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Weekly UpdatesDowntown San Antonio and its famed river served as an ideal setting for GFOA's 99th annual conference, which was one of the best-attended conferences in our history. More than 7,800 attendees gathered in San Antonio for the four-day event held June 26-29 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Themed "Expanding the Frontiers of Government Finance," the conference gave members an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in public financial management.
GENERAL SESSIONS
Ann Richards, the former governor of Texas, delivered the keynote address at Monday's general session. Richards began a long and distinguished career in public service as a schoolteacher before becoming state treasurer in the 1980s and governor from 1990 to 1994. Richards shared her unique experience and vision about coping with the demands of public service and managing people. She offered five lessons to GFOA members: (1) think creatively and always ask, "Why are we doing this this way?" (2) reward good staff work; (3) involve your entire organization in problem-solving, planning, and implementation; (4) make training and education high on your priority list for yourself and your employees; and (5) take care of your health and yourself so that you are in a better position to aid your employees.
On Tuesday, futurist Jim Carroll spoke about future trends in public finance. His presentation, "What I Learned from Frogs in Texas: Saving Your Skin with Forward-Thinking Innovation," focused on the need for government leaders to have the skills and insight to prepare for an ever-changing future. Carroll discussed the rapid rate of change occurring in our world, and how this puts increased pressure on government organizations to meet the changing expectations of constituents. The solution, he said, is for governments to foster innovation and think differently.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS AND DISCUSSION GROUPS
This year's conference program featured 60 concurrent sessions and 12 discussion groups. Attendees could earn up to 20 continuing professional education credits during the conference; additional credits could be earned by attending one or more preconference seminars. This year's program featured 60 concurrent sessions and 12 discussion groups across seven tracks. The program covered a wide range of topics, from the cost of postretirement healthcare and other postemployment benefits to performance measurement and economic development. Discussion groups addressed trends in popular reporting, health care costs, and GFOA's recommended practices on accounting, auditing, and financial reporting, among other issues. Most speaker presentations and handouts are now available online at www.gfoa.org, and audio recordings of all of the concurrent sessions are now available for purchase through the GFOA e-Store.
EXHIBIT HALL
The exhibit hall was filled with a record-breaking 194 companies, including some of the most innovative and timely exhibits seen to date. As always, exhibitors showed off the latest products and services of interest to financial decision makers in state and local government. The exhibit hall drew a large number of attendees, and it proved to be an ideal setting to network with peers, share ideas, and evaluate new products and services.
BUSINESS MEETING
At the annual business meeting on Tuesday, Nancy Zielke passed the presidential gavel to Carla Sledge, chief financial officer of Wayne County, Michigan. During her acceptance speech, Sledge thanked her GFOA family and encouraged members to work with her in refining GFOA's core mission and in improving member services. Most importantly, Sledge acknowledged that the status quo in government is no longer working, and she challenged GFOA members to embrace the leadership opportunities presented to them. Sledge voiced her support for a new government model that promotes greater accountability, effective outsourcing, improved performance, citizen e-government, and stronger private-public partnerships.
The membership elected Thomas J. Glaser, chief financial officer of Cook County, Illinois, as president-elect. Also elected to the GFOA Executive Board were five new members-at-large: Johnetta Brower Bond, Kathleen Clarke Buch, Joseph P. Casey, Michael A. Genito, and Paul Macklem. Profiles of each of these individuals begin on page 6.
GFOA members also approved two policy statements. One focuses on corporate governance and supports "strengthening financial accountability standards in the private sector through improved transparency, auditor independence, and accounting industry oversight." The other is an updated policy statement on federal tax policy and the preservation of the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. This policy statement combines five previous public policy statements into one. It emphasizes the significance of tax-exempt bonds for local and state governments.
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Sunday night's "Rock-n-Rodeo" welcome reception unfolded in free Texas style at the Freeman Coliseum, where attendees enjoyed Tex-Mex dinner options before settling down in the coliseum. Riding on horses, GFOA President Nancy Zielke, President-elect Carla Sledge, Past President Ed Harrington, and Executive Director/CEO Jeff Esser welcomed attendees and their guests to the event. The action-packed rodeo featured bareback riders, barrel racing, and bull riding. Following the rodeo, Texas natives The Fabulous Thunderbirds added some rock to the rodeo with their Grammy-winning mix of blues, rock, American music, R & B, and Cajun rhythms. The Fabulous Thunderbirds put on a foot-stomping show that mixed classics with tracks from their latest album, "Painted On." They drew a long round of applause with their final song, the well-known "Tuff Enuff."
Volunteers from the San Antonio Local Conference Committee were on hand throughout the conference to help attendees make the most of their visit. The committee offered a variety of activities, including a golf tournament, fun run/walk, day trips, and an exciting variety of tours.
The committee also organized the Tuesday night finale party at the Institute of Texan Cultures, which was open exclusively to GFOA for the night. This was a sold-out event, and the Institute and its grounds were transformed into "La GFOAita," a colorful border town. The tunes of mariachis led guests to a hearty Tex-Mex feast. Inside the Institute, various exhibits focused on the heritage of the many people who settled in Texas. The fiesta continued with a line dance instructor giving lessons to guests. Outside the Institute, some guests danced to live music by the Leslie Lugo Salsa Band while others checked out the armadillo races. Children were encouraged to visit the "Back 40," a living history area where visitors experienced the life of early Texans in several buildings that recreated life in historical settings.
Be sure to join us next year for GFOA's 100th anniversary conference May 7-10 in Montreal, Quebec. Registration information will be available in September.
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