.
Statistics
• CSMFO News Articles Published: 58
• CSMFO News website visitors*: 5,746
• Most clicked articles*:
• Leave Cashout Programs’ Exposure to Constructive Receipt Risk: 1,982
• Scholarship Opportunity for GFOA’s Certified Public Finance Officer Designation: 314
• Proposition 172 – Why are these revenues changing so much: 303
• Make the 2025 CSMFO Conference a Family Affair: 295
• Scholarship Opportunities for the 2025 CSMFO Annual Conference are Available: 272
Finance Committee
Chair: Margaret Moggia, Town of Discovery Bay
Chair: Brian Mohan, City of Moreno Valley
Senior Advisor: John Adams, Eastern Municipal Water District
Senior Advisor: Drew Corbett, DKG Consultants
Board Liaison: Amber Johnson, County Connection
Members:
Grace Castenda, City of Belmont
Stephen Parker, City of Upland
Kim Ganimian, City of Moreno Valley
Building on the successes for the past two years, the Finance Committee is responsible to identify and act upon continuous improvement for the fiduciary and financial oversight of CSMFO. The committee is focused into three areas including long range financial plan, policies and procedures, and financial reporting.
This year, the committee had two main areas of focus.
• The first was to draft policies on Membership Dues and Job Posting Advertising. Each of these polices provide clarity around the purpose of each revenue source, and the mechanism to set rates.
• The other area of focus was spent time evaluating the association’s historic revenues and expenses to develop the guiding principles and assumptions for the long-range financial plan. The last couple of years has been challenging when setting the budget as the cost to run a growing association has increased the operating expenses. CSMFO has been evaluating the costs to allocate them appropriately across the programs so that the appropriate rates can be adjusted to cover the cost.
In addition, the Finance Committee is responsible to prepare semi-annual executive summary of the financial results, the annual audit, and identify processes to improve financial oversight.
Thank you to the committee for their dedication for continuous improvement of the financial reporting, enhancing policies and procedures, and charting a course forward with recommendations for long term fiscal sustainability.
Membership Benefits Committee
Chair: Jennifer Ustation, City of Beaumont
Vice Chair: Felicia Galindo, City of Tracy
Vice Chair: Allison Tong, West Basin Municipal Water District
Senior Advisor: Karan Reid, Retired
Member: Heather Rowden, Krisch CPAs
Member: Vanessa Ramirez, City of Tracy
Member: Karla Romero, Coachella Valley Water District
Member: Steve Heide, Retired
Member: Mark Petrasso, Zions Bank
Member: Kim Sao, City of Paramount
Dear Members,
As the Chair of the Membership Benefits Committee, I am excited to share our accomplishments and ongoing efforts to enhance your experience with CSMFO. This past year, our committee has been hard at work supporting member engagement, improving programs, and aligning our efforts with the 2024 Strategic Plan. Here's an overview of what we've achieved together:
Membership Renewals and Engagement
We made strides to better understand your needs by surveying members and addressing non-renewal concerns. To ensure you feel valued, we refined our communication strategies and improved new member onboarding emails to create a more welcoming experience.
Volunteer Brochure and Engagement
This year, we updated and finalized the Volunteer Brochure to align with our strategic goals. Additionally, we established a framework for annual reviews to continuously improve volunteer engagement.
Mentorship and Cohort Programs
Mentorship Program: We enhanced mentor-mentee relationships by optimizing the Together software platform, implementing regular checkins, and gathering feedback for further improvements. The 2024 Mentorship Program continued to have over 100 participants and 82 matches.
Cohort Program: Guiding documents were drafted to ensure smoother leadership transitions and consistent program implementation. Additionally, the Together Software will be rolled out for the program, for additional reporting metrics and tracking.
Conference Support
Our committee played a pivotal role in supporting the 2025 conference. This included finalizing the booth configuration, selecting conference swag, and designing the breakout session, Empowerment 2025: Leveraging Your Conference Experience and Your CSMFO Membership Benefits. Additionally, we prepared FAQ documents and organized volunteers to ensure an engaging Membership Booth experience.
Member Dues Review
We worked with other committees to review and update dues policies to ensure consistency and clarity and align rates with other committees.
Looking Ahead
In the coming year, the Membership Benefits Committee will focus on:
• Further enhancement of mentorship and cohort programs to meet your needs.
• Expanding engagement through targeted communications and chapter outreach.
• Supporting conference initiatives, including breakout sessions and the Membership Booth.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to every committee member for your dedication and hard work. Together, we have made significant strides to enhance the CSMFO member experience, and I look forward to what we will accomplish in the year ahead.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Ustation
Chair, Membership Benefits Committee
Professional Standards Committee
Chair: Donna Lee, City of Concord
Vice Chair: Craig Boyer, County of Alameda
Senior Advisor: Grace Castaneda, City of Belmont
Board Liaison: Jason Al-Imam, City of Newport Beach
Members:
David Alvey, Maze & Associates
Dan Buffalo, City of Ukiah
Ellis Chang, City of Fullerton
Jennifer Farr, Davis Farr LLP
Ana Leon, City of Rancho Mirage
Scott Manno, Rogers, Anderson, Malody, & Scott, LLP
Ross McCarthy, City of Alameda
Wendy Nakamura, West Basin Municipal Water District
Javier Obando, SageView Advisory Group
Tori Roberts, CPA APAC
Heidi Schoeppe, Albert A. Webb Associates
Heid Schrader, City of Wildomar
Kelly Telford, Lance, Soll & Lunghard, CPAs LLP
Christian Townes, Soll & Lunghard, CPAs LLP
Joseph Ware, City of San Diego
The Professional Standards Committee operates as a technical resource to CSMFO members by keeping members informed of emerging issues and best practices through Committee Highlights and News Articles. The Committee consists of municipal and commercial members who engage in a variety of discussions throughout the year, focusing on the following key areas:
• Financial Management and Budgeting
• Accounting and Financial Reporting
• Retirement and Benefits Administration
• Treasury and Investment Management
• Capital Finance and Debt Administration
• Grant Management
Throughout these discussions, the committee aimed to serve as a technical resource for CSMFO members, keeping them informed of emerging issues and best practices in municipal and commercial financial management. Resulting from these discussions, specific highlights were published for CSMFO membership, including:
• New Guidance for American Rescue Plan Act Funds, April 10, 2024
• Rising Interest Rates and Yield Restriction, Alan Bond and Sandee Stallings, April 26, 2024
• New Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance, May 16, 2024
• A Deeper Dive into the November 2023 Obligation Interim Final Rule for SLFRF Funds, Kelly Telford, June 20, 2024
• CA Supreme Court Blocks Anti-Tax Measure, June 24, 2024
• Navigating the Changing Landscape of Development Impact Fees, Dan Buffalo and Tim Seufert, September 26, 2024
• New Uniform Guidance Requirements, October 22, 2024
• GASB 103 Changes to Financial Reporting Model, November 6, 2024
• GASB Makes Changes to the Financial Reporting Model with the Issuance of GASB 103, Kelly Telford, November 19, 2024
• Preparing for the Super Catch-Up Contribution, December 18, 2024
The Professional Standards Committee has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to enhancing the knowledge and practices of municipal finance professionals throughout the year. Through thoughtful discussions, the committee successfully addressed a spectrum of topics relevant to the evolving landscape of governmental finance. By focusing on key areas like financial reporting, legislative impacts, investment management, and organizational best practices, the committee has fortified its role as a pivotal resource for the CSMFO members. The dedication of each committee member has been instrumental in navigating the complexities of public finance, ensuring that the CSMFO community remains wellinformed and ahead of the curve in professional standards and regulatory compliance.
Program Committee
Chair: Stephen Parker, City of Upland Vice-Chairs: Karla Romero, Coachella Valley Water District and Grace Castaneda, City of Belmont
Senior Advisors: Viki Copeland, City of Hermosa Beach, Laura Nomura, Retired and Margaret O’Brien, City of Alameda Board Liaison: Dennis Kauffman, City of Roseville
Members: Mary Bradley, City of Fremont; David Cain, Retired; Rich Lee, City of South San Francisco; Margaret Moggia, Town of Discovery Bay; Karan Reid, Retired
After a successful Annual Conference January 30 – February 2, 2024 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, the Program Committee was energized to begin planning for the 2025 Annual CSMFO Conference, with the theme “CSMFO – Educate, Connect, Empower,” to be held in San Jose at the San Jose Convention Center. The Committee began meeting in April 2024.
The Call for Sessions kicked off on May 14, 2024, and the Committee received over 100 submissions. In reviewing the submissions, the Committee was focused on providing high quality educational content and the program offered 52 concurrent sessions over three days, including four “early bird” sessions Wednesday morning including topics on CalPERS pensions, conducting a rate study, CSMFO membership benefits and understanding merchant services. In addition, five pre-conference sessions were offered: Public Speaking for Finance Professionals, Foundational Overview, Fundamentals of Municipal Taxation: Property, Sales, and Other Local Taxes, Educating Leaders, Empowering Change: The AI and RPA Revolution, and Out of Control: Internal Controls to Minimize Fraud Risk. Overall, attendees had the opportunity to earn up to 23.0 credits of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) during the in-person conference.
We extend heartfelt gratitude to Harriet Commons for her exceptional efforts in keeping us organized, on schedule, and managing countless details that contribute to the success of in-person conference. A special thank you to the entire Program Committee for your dedication, support, and enthusiasm in shaping the program for the 2025 Annual Conference –it wouldn’t have been possible without you!
Recognition Committee
Chair: James Russell-Field, Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District
Vice Chair: Natalia Lopez, City of Moreno Valley
Vice Chair: Bill Clayton, Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District
Senior Advisor: Yolanda Rodriguez, Retired
Board Liaison: Stephanie Reimer, Monte Vista Water District
Committee members:
Antonio Aiello (City of San Luis Obispo)
Kofi Antobam (City of Rancho Mirage)
Stephanie Cuff (City of Moreno Valley)
Brenda Manriquez (Orange County Cemetery District)
Amanda McGarr (City of Chico)
Isarel Perez-Hernandez (City of Wasco)
Matthew Schenk (City of Perris)
The Recognition Committee oversees and promotes the CSMFO Awards Program, which includes the Operating and Capital Budget and Innovation Awards. The success of the Recognition Committee relies heavily on volunteers from participating agencies to help review budget applications.
2024 Recap
Operating Budget Award Winners - 108; Capital Budget Award Winners - 17; Total Award Program Applications – 125; Volunteer Budget Reviewers - 118
Goals Achieved in 2024
• Clarify Scoring in Award Force: To stabilize year-to-year variability in scoring for budget award entries, particularly on the Operating Budget Award, the Recognition Committee added “scoring blocks” to Award Force to clarify point scoring for multi-point questions. For example, if a question is asking a reviewer to score a criterion out of eight points, the “scoring blocks” help identify what a score of two, four, six, or eight represents.
• Physical Award: 2024 was the fourth year offering budget award winners a physical award option. When an agency purchases a physical award, the agency receives both a head plaque and a plate to affix to the plaque. Each year, the agency can continue to purchase the plate to affix to the plaque. The Committee looks forward to continuing to promote and offer this option.
• Budget volunteer recognition: The Recognition Committee relies on the commitment and dedication of volunteers to help with the annual Budget Program Award reviews. 118 budget volunteers offered their time in 2024 to review budget applications. The Committee continued the prior year's initiative to email each volunteer an electronic “Thank You” certificate that reviewed a budget. Additionally, the names of volunteer reviewers were published for recognition in a CSMFO News recap.
Goals for 2025
• Transparency Award: The purpose of this Award is to recognize governmental agencies that promote transparency in operations and reporting. In 2024, the Recognition Committee developed and internally reviewed two frameworks for the award. In 2025, the Committee will be looking to survey CSMFO members to gather feedback before finalizing the award.
• Automation of Award Force: The Recognition Committee utilizes Award Force software to manage the award applications, judging, scoring, and communication. This requires significant administration by committee members to set up users, manage broadcasts, upload PDF certificates, and tag entries for review. To help ease the administrative burden of Award Force, the committee will work with CSMFO staff to identify areas of automation within Award Force.
• Succession Planning and Documentation: In 2025, the Committee will continue to update and enhance the “Guide to Award Season” document. This document includes a manual for the committee members and leadership. The "Guide to Award Season" will be enhanced in 2025 to ensure the smooth transition of Committee members and leadership. The Chair and Vice Chairs will continue to rotate between several keys tasks, so Committee leadership have a chance to have hands-on experience with different aspects of the Award Programs.
Concluding Remarks
The Recognition Committee would like to thank CSMFO leadership for their continued support of the Recognition Committee. The success of the Recognition Committee and its Awards program is due to the hard work of each Committee member. We are profoundly grateful for their commitment and the continued support of Stephanie Reimer, Board Liaison, and Yolanda Rodriguez, Senior Advisor, who always willingly provided guidance and support to the Recognition Committee leaders. Thanks also, of course, to our magnificent budget review volunteers, who are the reason the Budget Award Program is successful.
Student Engagement Committee
Chair: Michelle Bannigan, City of Stanton
Vice Chairs: Jessica Brown, City of Fontana and Alberto Preciado, City of Citrus Heights
Senior Advisor: Steve Heide, Retired
Board Liaison: Daniel Buffalo, City of Ukiah
Members
Craig Boyer, County of Alameda
Sara Castro, City of Tracy
June Du, City of Martinez
Ernestine Jones, Retired
Michael Gomez, EideBailly
Kate Zawadzki, City of Dixon
The purpose of the Student Engagement Committee is to engage the next generation of potential municipal finance officers – graduate and undergraduate students – to let them know about CSMFO, promote municipal finance as a rewarding career choice, and increase the number of student memberships.
During the year 2024, the Committee focused its efforts on the following primary goals:
1. Continue to seek opportunities to speak to students about CSMFO – in classrooms, at school-wide recruitment events, and at student association meetings. Coordinate volunteer CSMFO speakers to attend student events.
2. Continue to build relationships with colleges and universities while ensuring existing relationships are maintained.
School relationships and presentation opportunities – The Committee remained active in attending opportunities to interact with students, both virtual and in-person engagements. Approximately 355 students were reached throughout the State at 6 school-sponsored events – with Committee members and other CSMFO members volunteering to speak at career fairs and classroom presentations. The highlight of our 2024 events was the panel discussion on emerging issues facing local government agencies that Craig Boyer organized for a San Francisco State University virtual class in October. This involved participation from 7 volunteers throughout CSMFO (not just the Student Engagement Committee) that represented a variety of types of local government agency including, County, full-service City, contract City, and special district. The event was a huge success. The discussion was well received by the professor and her class. We look forward to similar opportunities like this in the future. In 2024, the Committee continued to engage with contacts that had previously been established in prior years. In addition, we began contact with the following new universities: UC Davis, University of the Pacific, and William Jessop University. In addition, the Committee continued to expand its network of community college contacts. In 2024, we established connections with Modesto Community College. In 2025, our Committee hopes to increase volunteer participation in the Committee and will continue to leverage assistance from other CSMFO members who may not be formal Committee members but may be interested in participating in special events similar to the event held last year at San Francisco State University. In addition, we hope to increase the number of presentations to smaller, focused groups, such as presentations to classrooms and accounting/finance related clubs and groups.
Challenges and Opportunities – The Committee has been challenged with reducing active participation from volunteers. The number of active committee members has been reduced by more than half a year ago. This increases the Committee’s efforts in being able to continue to engage in meaningful ways with students and schools. In 2025, the Committee’s leadership will be changing with Jessica Brown taking on the Chair role.
Central Los Angeles & South-Bay Chapters
Chairs:
Central Los Angeles: Monica Lo, City of Brea (Chair) and Kim Sao, City of Paramount (Vice-Chair) South Bay L.A.: Jeff Muir, City of Beverly Hills (Chair)
The Central-LA and South-Bay chapters continued to host joint meetings in 2024 to increase both attendance and volunteer participation. Meetings are generally held quarterly on the fourth Thursday of the month. The chapters cover a densely populated geographic area reaching north to the City of West Hollywood, east to the City of Industry, and south to the City of Long Beach, encompassing 46 cities.
The chapters held their first joint meeting on May 2, 2024, with Lesley Murphy from PFM Asset Management and Kyle Tanaka from the California Asset Management Program (CAMP). Ms. Murphy provided an Economic Update, and Mr. Tanaka presented on “Considerations for Investment Pools: Where Do You Begin?” The meeting, held at Progress Park Plaza in Paramount, was attended by 20 municipal and commercial members.
On July 16, 2024, Gail Gray, Partner-Technology Consultant from Lance, Soll & Lunghard, LLP (LSL), delivered an enlightening webinar on “Generative AI Automation & the Future of Finance.” Generative AI has taken the world by storm, with the potential to transform local government, specifically Finance departments, by enhancing efficiency and streamlining processes. The Zoom meeting had 112 registrants, with 52 actual attendees.
On October 24, 2024, Ryan Domino, CPA, Partner from LSL, delivered an informative presentation on “Staying Vigilant: Current Fraud Risks and How to Respond.” The presentation had 96 registrants, with 46 municipal and commercial members in attendance. Mr. Domino covered an introduction to fraud, provided statistics, and shared the top 10 fraud schemes along with real-life stories for attendees to be aware of.
On December 18, 2024, the joint chapter holiday luncheon was held at the Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach. There were 107 registrants and 98 actual attendees, and Michael Coleman provided a local government finance update.
Monica will continue to serve as Chapter Chair for the Central L.A. chapter in 2025, with Kim Sao from the City of Paramount continuing as Vice Chair. Jeff will continue to serve as the Chapter Chair for South Bay L.A. in 2025.
Central Valley Chapter
Chair: Sara Castro, Finance Director, City of Tracy Vice Chair: DeAnna Christensen, Finance Director, City of Modesto
Summary of 2024 Events
During 2024, the Central Valley chapter held three meetings. Meetings averaged 35-40 members per meeting, providing valuable education and opportunity for networking. The 2024 meetings and topics were as follows:
April 18, 2024: Alex Southern, Executive Director and Information Security Manager for the Global Cybersecurity Team at JP Morgan Chase & Co. presented to the chapter. The session, held at the Tracy Transit Center, focused on current cybercrime events, primary ways that cybercrime events occur, and how local municipalities can protect themselves from such events.
August 8, 2024: Andrew Roth, Partner at the Pun Group provided a Governmental GASB update to a packed house at the newest LathropManteca fire station. The update was timely, as some GASB can be implemented early, or planning for implementation can begin during the current year-end process. Lunch was generously sponsored by Annie with Southland.
November 21, 2024: For our last meeting of the calendar year, Alison Bouley and Megan Quinn of Harris and Associates educated members on Development Impact Fees, Nexus Studies reporting requirements, and recent law updates. The topic is timely and relevant to the Central Valley, as many Cities within the Central Valley are encountering large amounts of growth through development. The meeting was once again a packed house at Bowlero Manteca, with networking time after the session.
Thank you to all our 2024 speakers, sponsors and members who help make our chapter events a success! We look forward seeing everyone in 2025. Our first meeting of the year is scheduled for February 5th.
Channel Counties Chapter
Chair: Debbie Rosales, Las Vírgenes Municipal Water District
The Channel Counties Chapter had another busy year in 2024 with four in person meetings. The chapter meets quarterly, on the fourth Thursdays of the months of March, June, September, and December. The year kicked off with great participation from the Chapter at the annual conference in Anaheim where they participated in many key and breakout sessions. Members then enjoyed camaraderie while having breakfast on the last day of the event.
The meetings held in 2024 featured the following topics and speakers:
Topic: Local Revenue Tools in CA Meeting Date: March 28, 2024
Speaker: Tim Seufert, Managing Director, NBS
All public servants walk a fine line between maximizing operational revenue and maximizing the value to residents and constituents. That can be a difficult balance to strike in the best of times. When resources are low and the demand on general funds is high, it can feel impossible. Tim provided insight regarding CA fees, what they are, how they are calculated, and the legal requirements for agencies to get their fees passed, providing real life examples of agencies who may or may not have been successful. There were even some funny stories shared along the way.
Topic: Telling the Story Behind the Numbers Meeting Date: June 27, 2024
Speaker: David Cain, Financial Consultant
Are you a Numbers Person? In this session David helped us to learn that we, in a Finance, speak a language all our own – we are bilingual, who knew? Most people do not understand numbers, especially the very large numbers that make up a city budget. He taught us the importance of translating everything, helping people grasp our numbers, catalyzing action with emotional numbers, and building a scale model. Rather than presenting our communities with spreadsheets of data and rattling numbers, David challenged us to consider how we can engage multiple parts of our audiences’ brains through telling our story.
Topic: Preparing for A Role in Executive Leadership Meeting Date: September 26,2024
Speakers: David Pedersen, General Manager, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District
Jaime Boscarino, Finance Director, City of Thousand Oaks
Gilbert Punsalan, Finance Manager, City of Carpinteria
Tara Schultz, Executive Recruiter, Peckham and McKenney
As many of us look to advance within our careers, we often wonder “how is preparing for an executive leadership role different?” In September we were treated to a lively panel discussion that engaged members in preparing for that role. Panelists shared their experiences as they moved through the ranks. The stories were both entertaining and educational – from the format preparations to something as simple as “make sure you have the right agency name on your cover letter (yes that does happen) – and made an impact on those looking to promote.
Topic: California Local Government Update Meeting Date: December 5, 2024
Speaker: Michael Coleman
At the final meeting of the year, Michael Coleman shared the results and impacts of the recent state and local elections. Even while the meeting was happening, the results of the election were just being certified. Michael discussed the different types of initiatives and bonds that both passed and were defeated and shared some interesting perspectives on the types. The group asked many questions about state issues and learned a great deal about what other agencies across the state are doing with their tax measures.
Special thanks go out to all presenters and participants who attended the meetings to make them a success. Meetings in 2025 are scheduled for March 27, June 26, September 25, and December 18, 2025.
Coachella Valley Chapter
Chapter Chair: Claudia Martinez, City of La Quinta
Vice Chair: Claude Kilgore, Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG)
Finance professionals are navigating an increasingly complex landscape shaped by challenges such as budget constraints, growing infrastructure demands, rapid digital transformation, and evolving regulations. Balancing these priorities with limited time, resources, and the need to maintain financial transparency requires innovative solutions and continuous learning. Our Chapter is dedicated to supporting finance professionals by providing engaging learning opportunities, hosting dynamic speakers, and presenting timely, relevant topics designed to address these pressing issues. Together, we aim to equip our members with the tools and knowledge to confidently tackle today’s challenges and shape the future of government finance.
This year, we are placing a renewed emphasis on expanding attendance at our chapter meetings by introducing creative and interactive topics that engage participants and foster collaboration. Our goal is to address real-world issues finance departments face while providing practical solutions. To enhance engagement, our meetings will feature dynamic activities such as panel discussions with industry leaders, hands-on workshops for practical learning, and networking sessions to build valuable connections within the profession.
We extend our gratitude to all our speakers and members for their continued support and willingness to share their expertise, passion for government finance, and dedication to advancing the profession. A special thank you to CSMFO leadership for their invaluable guidance and commitment to helping the industry adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment.
Together, we strive to create a vibrant, supportive community that empowers finance professionals to meet challenges head-on and achieve excellence.
Below are summaries of the meetings held by the Chapter in 2024:
April 18, 2024
Topic: Generative AI Automation & the Future of Finance
Speaker: Gail Gray, Partner-Technology Consultant, LSL (Lance, Soll, Lunghard, LLP)
The chapter’s most highly attended virtual meeting to date focused on the transformative potential of Generative AI, particularly within local government Finance departments. The session explored how this cutting-edge technology can enhance efficiency, streamline processes, and drive innovation in the public sector. Members expressed heartfelt gratitude for the session’s wide availability, which allowed many to join the engaging discussion on embracing AI to revolutionize financial operations and better serve their communities. The session underscored the importance of viewing AI adoption as an evolving journey, promoting education and innovation to streamline operations and foster strategic decision-making.
October 22, 2024
Topic: Leveling Up Your Investment Strategy: Game On!
Speaker: Benjamin Sehy, Director- Advisory Services, Meeder Public Funds
The chapter's first interactive games and learning session offered a lively start to the day at Dave & Buster's, combining networking, breakfast, and energizing activities. Attendees connected with peers in a relaxed, engaging environment while gaining valuable insights from an expert presenter. The session covered essential topics for fiscal officers, including:
• Setting interest rate expectations.
• Investment policy overviews and guidelines.
• Identifying and comparing investment opportunities.
• Portfolio construction considerations.
Real-life case studies enhanced the learning experience, addressing challenges like balancing cash vs. core investment portfolios, understanding service provider roles, and advocating effectively in banking communications. This unique blend of learning and networking equipped participants with tools for smarter, more strategic investment decision-making.
Desert Mountain Chapter
Chair: Cristian Dominguez, City of Victorville
Vice Chair: Cheyenne Everett, City of Victorville
Summary of 2024 Events
For 2024, Desert Mountain Chapter took to hybrid meetings allowing us to reach not only more of our members located within the Desert Mountain area but also anyone in CSMFO who was interested in the topic. The chapter held three virtual meeting that ranged for about 45-60 mins each. The meetings and topics were as follows:
March 13, 2024: For our topic on Fundamentals of CA Public Agency Investing, Christopher McCarry and Alayne Sampson, had an engaging discussion on how to adhere to the key investment’s objectives and safety, liquidity and yield in this market environment. From this meeting our members had a better understanding of the essentials of investing and how to incorporate key investment concepts into their portfolio management process.
August 21, 2024: Mike Watercott and Jamie O’Connell shared their expertise on emerging trends and challenges in payables. They presented an overview of modern solutions shaping for the future of how we pay both the consumer and businesses. They explained what drives agencies to innovate their payment processes while simultaneously managing fraud risks and optimizing ERP systems connectivity with banks. The discussion was followed with questions and answers and was well received.
November 6, 2024: Connor Duckworth, HDL Client Advisor, touched on other taxes. Including more in-depth discussion on miscellaneous taxes such as, parking tax, sugar tax, excess litter tax, etc. Connor provided us with the latest trends, compliance tactics and services that and both gain revenue while cutting down expenditures to grow and support the local community. This session was well received from our attendees, and we look forward to utilizing Connor and his team in the future.
We would like to extend great gratitude to all our speakers and presenters! Desert Mountain Chapter would not be able to this without all of your hard work and knowledge on these extensive topics that pertain to many of our members. Thank you again!
Chapter goals for 2025:
For 2025, the Desert Mountain Chapter plans on utilizing the CSMFO network to find presentable topics that relate to our local community. Our goal is to host more chapter meetings and obtain more attendees in the future. CSMFO is a great source of education and networking opportunities, and we want to take advantage of that and present our members with the same resources and opportunities as well.
East Bay (SF Bay Area) Chapter
Chapter Chair: Adriana Aguis City of Holtville
Chapter Vice Chair: Adriana Amezcua Heber Public Utility District
During 2024, the Eastbay Chapter held two luncheon events
The meetings held were:
January 10, 2024- Water Your Roots and Find Your Passion. Speaker Paul Thiebaut III will led us in an engaging and interactive talk about passion and motivation. The intent of this event was to provide a platform to start the new year with a focus on “Self” and our reconnect with what brings us passion in our lives.
June 20, 2024- Year-End Close, What does that Mean ?!?! Speakers Katherine Yuen Krisch and Heather Rowden of Krisch & Company provided an overview of items we find on a year-end close checklist. Explained what items do you typically see. Noting that we were aware of some things like compensated absences and fixed assets schedules. But they also explain other items we might see and should be aware of. By the end of this class we were able to create, or revamp, our agency’s year end close checklist.
Inland
Empire Chapter
2024 Chapter Chair: Tori Roberts, CPA, Tori Roberts CPA APAC
2024 Chapter Vice Chairs: Sid Jain, City of Colton, Matt Schenk, City of Perris
2024 Chapter Leadership Team: Jessica Brown, City of Fontana; Evelyn Morentin Barcena, RAMS CPAs, LLP, Heidi Schoeppe, Webb Municipal Finance, LLC
In 2024, the Inland Empire Chapter held five in person chapter meetings with attendance ranging from 36 to 151attendees, based upon location. The February 29, 2024, meeting, held at Dave & Buster’s Ontario Mills and Sponsored by Public Trust Advisors, featured speaker Bob Shull, Director of Investment Services for Public Trust speaking on alternate investment strategies available to the public sector. The Inland Empire Chapter explored a new meeting time to kick off the year, which encouraged post meeting networking and collaboration.
The second meeting of the year held on April 25, 2024, at an exciting new location, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum. This event, sponsored by Todd Winslow of CalTrust, was very well attended as speaker Will Goldthwait of State Street Global Advisors presented on the potential for recession and key market indicators that signal when the Fed is wrong. The crowd enjoyed a robust catered lunch and an opportunity tour of the museum following the meeting.
Shifting gears slightly, in July 2024, the Inland Empire Chapter embarked on a more active event at Top Golf in Ontario. Inside the airconditioned meeting room, the group had the opportunity to hear from the team at Rogers, Anderson, Malody & Scott, LLP and Jennifer Ustation, Finance Director for the City of Beaumont, speaking on best practices for Year End Closing. After learning about best practices to ensure that a year-end close is done properly and timely, our members took their collaborative spirit to the tee box! With appetizers in hand and a bit of friendly competition in the air, connections were strengthened and memories made. This exceptionally fun event wouldn’t have been possible without sponsorship by Oracle, Chandler Asset Management, and HDL.
In September 2025, the Inland Empire Chapter returned to one of our favorite meeting spots, Dave & Buster’s in Ontario, for another engaging event. This time, we had the pleasure of hosting Rob Lowe from Allied Insurance Services. His presentation provided invaluable insights into today’s challenging insurance landscape, covering topics such as impactful market conditions for insureds, trends in underwriting, and the key concerns driving decisions for insurance risk managers. Attendees left with practical takeaways on how Finance Directors can skillfully navigate this evolving environment.
Wrapping up the year of exceptional learning and comradery was the Inland Empire Chapter Holiday Luncheon on December 4, 2024. This festive event, sponsored by Eadie Payne, LLP, Webb Municipal Finance, LLC, RAMS, Raymond James Public Finance, Urban Futures, Chandler Asset Management, Harris & Associates, Enterprise Fleet Management, US Bank, Piper Sandler, Southland Industries, and Workday, was hosted at a new exciting location this year, the Sierra Lakes Golf Club in Fontana. Having grown out of our traditional holiday venue, this new location did not disappoint. As part of his year-end chapter tour, the Inland Empire membership had the opportunity to hear from renowned speaker Michael Coleman whom provided us with an update on regional revenue and finance trends, state and local ballot issues, and other legislative and policy matters affecting our work as California public finance professionals. Attendees enjoyed an insightful presentation, a delicious lunch, a variety of treats and last but not least, a beautiful view. Members departed with not only insightful wisdom and a tee time for some, but also with an eagerness to see what the Inland Empire chapter has in store for 2025.
Monterey Bay Chapter
Chair: Tracy Cole, City of Santa Cruz
The first meeting was on May 15, 2024, from 10:30-2:15 and was held in the Seascape Golf Clubhouse meeting room in Aptos, CA. We had two excellent and informative presentations. The first was titled Current Topics in Municipal Finance: Hear from the Experts at Jones Hall and PFM. The presenters were James A. Wawrzyniak and David Fama from Jones Hall and Jaime Trejo from PFM. After the lunch break, Conner Duckworth with HdL gave a presentation on The Other Taxes – How to Make Minor Taxes, Fees, and Revenue a More Valuable Asset. We had 34 registrations for the event.
The second meeting was held on September 26, 2004, at the same time and location. The first presenter was Michael Coleman, and his presentation was on Current Topics in Municipal Finance. As always, this presentation is full of great information. After the lunch break, Benjamin Sehy from Meeder Investment Management gave an educational presentation titled Best Practices to Apply When Making Investment Decisions. We had 34 registrations for the event.
North Coast Chapter
Chair: Dan Buffalo, City of Ukiah
Vice Chair: Claire Coleman, City of El Cerrito
The North Coast Chapter has had an impactful year, dedicated to fostering member engagement, advancing education, and creating valuable networking opportunities. Our chapter successfully organized and hosted four quarterly meetings across our five-county area, bringing professional development opportunities closer to our members. This year, our meetings were held in locations such as Cotati, Healdsburg, and Lakeport, ensuring accessibility for professionals throughout the region.
Each meeting featured engaging discussions on topics relevant to California public finance professionals. Highlights included presentations on regional revenue and finance trends, legislative updates, and best practices in local government finance. We were honored to host Michael Coleman, a leading expert on California local government revenues, who provided invaluable insights. Following each meeting, attendees had the opportunity to connect during mixers, strengthening professional relationships and fostering collaboration.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our commercial members, presenters, and sponsors, whose support and expertise were instrumental in making this year a success. Special thanks go to:
• Jim McCourt, Meeder Investments
• Jane Fielding, Piper Sandler
• Victor Ume-Ukeje, Piper Sandler
• Reagan Ballo, Five Star Bank
• Craig Conley, PFM
• Erin Spencer, US Bank
• Tim Seufert, NBS
• Zina Monroe, Wells Fargo Bank
• Neil Murthy, Chandler Asset Management
• Wing-See Fox, Urban Futures
• Michael Coleman
• Andrea Roess, DTA
• Lutfi Kharuf, BBK
• Annie Bristow, Southland Industries
• Nikki Tallman, Oppenheimer
Our achievements in 2024 were also made possible by the hard work and dedication of our leadership team:
• Dan Buffalo, Chapter Chair, Finance Director, City of Ukiah
• Claire Coleman, Vice Chair, Budget/Financial Services Manager, City of El Cerrito
• Angela Courter, Finance Director, City of Cotati
• Maritza Solis, Accounting Supervisor, City of Mill Valley
• Katie Edgar, Finance Director, City of Healdsburg
Looking ahead, the North Coast Chapter is committed to promoting professional development, enhancing networking opportunities, and growing both interest and competency in the public finance profession. Our first meeting of the New Year will be held in Mill Valley and will focus on a discussion with our membership about how we can better achieve these goals and provide greater value to our members.
We are proud of our accomplishments in 2024 and look forward to continuing our mission of supporting and strengthening the public finance community in the year ahead.
Orange County Chapter
Chair: Michelle Bannigan, City of Stanton Vice Chair: Barbara Arenado, City of Irvine
The Orange County Chapter held five meetings during 2024. The average attendance was 80. The meetings held were:
• May 22, 2024 “Current Trends and Challenges with Development Impact Fees (DIFs): Judicial and Legislative Change and Practical Implications on DIFs” presented by Andrea Roess, Managing Director, DTA, and Lutfi Kaurf, Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP (91 attendees)
• July 17, 2024 “Annual GASB Update” presented by Kathy Lai, Partner, Crowe LLP, and Joseph Widjaja, Crowe LLP (73 attendees)
• August 15, 2024 “Cybersecurity: A Core Component of Enterprise Risk Management” presented by Marc Coopwood, Vice President, Apex Technology Management; and George Passidakis, Director of Sales and Marketing, Apex Technology Management (49 attendees)
• October 23, 2024 “2024 Annual CalPERS Update” presented by Kerry Worgan, Supervising Pension Actuary, CalPERS (62 attendees)
• December 19, 2024 “Local Government Finance Update” presented by Michael Coleman, CaliforniaCityFinance.com (137 attendees)
We would like to offer our deep appreciation to our presenters who set aside their time to share their topics with our members. In addition, we are grateful for the continued generosity of our commercial vendors who faithfully provided gift cards and other items to be raffled at our meetings. In particular, we want to thank Kathy Lai and Crowe LLP who provided $5,000 in sponsorships to our Orange County Chapter in 2024. These funds were used to help offset costs for our July and December meetings. In addition to Crowe’s generous donation, our December event at Tustin Ranch Golf Club would not have been possible without the additional generous sponsorships we received from our Best Best & Krieger LLP; Chandler Asset Management, Inc., Fieldman Rolapp & Associates; HdL Companies; and LSL CPAs.
Finally, I would like to thank Barbara Arenado, Chapter Co-Chair. Thank you for your support, creating ideas, and assistance in coordinating the events for 2024 such as brainstorming topics for discussion and reaching out to presenters.
Also, a big thank you to Smith Moore & Associates, particularly Delicia Donatien. Thanks for your patience and customer service throughout the year.
Peninsula Chapter
Chair: Derek Rampone, City of Mountain View Vice Chair: Will Fuentes, City of Campbell
The Peninsula Chapter was back in action in 2024 with two in-person meetings. The chapter’s intention is to start meeting quarterly, with four anticipated in 2025 during the months of January, April, September and December.
The meetings held in 2024 featured the following topics and speakers:
• Topic: GASB Statements Updates and Implementations and Current Issues Member Roundtable Meeting Date: July, 10, 2024
Speaker: Benjamin Lau, CPA, MGO
This was a soft re-launch of the Peninsula Chapter after having largely been inactive since the start of the pandemic. In this first meeting of 2024, with 25 participants, Benjamin Lau, CPA and an Assurance Partner of MGO provided an overview of the GASB Statements that were effective for the fiscal year as well as the impact of recent years’ GASB Statements to your year-end closing process. In addition, we started the meeting off with a Chapter roundtable session to reacquaint long-time members, meet new members, and discuss current issues that we are facing in which other members may be able to offer solutions or helpful insights. A big thanks to the City of Sunnyvale for hosting!
• Topics: Session 1: California Local Government Finance Update & Discussion; Session 2: Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Government Finance Meeting Date: September 27, 2024
Speakers: Michael Coleman; Vadim Kutsyy and Andre Johnson from J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
These two sessions were both exciting and insightful, with nearly 30 participants! In Session One, Michael Coleman provided an update on regional revenue and finance trends, state and local ballot issues, and other legislative and policy matters affecting our work as California public finance professionals. And in Session Two, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. hosted a “Fireside Chat” about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on government finance and beyond. They shared their thoughts about the current state of AI, upcoming trends, use-cases for treasurers and how it’s improving the payments ecosystem. A big thanks to the City of Palo Alto for hosting!
Sacramento Valley Chapter
Chair: Dave O’Toole, City of Mather
In 2024 the Sacramento Valley Chapter held four meetings
January 11, 2024. This was the Chapter’s holiday party luncheon and no speakers were included. The event was held at Dave and Busters in Roseville, Calfiornia. Attendance was approximately 30 persons.
April 24, 2024. The Chapter welcomed Dane Wadle of the California Special Districts Association, who spoke about legislative developments statewide affecting cities and special districts. The meeting was held at the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District in Mather, California. Lunch was catered by a local caterering business, Irina Kuznetsov and 35 persons attended.
August 7, 2024. Michael Coleman joined the Chapter and spoke about financial trends at the state and local level affecting public finance in the Sacramento region. The meeting was held at the District 56 facility in Elk Grove, California. Lunch was catered by Hannibal’s catering and attendance was a robust 87 persons.
October 16, 2024. The Chapter welcomed Hector Reyes Erazo of Blaylock Van, LLC, who gave an update on bond financing, authority, and issuance processes; disclosed market trends and their impact on organizations; and provided tips on resources to help make the bond financing decision. The meeting was held at Citrus Heights City Hall, in Citrus Heights, California. Lunch was catered by local caterer Irina Kuznetsov and 32 persons attended.
The District also conducted a survey of its membership in February 2024. Among the results were an express desire for speakers on the following topics.
• Regional Economic Forecast
• Legislative Trends Affecting California Public Finance
• Attracting, Hiring, and Retaining an Exceptional Workforce
• Long-Range Financial Planning
In 2024 speakers were arranged on “Legislative Trends Affecting California Public Finance” and “Attracting, Hiring, and Retaining an Exceptional Workforce.”
Financially, the Chapter remained strong, with an account balance of approximately $3200 at end of the calendar year.
Membership in the Chapter hovered in the range of 325.
San
Diego County Chapter
Chapter Chair: Roxanne Muhlmeister, City of Carlsbad Chapter Vice Chair: vacant
Summary of 2024 Chapter Events
The San Diego County Chapter held three in person chapter meetings during 2024. All three meetings were very well attended and are summarized below:
The chapter’s first meeting was hosted by the City of Carlsbad at their administration center on June 13, 2024. The topic was Information Security Best Practices & Vendor Onboarding to Protect Against Fraud. The guest speakers were Emily Libby with Paymentworks and Kyle Haas with Davis Farr. This meeting was attended by 61 people (45 government members and 16 vendor members).
The chapter’s second meeting was held at Dave & Buster’s in San Diego on August 15, 2024. The topic was property taxes and assessed valuation update. The guest speaker was Jordan Marks, County of San Diego Assessor, Recorder, County Clerk. This meeting was attended by 53 people (40 government members and 13 vendor members). This is an annual meeting topic and is usually one of the chapter’s most attended events.
The chapter’s final meeting of the year was hosted by the City of Poway at their community center on October 23, 2024. T The topic was local government finance update. The guest speaker was Michael Coleman. This meeting was attended by 56 people (45 government members and 11 vendor members).
Change in Chapter Leadership for 2025
Having served as San Diego chair since 2020, one of my goals for 2024 was to recruit new chapter leadership in order to give others a chance to lead the chapter and become more involved with CSMFO. Two individuals have stepped up to serve as co-chairs for the San Diego chapter: Mehrnoush Jamshidi with the City of Poway and Kristine Ogden with the City of La Mesa. We spent the last three months of 2024 working together on transitioning the chapter leadership and I am positive that they will plan and execute successful future chapter meetings and be positive liaisons between the San Diego chapter members and the CSMFO board.
Chapter Goals for 2025
The new chapter leadership has already planned out the dates and topics for four in person chapter meetings for 2025, including bringing back a December holiday chapter meeting, which we have not had for the last couple of years. Chapter leadership will continue to encourage member participation in the annual CSMFO conference and other CSMFO sponsored webinars and trainings.
San Gabriel Valley Chapter
Chair: Rae Bowman, City of Monrovia
Vice Chair: Jennifer Becker, City of Burbank; Michael O’Brien, City of San Dimas
The San Gabriel Valley (SGV) Chapter had a terrific 2024! This year, the focus for Chapter leadership was to increase the number of in-person meetings in order to facilitate more networking opportunities and to further increase member engagement. The SGV Chapter had three inperson meetings, and the average attendance ranged from 30-40 attendees, with the December event capping at 80 attendees! This past year, the SGV Chapter also sought to host a mixer with members from the International Network of Asian Public Administrators (I-NAPA). Even though it was postponed to a later time, the SGV Chapter is always excited to engage with partners from other organizations in order to expand the reaches of its chapter and the CSMFO network.
The meetings held in 2024 featured the following topics and speakers:
March 27, 2024
Topic: Shedding Light on the Non-Transparent World of Fees in a ‘Transparent’ Environment
Speaker: Mark Shuster, Founder and Managing Partner of Shuster Advisory Group, LLC and JoAnn Parrino, Partner and Senior Consultant with Shuster Advisory Group, LLC
This was an in-person luncheon held at the Dave & Busters in Arcadia. With the complexities of financial instruments available in the public sector, it is easy to get overwhelmed with all of the options out there – not to mention the fees that are charged for managing those instruments. Mr. Shuster and Ms. Parrino shed some light on this industry by discussing different platforms and fees that might be most useful for local agencies. In this session, Mr. Shuster and Ms. Parrino focused on government retirement plans, and engaged in great dialogue and Q&A with attendees.
July 10, 2024
Topic: Investment Best Practices and Real-World Case Studies
Speaker: Benjamin Sehy, Director, Advisory Services, Meeder Public Funds
This was an in-person luncheon held at the Dave & Busters in Arcadia. With the wide range of experience within the SGV Chapter members, it is important to periodically refresh our understanding of investment best practices. In this session, Mr. Sehy provided a great refresher course on best practices and provided real-life examples of issues faced by fiscal officers. Mr. Sehy also discussed interest rate expectations and provided investment policy tips and guidelines to attendees of the event.
December 3, 2024
Topic: A Local Government Finance Update
Speaker: Michael Coleman
This highly sought-after in-person holiday luncheon took place in the Mediterranean Ballroom at the Brookside Golf Club, located right next to the famous Rose Bowl. The esteemed Mr. Coleman provided attendees with an update on the latest news in California local revenues, legislation, and financial issues of critical concern to local government finance professionals. His presentation covered topics such as trends surrounding taxes and fees, a fiscal health calculator, and legislation from the November 2024 ballot. Mr. Coleman also engaged in great conversation and Q&A with session attendees.
Special thanks go out to our very generous sponsors from Shuster Advisory Group and Stifel, who made this event possible! We could not have hosted such a spectacular event without you!
Chair: Margarita Moreno, City of Fowler
Vice Chair: Scott Michael Meyer-Mina, CPP, Fresno Irrigation District
Summary of 2024 Events
2024 was a great year for our South San Joaquin Chapter. Margarita (Maggie) Moreno, Finance Director for the City of Fowler continues as Chapter Chair. Scott Michael Meyer-Mina, CPP, Payroll Administrator for Fresno Irrigation District continues as Vice Chair.
February 2024:
Meeder Public Funds’ Rick Phillips, VP Chief investment strategist, Benjamin Sehy, Directo, Advisory Services and Jim McCourt, Director, Advisory Services gave a great presentation on Investment Best Practices with real world case studies. The session was extremely informative and valuable to our members. Our meeting was graciously hosted by Price Paige & Company, CPA’s in their beautiful facilities.
April 2024:
Alex Southern, Executive Director Global Cybersecurity, JP Morgan Chase & Co gave an awesome presentation on Cybersecurity, Technology Controls and Fraud Prevention. In today’s ever-changing world of digital communications, this was an amazing session for our members to learn about cloud computing security protocols and internal technology controls. The meeting was held at the beautiful Ridge Creek Golf Club in Dinuba, Ca.
August 2024:
In the hot summer month of August, we were fortunate enough to have M. Wayne Padilla, Principal HDL Companies, git a great presentation on Sales Tax. The presentation was extremely informative with a special focus on fulfillment centers. With so many of us have Amazon distribution centers popping up around us, it was great to see how the sales tax process works and to gain insight into best practices. This meeting was held at the brand new Clovis Transit Center, which was absolutely perfect!
December 2024:
Our fourth and final meeting of the year was a great chance to get together near the holidays and catch up with colleagues and network before everyone takes their well deserved time off. We had the pleasure of interacting with Bret Harmon, Director of Client Experience, HDL Companies. Bret’s presentation was interactive and fun! Bret talked to us about building team unity through our at-home values. We broke out into groups and workshopped a few things. This was a great experience to learn about managing a team full of different personalities and perspectives. We were fortunate enough to be hosted at the wonderful City of Hanford Training Center.
All in all, the South San Joaquin Chapter has had an amazing and eventful year. We are grateful to our members and look forward to seeing you all in the upcoming year!
2024
2024 Strategic Action Plan
Goal/Objective
Clarity of Roles - Staff, Volunteers, Executive Director & Organizational Structure
Responsible Parties
Impact AMC
Executive Committee
Assessing Effective Implementation and Measurement Initiatives PPAC
President-Elect
Measuring, Evaluating, & Sustaining Membership Engagement Impact AMC
President Committee Chairs
Association Resources, Access to Information & Communication Map Impact AMC
Administration/Membership/ Communications/Career Development Committee
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023
Membership Statistics
