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2023 Fall Workshop | Concurrent Sessions 7

November 3, 2023 | 9:50 AM–10:40 AM

Accounting Track 7 | Internal Controls and Working From Home

Information Technology: 1 CPE Credit

Description

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions have adhered to a new normal to offer flexibility to employees with remote working.  McKinsey & Company’s American Opportunity Survey noted that 58% of Americans have the opportunity to work from home at least one day per week and 35% have the opportunity to work from home every day.  As institutions continue to navigate this change, the need to update and/or transform your internal controls structure remains at an all time high.  In this session, we’ll share guidance to help you understand the risks of remote work and help you update and evaluate your internal control structure for long-term success in a remote landscape.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain new risks in remote and hybrid working environments
2. Identify unique IT security concerns when working from home
3. Recognize the internal control challenges in a remote environment

Wil Crawford, Partner, FORVIS, LLP

Wil has approximately 17 years of experience providing audit and accounting services to telecommunications, governmental, nonprofit, and higher education clients. Wil also serves as the nonprofit, education, and public sector industry leader for the FORVIS Jackson office. Wil is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Mississippi Society of CPAs (MSCPA). He was awarded the Silas M. Simmons Bronze Medal for the 2007 CPA Exam. He also has served as president of the MSCPA Young CPAs, chair of the MSCPA Governmental A&A Committee, millennial chair of the MSCPA Long Range Planning Committee, an MSCPA board member, and was the 2015 winner of the MSCPA Rising Star Award. He is a member of the Association of Government Accountants and was formerly a reviewer for the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Program. He previously served as treasurer on the board of directors of the Central Mississippi Chapter of the Mississippi State University Alumni Association and currently serves as chair of the Madison United Methodist Church administrative council and as a board member for Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area. Wil is a summa cum laude graduate of Mississippi State University, with a B.S. degree in accounting and an M.Acc. degree.

Raj Kapur, Director, Nonprofit Advisory Services, FORVIS, LLP

Raj is a Director in ’FORVIS' Nonprofit Advisory Services practice in the DC-Metro area. Raj brings over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector as a CFO, Consultant, Coach and Advisor. Raj has leveraged leadership skills to transform nonprofit organizations. Raj has been a thought leader for CEOs, Executive Directors, and CFOs and provided transformational coaching to executives and nonprofit leaders.

Raj has a track record of providing strategic financial and accounting leadership. He has worked with financial management, governance, team building, business planning, budgeting, cash flow management, financial reporting, revenue generation, negotiation, building finance manuals and controls, auditing, leadership training, team building and more. He developed training for various finance staff levels, as well as worked with the Boards and Finance committees of these organizations. He has worked on the analysis, sustainability planning, strategic planning, mitigation of risk, automation, and standardization of systems. He has created and redesigned accounting and finance SOPs (Standard Operating procedures).

Raj has led workshops, webinars, seminars, coaching, keynote engagements, group and one-on-one coaching sessions. He has developed financial leadership programs, introduced leadership training at various organizations designed, developed, and led workshops on leadership, communication, and productivity across the country. Raj has assumed executive leadership, including President and Director roles at a global education nonprofit.

He is certified with Maxwell Leadership Certified Team© as an Executive Program Leader, is a DISC© Consultant and a Certified Life Coach.
He is a graduate of Dowling College with an MBA degree.

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Concurrent Session 7A | Data in Finance: Projecting Intra-Year Cash Flow Using Data Analytics

Finance: 1 CPE Credit

Description 

Featuring Tableau, this presentation will provide an overview of the design, development, methodology, challenges and deployment of the University of Maryland's maiden, mid-year forecasting tool.Story - We plan on introducing our methodology for developing a tool for best accurately projecting end year balances.Purpose - Our goal was to design baseline assumptions for forecasting EOY balances for the purpose of providing the Colleges a mid-year planning tool capable of identifying potential surpluses and deficits and realigning their financial plan with their strategic mission.Challenges - unique revenue/expense streams and data literacy.

Learning Objectives

1. Attendees will be able to describe how to develop, design and deploy a financial projection tool.
2. Attendees will be able to identify key financial data sources/inputs required to develop a financial projection tool.
3. Attendees will be able to describe a working, operational financial forecast model.

Speakers 

Dylan Baker, Assistant Vice President, Finance, University of Maryland College Park

Dylan Baker is the Assistant Vice President for Finance for the Office of the Provost. He serves as the chief financial and budgetary advisor to the Provost, providing financial leadership in the areas of resource stewardship, enrollment management, strategic planning, and academic investment. Mr. Baker works closely with the Chief Financial Officer and College Budget Officers to continually improve campus resource management processes. He is widely regarded as an excellent problem solver who expertly applies his extensive knowledge of financial systems, budget models, and policy development to the achievement of diverse strategic goals.

David Kenny, Director of Business Analytics, University of Maryland College Park

David Kenny is currently the Director of Business Analytics and lead's the Dashboard & Analytics unit at the University of Maryland, College Park. Over the course of 6 years, he and his team of developed over 100 dashboards and more than 2,000+ charts blending data from various internal and third part data sources including: Financial, Human Resources, Research, Foundation, Course, NIFA Land Grant and many more. Through his work with AVP of Finance Dylan Baker, Dave has developed the campus's first ever financial projection dashboard forecasting end-of-year projections for budgets exceeding $1B. He previously worked 10 years in community banking as Vice President and Director of Deposit Operations and the BSA/AML Officer which directly supported over 18,000 customers across 13 branches. He also volunteered and served on the Board of Honolulu Habitat for Humanity as Board Member and Board President advising the Executive Director with the redevelopment of the organization's financial reporting, budgeting, IT infrastructure and personnel reorganization.

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Concurrent Session 7B | Overcoming Generational Gaps - Leading a Multi-Generational Workforce

Personnel/Human Resources: 1 CPE Credit

Description

Our institutions are undergoing a transformative shift as multiple generations converge in the workplace. This presentation explores the impact of generational differences, values, motivations, and approaches to work on team dynamics, all through the lens of resilience. By debunking common stereotypes associated with each generation, attendees will gain a deep understanding of the diverse strengths each generation brings to the table.Discover practical strategies to enhance cross-generational collaboration, adapt communication styles, and capitalize on the unique strengths of each generation. Learn to effectively lead, inspire, and foster a more resilient work environment that harnesses the full potential of generational diversity.

Learning Objectives 

1. Define characteristics and values of different generations and explore the impact of generational diversity on team dynamics.
2. Discuss leadership techniques for bridging generational gaps through collaboration, communication and, above all, consideration.
3. Foster a more inclusive and productive work environment by capitalizing on the strengths of each generation.

Speakers 

Rhonda Beassie, Assoc. VP for People and Procurement Operations, Sam Houston State University

Rhonda Beassie, JD, Ph.D. is the Associate Vice President of People & Procurement Operations at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) where she oversees Talent Acquisition, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, EEO, Title IX, Business Services, and Procurement. Prior to assuming this role, she served as Associate General Counsel for the Texas State University System, located on the campus of SHSU. Rhonda began her career in law as a legal assistant by day and student by night, earning an Associate of Science in Paralegal Studies from Kapiolani Community College. She transitioned to real estate sales, building and managing a portfolio of residential investments before returning to school to earn a B.A. in Justice Administration from Hawaii Pacific University and become a cum laude graduate of the University of Houston Law Center. She has over twenty years of higher education experience serving in teaching and administrative roles, including Legal Clinic Staff Attorney, Clinical Faculty, Assistant Dean, Director of Student Legal Services, Director of Externships, Assistant Dean, in-house legal counsel, and Assoc Vice President. Rhonda recently earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Texas A&M University.

Charity Walker 

Charity Walker is the Executive Director of Payroll, HR Benefits & Tax Specialization at Sam Houston State University, where she has been employed for the past 17 years.  Charity was the Director of Payroll for 5 years prior to her current role.  Charity received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting in 2004, and her master’s in business administration with an emphasis in accounting in 2007 from Sam Houston State University.  Charity is also a graduate of the College Business Management Institute (CBMI).

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Session 7C | Factors Affecting the Allowability of Costs: Can I Charge That?

Accounting (Governmental): 1 CPE Credit

Description

Proper fiscal stewardship of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement is forecasting and monitoring expenses associated with a sponsored project. The session will provide participants with an overview of managing costs and complying with institutional federal, and sponsor requirements. We will discuss the cost principles outlined in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E to provide clarity and help assist with determining if an expense is appropriate to be allocated to the sponsored project.

Learning Objectives 

1. Identify allowable and unallowable charges to federal awards.
2. Walk-through approaches when an expense falls in “it depends” category.
3. Discuss the cost principles outlined in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E.

Speakers 

Tolise Dailey, Director of Training and Education Development, Duke University School of Medicine

Tolise Dailey, CRA, is the Director of Training and Education Development at Duke University School of Medicine, and a NCURA Distinguished Educator. Her training career background includes: Johns Hopkins University, University of Colorado Boulder, Georgetown University, and The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

She serves on the NCURA Board of Directors, co-editor of the NCURA Magazine "Training Tips" column, and a traveling workshop faculty member for the NCURA Level II: Sponsored Projects Administration.

Tolise is currently serving as Co-Lead of the Federal Demonstration Partnership, Communication Workgroup and Vice Chair of the Research Administrators Certification Council Item Review Committee.

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Session 7D | Data Analytics: How to Tell the Story

Finance: 1 CPE Credit

Description

Technology is advancing at a rapid rate. Massive amounts of data are being generated, stored, used, and analyzed. Business Officers are no longer charged with routine tasks and processes but expected to understand data—how it is created, collected, stored, accessed, and used. Business Officers and other higher education professionals must be able to adequately safeguard this data as well as work with it, think critically about the story it is telling, and use it to make better decisions. Thus, it is critical that all individuals in higher education become comfortable with large data sets and various technologies. In this presentation we will discuss how an institution could improve their analytic and storytelling journey. This would include an understanding of how to identify areas to analyze, how to collaborate across departmental units, analytic processes or tools to use and how to report findings in a clear and concise manner.

Learning Objectives

1. Discuss ways to identify operational areas within the institution for analysis.
2. Explore ways to collaborate across departmental units to enhance the analytic process.
3. Identify ways to communicate data to stakeholders in a timely and consistent manner.

Speakers

Jimmy Barnes, Senior Lecturer, Clemson University

Jimmy Barnes is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Accountancy at Clemson University. He has worked at Clemson for over twelve years where he has served as the Business Officer for the College of Business and Behavioral Science and the Financial Planning and Analysis Officer for Academic Affairs. In his current role he teaches courses in data analytics, emerging technology in accounting, and accounting ethics. Prior to coming to Clemson, he served as the Controller for Erskine College for six years. Jimmy worked in public accounting for six years with Deloitte and Touche and McKinley, Cooper & Co. in Greenville, SC. Jimmy holds an undergraduate degree in accounting from Winthrop University and a Masters in Accountancy from The University of Georgia. He is a certified public accountant and a chartered global management accountant. He is a current member of the NACUBO Analytics Advisory Group and the past Treasurer for SACUBO.

Russ Hannah, Chief Financial Officer, Arkansas State University

Russ Hannah is the Chief Financial Officer at Arkansas State University. He's worked at A-State for 30 years in various financial roles including treasurer, controller, assistant vice chancellor for finance, associate vice chancellor for business and finance, and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Associate Chief Financial Officer before assuming his current position in July of 2021. Russ holds undergraduate degrees in management and accounting, an MBA, a specialist in community college administration, and a doctorate in educational leadership, all from Arkansas State. He is a certified public accountant, a charted global management accountant, and a certified government financial manager. He currently serves as the chair of the board of directors of NACUBO, is a past president of SACUBO, and a former chair of the NACUBO Accounting Principles Council.