News
April 2019

GFOAz May Training

Registration is now open for the GFOAz May Training!

The May Training will be held on Thursday, May 9 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Surprise City Hall Community Room 16000 North Civic Center Plaza Surprise, AZ 85374

The training is $30 for members, $45 for non-members and includes 5 CPEs.

For more information and to register, please click here.

GFOAz Board of Directors

Welcome the 2019 GFOAz Board of Directors!

Elected to serve two-year terms as members at-large were Brandi Flores, Process and Policy Analyst, Surprise and Donna Meinerts, Finance Director of Apache Junction.

They join fellow board members-at large Christy Eusebio, Assistant Finance Director of El Mirage, Mindy Russell, Budget and Management Assistant for the City of Peoria and Ken MacFarland, Accounting Operations Manager, La Paz County.

The GFOAz Education Committee Chair is Kirsten Lennon, Accounting and Budget Manager for the City of Cottonwood and the GFOAz Membership Committee Chair is Jerry Hart, Retired Member.

The 2019 President is Sean Kindell, Deputy Finance Director for Peoria. He has served on the GFOAZ Board since February 2016 and serves on the GFOAz Membership Committee.

113th Annual GFOA Annual Conference in Los Angeles

The GFOA Annual Conference will be held May 19 – 22, 2019 in Los Angeles! The GFOA Conference is a great opportunity to meet with other public finance professionals, share ideas, learn about new programs and technologies, and take away new skills to bring back to your community. For more information and to register, please visit the conference webpage.

GFOAz Reception at GFOA
GFOAz is once again hosting a reception at the GFOAz Annual Conference!

This year’s reception will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 at Prank Bar. Registration is free, but an RSVP is required to attend. Please RSVP here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GFOA19

GFOA also offers scholarships to first-time attendees! 50 scholarships are offered per state and there are still scholarships available for Arizona. If you have not attended in the past and are interested in going this year, please visit the scholarship page.

New Website

Have you checked out the new GFOAz website? GFOAz members were sent an email with instructions on setting up their new account. If you did not receive an email, please go to the website login and select “forgot password”. An email will then be sent to you for account set up. This email will be from “WordPress” so make sure to check your junk/spam folder. All membership usernames will be the email provided for membership.

The new website has an exciting new feature- a discussion board. This means you will be able to pose questions to other members or provide advice. Once logged in, you will be able to view the discussion board or add a new topic.

Thank you to our GFOAZ Sponsors!

Thank you to our GFOAz Sponsors for their continued support of our organization, trainings and conferences! We appreciated having so many attend at the Annual Winter Conference and are looking forward to networking with them at the Summer Conference in Tucson.

GFOAz Sponsors help GFOAz provide high-quality, affordable training events and conferences to government finance professionals throughout Arizona. Their support also enables GFOAz to maintain a strong professional network and share information and knowledge quickly and effectively.

Click here to see a list of GFOAz Corporate Partners.

GFOA Updates

GFOA Member Facebook Group
You can now connect with GFOA and our members like never before by joining the new GFOA “Members-Only” group on Facebook. This group will allow you to easily interact with members from across the United States and Canada and GFOA staff.

All you have to do is click here and log in to Facebook to join.

GFOA Best Practices
GFOA Best Practices identify specific policies and procedures that contribute to improved government management. They aim to promote and facilitate positive change or recognize excellence rather than merely to codify current accepted practice. GFOA has emphasized that these practices be proactive steps that a government should be taking. Best practices are applicable to all governments (both large and small). Best practices are approved by the GFOA executive board and represent the official position of the organization.

View a full list of GFOA’z Best Practices here: http://www.gfoa.org/best-practices

Volunteer with Education and Membership Committees

If you are interested in becoming more involved with the GFOAz Education or Membership Committee, there are plenty of opportunities available. If you are interested in volunteering with the Education Committee to help plan future conferences and trainings, please contact Kirsten Lennon, Chair of the Education Committee at klennon@cottonwoodaz.gov. If you are interested in reaching out to organizations to increase and maintain GFOAz membership, please contact Jerry Hart, Chair of the Membership Committee at jerryhart1@cox.net.

Connect with GFOAz

Stay connected with GFOAz! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for all GFOAz updates and join the GFOAz LinkedIn group to share inquiries, post jobs, and network with other GFOAz members.
Click here to follow us on Facebook, click here to connect on LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter @GFOArizona!

GFOAz Members on the Move

Do you have a recent promotion or transition that you would like to announce? This section of the newsletter recognizes members who have recently been promoted or have recently transitioned. If you would like your name to be featured in this section of the newsletter, please contact Samantha Womer at 602-258-5786 or email: swomer@azleague.org.

GFOAz Welcomes New Members

Stephanie Adams

Business Integration Manager
City of Casa Grande

Sandra Armstrong

Accountant
Town of Carefree

Jaime Barr

Business Analyst
City of Casa Grande

Julye Barton-Todacheenie

Senior Accountant
Navajo County

MaryEllen Binder

Financial Specialist
City of Mesa

Dianna Claassen

Fiscal Services Manager
Water Infrastructure Finance Authority

Leslie DeReche

Senior Finance Analyst
City of Scottsdale

Catherine Dixon

Budget & Research Analyst
City of Chandler

Teddy Dumlao

Budget Manager
City of Chandler

Irina Ermakova

Finance Manager
Town of Prescott Valley

Kelleen Haney

Senior Accountant
City of Winslow

Stacy Hart

Accountant
City of Casa Grande

Daniel Hellman

Accountant
City of Flagstaff

Alicia Jones

Accountant
Town of Queen Creek

Steve Kelly

Assistant Director, Investments
The University of Arizona

Julie Knowlson

Accounting Specialist II
City of Mesa

Toni Lindsay

Operations Manager
Yuma County

Jacque Martinez

Accountant II
City of Maricopa

Jill Olsen

Administrative Services Director
Lake Havasu City

Sonia Olveda

Senior Account Clerk
City of Casa Grande

Angele Ozoemelam

Financial Services Manager
City of Maricopa

Sheryl Ralph

Accountant Senior
Mohave County

Veronica Ramirez

Budget Analyst
City of Casa Grande

Mary Reynolds

Interim CFO/Town Clerk
Town of Youngtown

Diane Rodgers

Accounting Specialist II
City of Mesa

Ryan Rodney

Chief Financial Officer
Arizona State Hospital

Andrew Salazer

Loan Officer
Water Infrastructure Finance Authority

Christina Sandsness

Director of HR & Safety
Maricopa, Pinal Electrical District No. 3

Valeriya Sattler

Senior Accountant
City of Maricopa

Michael Shoemaker

Tax Audit Supervisor
City of Avondale

Alma Valles

Finance Officer
City of Safford

Nicole Weaver

Accountant
Gila County

Lupe Williams

Management & Budget Analyst
Pinal County

GFOAz Board of Directors

Sean Kindell

President
Deputy Finance Director
City of Peoria

Donna Meinerts

President-Elect
Finance Director
City of Apache Junction

Bonny Lynn

Past President
Retired Member

Brandi Flores

Member At-Large
Process and Policy Analyst
City of Surprise

Christy Eusebio

Member At-Large
Assistant Finance Director
City of El Mirage

Mindy Russell

Member At-Large
Finance & Budget Assistant
City of Peoria

Ken MacFarland

Member At-Large
Accounting Operations Manager
La Paz County

Jerry Hart

Membership Committee Chair
Retired Member

Kirsten Lennon

Education Committee Chair
Accounting and Budget Manager
City of Cottonwood

Job Postings

Senior Accountant

City of Tolleson

Senior Budget Analyst

Town of Queen Creek

See More

Calendar of Events

GFOAz May Training

May 9, 2019
Surprise, AZ

GFOA Annual Conference

May 19 – 22, 2019
Los Angeles, California

GFOAz Reception at GFOA

May 19, 2019
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Prank Bar
Los Angeles, California

GFOAz Summer Conference

August 7 – 9, 2019
Tucson, AZ

Sponsors