Spring 2023 Conference

MDGFOA Spring Conference

Friday, April 14, 2023

9:00 am – 9:10 am: Introduction and Welcome

• Speaker: Rob Burk, President, MDGFOA

9:10 am – 10:50 am: Attracting and Retaining Great People in Today’s Ever-Changing Workplace

• Speaker: Alex Theis – Business Learning Institute, AICPA
• Description: Today’s workplace is incredibly competitive. You need to be innovative in your hiring methods and working environments. This course will help you improve your talent acquisition and interview processes, effectively manage a productive remote work setting, increase employee morale and retention, and creatively find ways to stay attractive to current and prospective employees.

10:50 am – 11:10 am: Break

11:10 am – 12:00 pm: Attracting and Retaining Great People in Today’s Ever-Changing Workplace

• Speaker: Alex Theis – Business Learning Institute, AICPA

• Description: see above.

12:00 pm –12:30 pm: Networking Event

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 pm – 2:20 pm: Are your Employee Benefit plans sustainable?

• Speaker: Hunter Hawes, Employee Benefit Consultant/Practice Leader for MD, Truist Bank

• Description: This session will include discussion on, preparing for the future, managing your financial liability, mitigating your risk, and OPEB retiree liability.

2:20 pm – 2:40 pm: Break

2:40 pm – 3:30 pm: Rating Agency Update

• Speaker: Nicole Serrano, Moody’s
• Speaker: Evette Caze. Fitch
• Speaker: Kaiti Vartholomaios, Standard & Poor's (S&P)
• Description: Ratings agencies are increasingly considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks in assigning bond ratings for local governments and municipalities. This session will provide updates on what the rating agencies are looking for and how local governments can improve their ESG scores. In addition, this session will also provide an update on new rating methodologies.

3:30 pm – 4:20 pm: Maryland General Assembly Update

• Speaker: Michael Sanderson, MACO
• Description: This session will provide a recap of the 2023 legislative session of the General Assembly of Maryland and how it will impact government finance officers.

Adjourn

Ticket Pricing

$85 Retired Member 

$185 MD GFOA Member 

$225 Govt Employed Non-Member 

$235 Associate Non-Member