2024 Fall Workshop Concurrent Sessions 4

October 31, 2024 | 2:10 PM - 3:00 PM

Accounting Track 4 | Concurrent Session 4A | Concurrent Session 4B
Concurrent Session 4C | Concurrent Session 4D

Accounting Track 4: Build Better Board Reports

Description

Good governance is all about well-supported decision-making. This presentation focuses on best practices for distilling and presenting financial and nonfinancial information to governing boards to help them make the best decisions. We will discuss setting appropriate metrics and deciding on the best way to present them.

Learning Objectives

Explore the concept of the knowledge pyramid and its application to reporting
Learn best practices in data visualization and graphic presentation
Be exposed to the practice of reporting with a decision-making focus.

Speakers

Sarah Loughin, Director, Forvis Mazars, LLP

Sarah is the Austin/San Antonio market champion of FORVIS’ Nonprofit, Education, & Public Sector Practice and has more than 22 years of experience in nonprofit accounting. She leads consulting engagements regarding financial operations and systems optimization, internal control design and documentation, chart of accounts design, staffing analysis, and policy and procedure development for a variety of nonprofit organizations. She and her team provide periodic accounting services, audit preparation, and other accounting and compliance support to various nonprofit entities. She also assists higher education institutions across the nation with implementation of FORVIS’ Financial & Scenario Modeling tool. Her career experience has centered on nonprofit entities, including 13 years in higher education accounting and finance leadership. Sarah has additional experience providing audit services for a variety of nonprofit entities.Sarah is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Institute of Management Accountants, Inc. (IMA), and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. (ACFE). She holds the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certification from IMA and the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential from ACFE. She serves her community through active membership in the Austin Chapter of TXCPA and Social Venture Partners Austin. She frequently presents about audit preparation, risk management, governance relationships, and chart of accounts design for nonprofit entities. Sarah is a summa cum laude graduate of Schreiner University, Kerrville, Texas, with a B.B.A. degree in accounting..

Priscilla Soto, Director Forvis Mazars, LLP

Priscilla is a director with Forvis Mazars’ San Antonio nonprofit practice. She has more than 28 years of experience working with charitable organizations, including 16 years in audit and assurance services and 10 years working as a controller and chief financial officer in the industry. She offers advisory and accounting services to various nonprofit organizations, including health and welfare organizations, foundations, private schools, and membership organizations. Priscilla has provided consultancy services for the past two and a half years. Her career experience has focused on nonprofit entities, serving in various accounting and finance roles in museums and health and welfare organizations and includes experience working for a family office. Her experience includes financial statement audits, outsourced accounting functions, operational efficiencies, internal controls, and governance issues. Priscilla is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and TXCPA, where she has served on the executive board as a member and secretary. She currently serves on the Diversity and Inclusiveness and Committee and Chairs the Non-Profit Organizations Conference Committee. In addition, she has previously served in various leadership positions and as president of TXCPA San Antonio and the Texas Tech Alumni Association San Antonio chapter and was a citizen member of the City of San Antonio Audit and Accountability Committee. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, with a B.B.A. degree in accounting.

Concurrent Session 4A: Haunted Harmony: Navigating the Challenges of Building a Collaborative Leadership Team Through Cultivating Connection

Description

In the shadowed corridors of organizational existence, we know that effective communication and collaboration are key to successful leadership teams, yet many teams are doomed to never meet this potential. Join the Business Affairs leadership team from The University of Texas at San Antonio and the ghosts of leadership past as they share their journey as they first developed their own "BATCAVE" to support executive team development, and later as they formed the "NEST" to support next-level leader growth. Don't worry, this spooky tale has a happy ending and key takeaways for anyone interested in creating stronger teams, building connections, and increasing communication with colleagues.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to recognize the role that individual leaders play in building effective leadership teams.
Participants will be able to explain how creating effective teams supports communication and collaboration.
Participants will be able to design strategies to successfully support next-level leaders.

Speakers

Veronica Salazar, Executive Vice President for Business Affairs and Chief Enterprise Development Officer, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Veronica Salazar serves as the Executive Vice President for Business Affairs and Chief Enterprise Development Officer at San Antonio (UTSA). With over 20 years of experience in higher education, she provides leadership in finance, real estate, administration, urban development, and strategic business initiatives. Ms. Salazar provides oversight of the university's financial resources and helps advance UTSA's vision to become a student success exemplar, nationally competitive research university and Hispanic-thriving institution. She works to ensure the success of ongoing initiatives, including the Campus Master Plan and Downtown Campus expansion. Previously, Ms. Salazar served as the Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer at the University of California, Merced, where she made significant contributions to the Merced 2020 Project.

Sheri Hardison, Senior Associate VP Financial Affairs & CFO, The University of Texas

Sheri Hardison, C.P.A., serves as Senior Associate Vice President for Financial Affairs and Chief Financial Officer, and is responsible for overseeing all areas of UTSA Financial Affairs, including the functions for budget, Incentivized Resource Management (IRM), accounting and financial reporting, supply chain, financial services, and all financial transactional areas. Sheri joined UTSA in 2014 as Assistant Vice President for Financial Affairs and University Controller. She previously served as Associate Vice President of Finance and Assistant Treasurer for The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. from 2004 to 2014. Prior to that, Sheri worked at PwC for eight years in the audit function, where she served in a variety of progressive roles up to senior manager in the District of Columbia office.

Stephanie Schoenborn, Chief of Police, University of Texas at San Antonio

Chief Stephanie Schoenborn has been with the University of Texas at San Antonio Police Department since 1993, first serving in an administrative role before becoming a police officer in 1995, graduating from the 60th UT System Basic Police Academy. She is a proud two-time alum of the University of Texas at San Antonio, having earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and her Master's Degree in Public Administration. She is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, 238th Session. Serving as a member of the executive board for the Texas Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates from 2012-2020 and appointed President of the board in 2019. She also serves as chairperson for the Alamo Area Council of Governments Regional Law Enforcement Academy. In 2016, she was promoted to Captain and assumed responsibility for the administrative operations of Public Safety, including management of the police department budget, employment, internal affairs, background checks and other critical functions. Prior to this assignment, she served in areas of the department to include Patrol Operations, Training, Quartermaster, Fleet Services, Criminal Investigations and Administrative Services. She is very proud of her service as the commander of the department Honor Guard team. Schoenborn served as Interim Assistant Chief of Police at UT Medical Branch, Galveston for a period in 2018. She received the Distinguished Command Award from the UT System Office of the Director of Police for her service. In April 2021 she was named Interim Chief of Police for the UTSA Police Dept. and then in February 2022 she was permanently appointed as Chief. In her free time Chief Schoenborn spends time with her two sons traveling and supporting their school and work activities.

Concurrent Session 4B: Change is HARD! Academic Portfolio Review at UNC Greensboro

Description

Hear from former UNC Greensboro Provost Debbie Storrs and current CFO Bob Shea as they highlight lessons learned from taking on third rail topics as UNCG is facing significant enrollment decline.

Learning Objectives

How to build a data enterprise that supports managerial and strategic decision making.
How to engage the community in an open and transparent process that actually cuts programs.
How to prepare yourself for courageous decision making that you know will result in votes of no confidence.

Speakers

Debbi Storrs, Retired Provost, UNC Greensboro

Debbie Storrs served as Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor at UNCG from July 2021-May 2024. Storrs has held many leadership positions at previous institutions including department chair of the Department of Sociology/Anthropology/Justice Studies and the Department of Languages & Literature at the University of Idaho, Associate Dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences at the University of Idaho, Dean of Arts & Sciences Senior Vice Provost, and Interim Provost at the University of North Dakota.Storrs earned a number of awards for her excellence in teaching and commitment to student learning. She embraces the teacher-scholar model and has conducted research on the scholarship of teaching and learning, community action, and on STEM education and the experiences of students of color in higher education. She has engaged many undergraduate students in the discovery process and co-authored conference papers and peer reviewed publications with students.Storrs earned a BA in sociology from the University of Alaska, and a MS and PhD in sociology from the University of Oregon. During her career, Storrs was committed and focused on ensuring students of today and the future experience the transformational power and promise of higher education made possible by committed faculty, staff, and administrators.

Bob Shea

Bob Shea is the University of North Carolina, Greensboro's Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, a member of the chancellor's senior staff. He is responsible for finance, administration, budget, endowment management, auxiliary enterprises, risk and emergency management, human resources, planning, construction and campus police. UNCG has 18,000 students, a $450 million annual budget, a $400 million endowment and 2,700 employees. Prior to joining the leadership team at UNCG, he served in similar roles at NACUBO, Elon University and the Community College of Rhode Island. Bob has presented on strategy, leadership and the business model of higher education at many leading symposia both nationally and internationally. He currently serves as a trustee for the State of North Carolina Supplemental Retirement Board with $14 billion assets under management and as chair of the Service Academy Nominating Committee for the Sixth Congressional District in North Carolina.A veteran, Shea retired in 2007 from the US Navy as a captain. He served for twenty-five years with postings around the United States and the world, culminating his naval career with three years on the faculty at the Naval War College, in Newport, Rhode Island. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary, a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College and an undergraduate degree from Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Concurrent Session 4C: NACUBO Student Success HUB: Connecting Resources, Stakeholders, and Student Success

Description

Effective budgeting is essential for fostering campus success and ensuring financial sustainability. In this session, discover how Chief Business Officers (CBOs) have enhanced budget development processes at their institutions using free resources available through the NACUBO Student Success Hub. Attendees will hear compelling case studies showcasing innovative approaches to optimizing the use of funds earmarked for student success, aligning budget proposals with key outcome metrics, integrating grant budgets, and ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of grant-funded initiatives.

Learning Objectives

Explain effective strategies for improving budget development processes using no-cost tools from the NACUBO Student Success Hub.
Identify ways to better leverage funds dedicated to innovation and align budget submissions with student outcome metrics for maximum impact.
Define methods for integrating grant budget development into institutional systems for long-term financial viability of grant-funded projects.

Speakers

Randy Roberson, Vice President for Leadership Development, NACUBO

Bio coming soon.

Peter Elliot, Vice President for Administrative Services, South Florida State College

Peter S. Elliott - South Florida State College (SFSC) vice president for Administrative Services. Elliott, who is a certified public accountant (CPA), earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Accounting from Florida State University. He earned his Associate in Arts from Santa Fe College. Prior to coming to SFSC, he was vice president for Administration and chief financial officer at Polk State College for 14 years. Previously, he worked at Broward College as associate vice president of financial operations, director of financial operations, and adjunct instructor in accounting. For 11 years, he served as an auditor with the State of Florida’s Office of the Auditor General.

Concurrent Session 4D: Effective Practices in Pre-Award and Post-Award Grant Processes for Small Institutions

Description

This session offers a detailed exploration of the entire lifecycle of charitable grants within small higher education institutions, from securing funding to managing it effectively. Participants will gain valuable insights into each stage of the grant process, including: Grant Management Overview: A guide to navigating pre-award and post-award processes. Key Stakeholder Engagement: Identifying crucial stakeholders and building strong internal and external partnerships. Aligning Grants with Institutional Goals: Strategies for finding funding opportunities that support your institution’s mission. Enhancing Proposals and Reporting: Practical tips for strengthening grant proposals, improving reporting systems, and achieving successful outcomes through stakeholder collaboration. This session will explore practical solutions and institutional resources that can help mitigate challenges in securing and managing grant funding.

Learning Objectives

Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the pre-award and post-award phases.
Identify and Engage Key Stakeholders and align funding opportunities with institutional goals.
Enhance Proposal Development and Reporting, reviewing methods for strengthening grant proposals, improving reporting processes, and maximizing outcomes through collaboration with institutional stakeholders.

Speakers

Lea Sutherland, Assistant Director of Advancement Services & Gift Processing, John Brown University

Lea Sutherland is the Assistant Director of Advancement Services and Gift Processing at John Brown University, where she has served since 2021. With over a decade of experience in higher education, primarily in student support services, Lea transitioned to Advancement to expand her skills and professional knowledge. In her current role, she collaborates with grant writers and the business office to manage grant data, process receipts, and provide assistance with stewardship reporting. Additionally, Lea oversees gift processing, and helps the team with data integrity, data reporting, and supports Directors of Development and our Donor Engagement teams.

Lanya Carson, Director of Advancement Engagement, John Brown University

Lanya Carson has worked in higher education advancement since 2012. At John Brown University, where she has been serving since 2016, she holds the position of Director of Advancement Engagement. Her responsibilities include managing grant operations, the annual fund, and the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement.