GFOA Conference Highlights and CSMFO Strategic Planning

Scott Catlett, Finance Director / Treasurer, City of Newport Beach & CSMFO 2022 President

James Russell-Field

GFOA Conference in Austin

For the first time since the Los Angeles GFOA Conference several years ago, I travelled to Austin Texas earlier this month to join colleagues from around the US and Canada at the first in-person GFOA Conference since before the pandemic. It was great to be in-person again with colleagues at GFOA after attending our successful CSMFO Conference this past February in San Diego. As is always the case, the crowds were massive, and it was difficult to locate familiar faces. Nevertheless, I was pleased to find some CSMFO colleagues around the sessions and exhibit hall, including several CSMFO members, who were speakers at the Conference, and CSMFO Past President Margaret Moggia, who is currently serving a term as a GFOA Board Member.

In addition to great sessions and connecting with colleagues, a highlight of my time at GFOA was attending our CSMFO Reception on Monday evening. The reception was held this year at Clive Bar, an interesting venue just a few blocks from the Convention Center with a cantilevered roof deck built above the historic home where the bar was originally located. CSMFO rented out the entire space, and our attendees had both the first-floor air-conditioned bar and the third-floor roof deck to enjoy. The event was all the more enjoyable thanks to the delicious gourmet Texas BBQ that was brought in for attendees to enjoy. We were very thankful to have that air conditioning downstairs, as temperatures outside were over 100 degrees that day with high humidity, and not much lower in the evening during the reception. Thank you to CSMFO’s Executive Director, Jean Rousseau, for planning the event and finding the delicious BBQ. And a special thank you to Chandler Asset Management and Springbrook Software for sponsoring the CSMFO reception. Their support of CSMFO is, as always, very much appreciated.

I left the GFOA Conference with some useful tips and information from the sessions, having caught up with a number of colleagues who I had not seen since our conference in San Diego. If you have never attended a GFOA Conference, I would encourage you to do so. While the content is similar to our CSMFO Conference, the perspectives from throughout the US and Canada can provide some unique insights into how things are done outside of California that may prove useful.

CSMFO Strategic Action Plan Progress

Each year, CSMFO puts together a strategic action plan for the year ahead. This year, the CSMFO leadership met at Disneyland in October 2021 to develop content for the 2022 Action Plan. With the transition to my presidency at the CSMFO Conference in San Diego this past February, we kicked off working on the 20 goals identified in this year’s plan. Four months into that effort, I wanted to share a brief update on progress and some highlights of the work that’s underway this year.

  • Efforts are underway to evaluate member versus non-member benefits to ensure that CSMFO members are seeing good value for their membership dues.
  • Work is underway to target engagement to categories of public agencies that are underrepresented in our membership, including counties and large cities.
  • A review of the CSMFO by-laws and policies is underway to identify opportunities to modernize and streamline.
  • CSMFO’s new Finance Committee is evaluating the dues structure for CSMFO, developing a long-term financial plan, and identifying ways to improve CSMFO’s financial reporting.
  • Efforts are underway to improve engagement with early career members and commercial members to ensure that they are receiving value for their membership.
  • CSMFO Board Meetings have shifted from monthly to bi-monthly, with four of the six meetings now held in person to facilitate more productive meetings and increase the frequency of interactions between the CSMFO leadership.
  • A policy has been implemented for attendance and participation by the leadership to ensure that leaders are engaged and productive.

I will continue to provide you with updates on the progress of our action plan items throughout the remainder of the year. It is because of all of CSMFO’s dedicated volunteers that we can successfully execute such an ambitious agenda. I invite all of you to consider participating in CSMFO’s many committees or as a chapter leader. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about what is involved, please reach out to our Executive Director, Jean Rousseau, at jean.rousseau@staff.csmfo.org or to me directly at scatlett@newportbeachca.gov.

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Scott Catlett joined the City of Newport Beach as Finance Director / Treasurer in January 2021. His experience in public sector finance includes working directly for cities since 2006, after serving as a management consultant for state and local governments for six years.
Scott served California’s 12th largest city, Riverside, for 10 years, ending his time there as Assistant Director of the Finance Department overseeing a staff of 54 employees in four divisions. He subsequently served as the Finance Director for the City of Yorba Linda for five years. Through these various roles, Scott has managed budgets ranging from $100 million to $1.2 billion and investment portfolios of $75 million to $500 million.

Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Tulane University and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, San Bernardino, where he has been a part-time professor since 2014 teaching graduate courses in public financial management and public budgeting.

Scott is an active member of the Government Finance Officers Association, the California Municipal Treasurers Association, and the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO). He has been a volunteer leader for CSMFO for over 12 years, serving successively as a Chapter Chair, Committee Chair, and elected statewide Board Member. In 2020, he was elected by CSMFO’s 2,600 members to be the Association’s 2022 President.

Scott lives in Yorba Linda with his wife Kelli and his three children. On the weekends you will find him hiking the trails of Chino Hills State Park, cheering for his boys at their baseball and basketball games, and battling rabbits and squirrels in his garden.