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Looking to compliment your CSMFO conference experience? Look no further than dedicated time on Tuesday to select from one of our four pre-conference sessions. What better way to Explore our Financial Future than to learn from our speakers and connect with fellow registrants than to get a deeper discovery into priority-based budgeting, enhancing your understanding of municipal debt issuance, increasing your confidence in communicating with decision-makers, or finding ways to advance your career.

We know that your time is valuable and encourage you to take another day for yourself or recommend to a colleague to discover these pre-conference sessions. There are three full-day sessions (beginning at 10 am) and one half-day session (beginning at 1 pm), both on Tuesday, February 15th. All sessions will be held at the Town & Country, which is the conference hotel in San Diego. A separate fee is required for these sessions and each session is CPE eligible.

Take time to Discover more and sign up for one of these pre-conference sessions today!

Sharpening Fiscal Foresight…Through the Lens of Priority Based Budgeting – Seeing Things Differently

Session Type: Budget & Financial Planning

Speaker: Jon Johnson, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer, Alliance for Innovation

CPE Units: 6 (Technical)

Cost: $150

Has your organization had years of across-the-board cuts to programs, as well as regular attempts to implement the budget trend of the moment? Are you looking for specific ways to gain trust and credibility with elected officials, agency staff, and the public regarding your organization’s budget process? Then you want to attend this pre-conference session on Priority-based Budgeting (PBB), which has brought a new perspective and understanding to a wide range of communities throughout the United States. Come hear Jon Johnson, the co-founder of PBB, share how this process not only provides a way in which an organization can make better short-term resource allocation decisions based on the relative priority of the various programs and services it offers, but also provide a new way to link budget decisions to the strategic results and outcomes that the organization wishes to achieve for the long-term. This thoughtful and innovative practice has been adopted by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the Alliance for Innovation (AFI), and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

Becoming A “Debt”-I Master: Controlling Your Next Municipal Debt Issuance

Session Type: Debt and Treasury Management

Speakers:

• Kevin Mascaro, Director of Finance, Western Municipal Water District
• Darren Hodge, Director, PFM Financial Advisors LLC
• Tyler Old, Executive Director, J.P. Morgan’s Public Finance Group
• Cyrus Torabi, Shareholder, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth

CPE Units: 6 (Technical)

Cost: $150

Do you find your lack of faith disturbing? Are you eager to increase your confidence so you can avoid mistakes, understand the jargon and eventually replace your boss? This session will demystify the critical process of issuing municipal bonds by guiding participants through each step in a bond transaction. Topics are arranged chronologically, from the factors that lead an organization to decide to issue bonds to an organization’s post-issuance responsibilities. Ways to structure your bond issuance, the bond market (including who buys bonds and what they look for when they do), securities disclosure, the credit rating process, and the bond pricing process will be addressed in detail. Panelists will provide the perspectives of a municipal bond issuer, a municipal advisor, a municipal bond underwriter, and bond counsel and offer the latest information about the state of the bond market and changes that have occurred over the last year. The session is intended to be useful both to participants who have never closed a bond issuance on behalf of their organizations and to those who wish to refresh their knowledge considering changing market conditions, investor preferences, and the SEC’s increasing scrutiny of municipal bonds.

The Art of Communicating for Finance Officers: Building the Skills to Speak and Write to Influence Decision Makers

Session Type: Leadership & Management

Speaker: Phil Bertolini, Vice President, Center for Digital Government, e.Republic

CPE Units: 6 (Non-Technical)

Cost: $150

Communicating to leadership or decision-makers has long been a fear for the majority of our society. Finance Officers are no different. Working with numbers is second nature to everyone in municipal finance, but communicating about numbers to the people who make decisions is a different story. This pre-conference training will explore the vast nuances of communications, with an opportunity for all attendees to speak in front of their peers and write important content to be reviewed. This action-packed day will provide solid examples of how to turn fears into opportunities while being a successful communicator.

In this session, we will dissect the intricacies of how to give a solid speech while breaking down the anxiety many feel when they stand in front of people. The fears of being embarrassed and looking foolish will be debunked. The art of creating solid written communication will also be front and center because everyone knows that you have to be good at both speaking and writing to be successful in today’s government. Join us for a full and fun day of communicating – you won’t want to miss this one!

Where do You Want to be Tomorrow or Next Year? Career Advancement Through the Lens of Professionals Who can Help get You There

Session Type: Leadership & Management

Speakers:

• Matthew E. Hawkesworth, Director of Finance, City of Pasadena
• Anton (Tony) Dahlerbruch, Chief Executive Officer, Peckham & McKenney
• Robin Darmon, Senior Director of the Career Development Center, University of San Diego
• Terra Saltzman-Baker, Recruiter, Accenture

CPE Units: 3 (Non-Technical)

Cost: $75

This pre-conference session will focus on a panel discussion with a career advancement counselor, a local government recruiter, a private sector recruiter, and an experienced finance professional who will help participants navigate the following areas:

• Developing a resume and cover letter that gets you noticed above other candidates.
• Showcasing your strengths through your education and networking.
• Understanding the tips to keep calm and showcase your capabilities during interviews.
• Finding ways to network with your peers and associations to build relationships, gather resources, and help you identify opportunities, including identifying resources within CSMFO.

This session is intended for those participants who want to start their career in the government sector, or who are looking to advance to the next position on their career ladder.