San Diego Auditor’s Office appoints new Performance Auditors

Martin Wilson, Efrem Bycer, and Sara Glick were appointed as Performance Auditors to the San Diego City Auditor’s Office. Wilson and Bycer came to San Diego after graduating from the top-ranked Maxwell School of Public Administration at Syracuse University in New York. Glick spent the past six years as an Internal Auditor for the Los Angeles Controller’s Office and previously worked for the Federal Reserve.

Williamson elected Chair of the Oklahoma Accountancy Board’s Oversight Committee

Jim Williamson, City Auditor for Oklahoma City in Oklahoma, was elected to Chair the Oklahoma Accountancy Board’s Peer Review Oversight Committee. The Peer Review Oversight Committee is responsible for evaluating and monitoring peer review for public accounting firms performing services in the State of Oklahoma to ensure compliance with applicable accounting and auditing standards.

Constantin appointed to Regional Accrediting Commission for Colleges

In July 2010, Chris Constantin, Assistant City Auditor for San Diego, CA, began serving his appointment to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) which operates as part of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. ACCJC is one of seven regionally accrediting commissions authorized by the US Department of Education to accredit colleges. ACCJC evaluates overall educational quality and institutional effectiveness of colleges in the Western region of the US and Pacific spanning as far as the Republic of Palau, Federal States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Patton named Outstanding CPA in Government

Joyce Patton, an auditor for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, received the 2010 Outstanding CPA in Government Award from the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants. The award annually recognizes one CPA who has significantly contributed to a government organization and the growth of the CPA profession.

Rowland promoted to Assistant City Auditor for the City of Colorado Springs

After serving the past year as Interim Assistant City Auditor, Jacqueline Rowland was recently promoted to Assistant City Auditor for the City of Colorado Springs. In addition, Jacqueline, who is a CPA, obtained her CFE certification in June 2011. Jacqueline joined the Colorado Springs Office of the City Auditor in April of 2006. She came to the office having worked nine years at FedEx in Internal Audit and two years in Public Accounting.

Funkhouser appointed as Director of the Governing Institute

Funkhouser in 2009

Dr. Mark Funkhouser, former Kansas City, Missouri Mayor and City Auditor, was appointed on July 7, 2011. The Governing Institute is a new initiative focused on state and local government performance, innovation, leadership and citizen engagement. Funkhouser served as Mayor from 2007 to 2011. Prior to being elected Mayor, Funkhouser was City Auditor of Kansas City for eighteen years.

Funkhouser received his BA from Thiel College, a Masters in Social Work from West Virginia University, a Masters in Business Administration from Tennessee State University and a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Sociology from the University of Missouri in Kansas City.

Luna selected for Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program

For three weeks in July 2011, Eduardo Luna, San Diego City Auditor attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. The intensive program was designed to bring together senior executives in state and local governments to help meet the changing needs in their communities. The program coursework utilized the case study method to promote learning and provoke insight into a wide array of government and leadership issues.

A goal of the program was to provide government officials with the knowledge and skills to develop creative solutions under tight constraints and increased public scrutiny. Eduardo was one of 70 participants from throughout the United States, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Eduardo was very thankful for the once in the lifetime opportunity to attend the program and develop a network of 69 great professionals. He is looking forward to apply his new skills in exercising leadership in improving San Diego government and the local government audit profession.

Nester named City of Colorado Springs City Auditor

On June 14, 2011, Denny L. Nester was named City Auditor for the City of Colorado Springs. Denny has been employed by the Office of the City Auditor since April 2000. Prior to his appointment as City Auditor, Denny served Colorado Springs as the Interim and Assistant City Auditor. Prior to his relocation to Colorado Springs, Denny was a Senior Auditor for the City of Chesapeake, Virginia, where he had also worked as a Utilities Accounting Supervisor and Revenue Analyst. He also worked as the Vice President and Controller for a small HVAC company in Suffolk, Virginia before beginning his public service career.

Denny Nester earned his MBA from Purdue University’s Krannert Graduate School of Management in 1983. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Denny also holds designations as a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Certified Government Audit Professional (CGAP). He was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Local Government Auditors.

Member News – Summer 2011

Do You Want to Host the 2014 ALGA Annual Conference?

The Long Term Conference Planning Committee is accepting applications to Host the 2014 ALGA Annual Conference in ALGA’s East Region.  If you would like to show off your locality, consider hosting the Annual Conference.  Your local Visitors Bureau may be able to assist you in putting together the application.  Bidding rules and the application can be found on the ALGA website under About ALGA > Committees > Long-Term Conference Planning Committee.  Applications must be submitted to Member Services by August 15, 2011.

The East Region includes the Canadian Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.  The East Region also includes the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Virgin Islands.

Member News

New Auditor: Adam Raymond has joined the City of Riverside, CA Internal Audit Division as a Senior Internal Auditor.  Raymond has six years of government auditing/administration experience with Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co.,LLP and the cities of San Bernardino and Rancho Palos Verdes.

New Auditor: Andy Hanau joined the San Diego City Auditor’s Office as a Performance Auditor.  Hanau has six years of experience working as an urban planner in San Diego and as a policy analyst in the City of Los Angeles.  He received his Masters of Public Policy from the UCLA School of Public Affairs and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego.

New Certification: Tim Campbell, the Administrative Manager at the City of Fullerton, passed his certification test to receive the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional certification.  Campbell said, “I think this certification will be of tremendous value in planning and executing some of the large-scale audits we have coming up.”