Learn Government Accounting from Experts at Emory University, S&P Global, State of Georgia and More!

The Center for State and Local Finance (CSLF) will host an exceptional line-up of state and local accounting experts during its next training, Government Financial Statements and Accounting. The course will be held March 7-10 at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies in Atlanta, Ga.

• Usha Rackliffe, assistant accounting professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, is the lead instructor. Rackliffe previously taught at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business and served as the chief financial officer of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia. (Learn more about the instructor.)
• Courtney Knight, director at Public Financial Management Inc., will serve on the course’s expert panel. Knight has 25 years’ experience in municipal finance. Over the course of his career, Knight has rendered financial and capital market advisory services to dozens of state and local governments and related authorities. Prior to his current position, he served as managing director for redevelopment at the Atlanta Development Authority.
• Tim Lyons, a manager with Mauldin & Jenkins, will serve on the expert panel. He specializes in the audit of state and local governments and municipal utility providers. Lyons is a graduate of the Leadership Academy at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and he actively works to promote the CPA profession, including serving on the Student Recruitment Committee of AICPA and the Special Review Committee of the Georgia Finance Officers Association.
• Robin Prunty, managing director and head of analytics and research at S&P Global Ratings, will be a guest speaker. Prunty represents S&P in various capacities including discussing the municipal bond market and S&P’s ratings, research and methodology to governments, investors, industry associations, media and other market participants. She has worked at S&P since 1987, including serving as lead analytical manager for the U.S. states, higher education, and nonprofit health care practices.
• Alan Skelton, state accounting officer for Georgia since 2012, will be a guest speaker and serve on the course’s expert panel. His role includes issuing oversight of statewide financial reporting, issuing accounting policy and interpretation of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and the implementation of business process improvements. He previously served as deputy state accounting officer.

The training will give an overview of the governmental accounting and auditing function for managers, strategies for internal controls, and best practices in developing the CAFR. Participants may earn up to 32 CPE credits for this course through the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).

The deadline to register is Feb. 28. Public sector employees get a 30 percent discount. For more information, visit CSLF’s website at http://cslf.gsu.edu/training/government-financial-statements-accounting/ or contact the center at [email protected] or 404-413-0098.