Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference (E2207010)

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.

Jerry is a Partner at Holman Frenia Allison. His accounting and audit clients include organizations in numerous fields and industries including construction and real estate development, education, public utility agencies, County and municipal governments and not-for-profit organizations across various industries. Jerry also has performed a number of fraud investigations and helped clients to recover lost funds and put those responsible for the fraud behind bars.

John D'Amico, CPA, is a Partner within the Professional Standards Group at Marks Paneth LLP, which is responsible for monitoring quality control in the firm as mandated by professional standards. He specializes in pre-issuance reviews and inspections of nonprofit organizations, governments and Single Audits. Mr. D’Amico also provides consultation on accounting and attestation matters and tests and monitors the firm's quality review policies and procedures. He teaches continuing education classes for the firm and on behalf of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) nationally.

As a sought-out thought leader in his areas of expertise, Mr. D'Amico has authored numerous articles pertaining to nonprofit accounting/auditing, governmental auditing standards and Uniform Guidance. He frequently leads training seminars for his clients and is an instructor for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He has presented at the annual Nonprofit Conferences of the New York State Society of CPAs; the New Jersey Society of CPAs; and the Connecticut Society of CPAs; as well as the annual Governmental Conferences of the Connecticut Society of CPAs and the Michigan Society of CPAs.

In addition to his professional activities, Mr. D’Amico is a dedicated volunteer who regularly donates his time to charitable organizations. He currently serves on several nonprofit boards of directors in a variety of capacities.

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.

Outgoing and charismatic, Chris Mangano thrives in addressing an audience. With over 30 years of experience in the IT realm, Chris brings his industry to life. “Striving for progress, not perfection” is Chris’s motto and how he educates his clients and peers. He enjoys taking a non-traditional approach with both his clients and prospective clients by holding Private Lunch Workshops as well as going out and about presenting on relevant cyber security, risk and compliance topics for various organizations and conferences. As Vice President of Mercadien Technologies, Chris works diligently to develop these presentations to educate companies with the most up-to-date information on cyber risks, preventions and services he and his team provide.

It’s reassuring to know that the person educating you has been in your shoes. As a former business principal, Chris understands the uncertainty his clients face. He managed sales, marketing and operations for an IT company he co-founded and ran for ten years. Later, he became an advisor to help others grow their organizations and determine risks. Chris utilizes his past experience to assist his clients in navigating the uncertainty in areas such as cybersecurity, risk management, disaster recovery, and network design and implementation. Clients turn to Chris when they want an expert who has experienced these issues first hand and is familiar with the nuances of each area.

Chris is motivated by building relationships. He will educate you on the topics at hand, while continuing to act as a sounding board. He assists his clients in determining their risks and vulnerabilities, then develops practical recommendations that meet operational goals aligned with a client’s budget. Chris will be there from start to finish for whatever his clients need.

Phil Marciano, CPA, is a shareholder with Mayer Hoffman McCann CPAs (“MHM”) (the CPA firm associated with CBIZ). He specializes in audits of governments and nonprofit organizations, including federal single audits performed under the Uniform Guidance (formerly OMB A-133) audits, as well as employee benefit plan audits. Prior to joining MHM, Mr. Marciano gained several years’ experience with a mid-sized CPA firm on Long Island, providing accounting and auditing services to his clients within the government, education, and nonprofit arenas. He has led training seminars for his clients and staff, as well as for several professional organizations, on various subjects including governmental and nonprofit accounting/auditing. Mr. Marciano is a member of the AICPA and the New York State Society of CPAs and is a member of the Society’s Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee and the Not for Profit Accounting and Auditing Committee. Mr. Marciano also holds a certification issued by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA), as a Certified Government Financial Manager.

Montu Patel is a Planning Associate in the Office of Fiscal Policy and Planning. He joined the Department of Education in 2015 and is primarily responsible for the development and administration of fiscal policy guiding school districts and for the related provision of technical assistance. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Rutgers University in 2006. He holds a CPA license in New Jersey. Prior to working with the Department of Education, his experience includes the audits of profit and not-for-profit organizations.

Cybersecurity professional with more than twenty-five years of experience as a delivery leader and consultant. Previous experience in senior cybersecurity and operations roles supporting federal clients, including U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Agencies. Experience providing consulting services to SMBs to enterprise class environments across various sectors. Experience with NIST security frameworks, incident management, vulnerability & patch management, vendor management, and cyber threat intelligence. Experience providing vCISO services including cybersecurity gap analysis, risk assessments and mitigation strategies, and threat actor reports

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

Ms. Suárez serves as the Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Director of the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) and Local Finance Board Chairwoman. In this role, Ms. Suárez advocates for local government interests, revitalizing the Division’s supportive initiatives and developing grant programs. She also oversees the financial and operational regulations of New Jersey local units to help ensure fiscal solvency. Prior to joining the Division in 2021, Suárez served as Associate Counsel to Governor Murphy. In that capacity, she counseled the Governor on matters affecting his administration, including pending legislation, statutory responsibilities, litigation, the development of administrative regulations, and proposals impacting the Governor’s public policy agenda. She also drafted legislation, executive orders, vetoes, administrative orders and regulations and negotiated with legislators, departments, and stakeholders regarding pending legislation and policy initiatives with a focus on the Departments of Community Affairs, Human Services, Children and Families, and the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Prior to her work in the Governor’s Office, she was DCA’s point person for all communication with the State Legislature, including the Department’s official position on legislation and legislative inquiries. She also drafted bill language, spearheaded the implementation of newly signed legislation at DCA, and helped review and advise the Department on decisions, orders, settlements, and other matters that impacted DCA. Ms. Suárez, a New Jersey native, earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law in Camden and her bachelor’s degree in communications, legal institutions, economics, and government from American University in Washington D.C. She is a member of the New Jersey and New York bars.

Sheila A. Weinberg, CPA, is the founder and CEO of Truth in Accounting, whose mission is to compel governments to produce financial reports that are understandable, reliable, transparent and correct. Since 2002 Ms. Weinberg has led Truth in Accounting's research initiatives, which include "The Truth about Balanced Budgets: a Fifty State Study," the "Financial State of the States," and the "Financial State of the Union." Because of her expertise in governmental budgeting and accounting, Ms. Weinberg has testified before the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), the Government Accounting Standards Board, and numerous state legislative hearings on matters of proper government accounting.