Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference (E1506310)

Deborah Beams is a supervising project manager with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) in Norwalk, Connecticut. Deborah joined the GASB staff in 2018 and had previously worked for the GASB as a practice fellow. She spent over 10 years in public accounting as an auditor, working primarily with government and not-for-profit clients.

David L. Cotton, CPA, CFE, CGFM is chairman of Cotton & Company LLP, Certified Public Accountants, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Cotton & Company has performed grant and contract, indirect cost rate, financial statement, financial related, and performance audits for more than two dozen Federal inspectors general as well as numerous other Federal and State agencies and programs. Dave received a BS in mechanical engineering (1971) and an MBA in management science and labor relations (1972) from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He also pursued graduate studies in accounting and auditing at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1977 to 1978).

Dave served on the Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards (the Council advises the United States Comptroller General on promulgation of Government Auditing Standards—GAO’s yellow book) from 2006 to 2009. He served on the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Anti-Fraud Programs and Controls Task Force and co-authored Managing the Business Risk of Fraud: A Practical Guide. He served on the American Institute of CPAs Anti-Fraud Task Force and co-authored Management Override: The Achilles Heel of Fraud Prevention. Dave is the past-chair of the AICPA Federal Accounting and Auditing Subcommittee and has served on the AICPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee and the Government Technical Standards Subcommittee of the AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee. Dave chaired the Fraud Risk Management Task Force, sponsored by COSO and ACFE and is a principal author of the COSO-ACFE Fraud Risk Management Guide.

Dave has testified as an expert in governmental accounting, auditing, and fraud issues before the United States Court of Federal Claims and other administrative and judicial bodies. He has been an instructor for the George Washington University masters of accountancy program (Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting), and has instructed for the George Mason University Small Business Development Center (Fundamentals of Accounting for Government Contracts).

Dave was the recipient of the ACFE 2018 Certified Fraud Examiner of the Year Award (“presented to a CFE who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fraud examination … based on their contributions to the ACFE, to the profession, and to the community”).

Jacqueline Grama is a CPA, licensed in New Jersey and holds a New Jersey School Business Administrator Certificate. She began her career in 1987 at Arthur Young’s Metropark Office performing audits of state and local government agencies in New Jersey. In 1999, she joined the Department of Education’s Office of Fiscal Standards to develop and implement fiscal policy for the newly established Charter School Program. She currently works in the Office of Fiscal Policy and Planning and is primarily responsible for the development and administration of fiscal policy guiding school districts and for the related provision of technical assistance. She also administers the Special Education Medicaid Initiative (SEMI) in conjunction with the Departments of the Treasury and Human Services. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Rider University in 1987 and her Masters in Public Administration from Rutgers University in 2002. Jacqueline is also an active member of the Association of Government Accountants.

Kimberly M. Hancy, CPA, is a senior manager at Ernst & Young LLP, where she focuses on the audits of governmental entities. Ms. Hancy is also a resident in the firm’s Professional Practice Auditing Group, regularly fielding questions on various technical matters. She is a frequent speaker on GASB accounting and compliance audit topics for the firm. Ms. Hancy is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA). She received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Lehigh University.

Patricia Lagarenne, CPA, joined the Office of Fiscal Policy and Planning as a Planning Associate in 2012. Previously she worked for the department’s Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance. Patricia assists OFPP with all the development and administration of fiscal policy guiding school districts and related provision of technical assistance. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Wagner College in 1990. She is licensed in New York and New Jersey, holds a New Jersey School Business Administrator Certificate and is a member of the Association of Government Accountants.

Jeff Markert, CPA, is a partner with KPMG LLP (KPMG) with more than 25 years of experience serving not-for-profit and state and local organizations. In April of 2010, he transferred to KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice in New York City. In this role, he devotes significant time to emerging issues related to government organizations, including providing technical assistance and training to KPMG personnel throughout the United States. Mr. Markert is currently the Chair of the AICPA State and Local Government Expert Panel and is also the chair of their task force on pension accounting and audit issues. Prior to joining KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice, Mr. Markert spent 20 years in KPMG’s Chicago office and was the practice leader for KPMG’s Midwest public sector audit group. In this role, he was responsible for not-for-profit and government services and also served as the engagement partner for many of their larger and more complex clients, including several public employee retirement systems.

After starting his career at Deloitte Haskins & Sells, Andy Mrakovcic joined the AICPA’s Professional Publications team in 1990, where he updated, edited, and produced print and electronic editions of the AICPA’s professional literature, and eventually assisted in managing the team for several years. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Accounting Trends and Techniques publication. Since 2007, Mr. Mrakovcic has been with the Audit and Attest Standards team and has assisted the AICPA Auditing Standards Board with its multi-year Clarity Project and the issuance of Statement on Auditing Standards No. 122, Statements on Auditing Standards: Clarification and Recodification, and related implementation guidance. In 2011, he became staff liaison to the AICPA Health Care Expert Panel, which is an industry panel comprised of 14 members who carry out the panel’s mission to protect the public interest and address the needs of AICPA members in the areas of financial reporting (including business reporting), audit and attest services, and regulatory matters from the health care industry perspective.

Padmaja (Maja) Rao joined the Division of Local Government Services, Department of Community Affairs in 2014 where she is involved in the examination of municipal budgets, financial statements and statutory audits ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and rules and regulations promulgated by the Local Finance Board. In addition, she provides technical advice on interpretation of applicable laws, rules and regulations of the Division (pertaining to accounting, auditing, budgeting, and debt financing and fiscal affairs) to Division staff, Registered Municipal Accountants, local officials and interested taxpayers.

Prior to joining the Division, Padmaja spent many years at various regional public accounting firms providing auditing, accounting and advisory services to government, non-profit and commercial entities.

Ms. Rao is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of New Jersey, and a Certified Municipal Finance Officer. She is a member of the New Jersey Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Jialan Su is a supervising project manager with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) in Norwalk, Connecticut. She is currently working on two pre-agenda research projects and GASB’s post implementation review project on pension plans. Previously, she has worked on the projects leading to Statement No. 72, Fair Value Measurement and Application, Statement No. 79, Certain External Investment Pools and Pool Participants, Statement No. 83, Certain Asset Retirement Obligations, Statement No. 85, Omnibus 2017, Statement No. 87, Leases, Statement No. 96, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements, and various Implementation Guide Updates.

Before joining the staff of the GASB in 2013, Jialan spent 10 years working in public accounting performing financial and compliance audits mainly of local governments and not-for-profit entities in California and later in New York City. Jialan holds a master’s degree in Economics from the California State University, East Bay. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of CPAs. She is a licensed CPA in the states of New York and California