Melisa Galasso

Melisa Galasso, CPA is the founder and CEO of Galasso Learning Solutions LLC. A CPA with nearly 20 years of experience in the accounting profession, Melisa designs and facilitates courses in advanced technical accounting and auditing topics, including not-for-profit and governmental accounting. She also supports essential professional development, audit level training, and train the trainer efforts. Melisa is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), and has earned the Association for Talent Development Master Trainer™ designation. Her passion for instructional design and adult learning techniques is one of the differentiators that set her apart from other CPE providers. Within the industry, Melisa serves on the FASB’s Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) and AICPA Council. She previously served on the AICPA’s Technical Issues Committee (TIC), the VSCPA’s Board of Directors and is a past-Chair of the NCACPA’s A&A committee. Melisa also authors the Money Matters for Nonprofits and serves as a SME for the Center for Plain English Accounting.

Melisa Galasso

Melisa Galasso, CPA is the founder and CEO of Galasso Learning Solutions LLC. A CPA with nearly 20 years of experience in the accounting profession, Melisa designs and facilitates courses in advanced technical accounting and auditing topics, including not-for-profit and governmental accounting. She also supports essential professional development, audit level training, and train the trainer efforts. Melisa is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), and has earned the Association for Talent Development Master Trainer™ designation. Her passion for instructional design and adult learning techniques is one of the differentiators that set her apart from other CPE providers. Within the industry, Melisa serves on the FASB’s Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) and AICPA Council. She previously served on the AICPA’s Technical Issues Committee (TIC), the VSCPA’s Board of Directors and is a past-Chair of the NCACPA’s A&A committee. Melisa also authors the Money Matters for Nonprofits and serves as a SME for the Center for Plain English Accounting.

David Cotton

Dave Cotton is founder and Chairman Emeritus of Cotton & Company, Certified Public Accountants, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Cotton & Company was founded in 1981 and has a practice concentration in assisting Federal and State agencies, inspectors general, and government grantees and contractors with a variety of government program-related assurance and advisory services. Cotton & Company has performed grant and contract, indirect cost rate, financial statement, financial related, and performance audits for more than three dozen Federal inspectors general as well as numerous other Federal and State organizations, programs, activities, and functions. In April 2022, Cotton & Company became a subsidiary of Sikich LLP.

Dave has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Management Science and Labor Relations.

In May 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Dave to the Virginia Board of Accountancy.

Lisa Parker

Lisa R. Parker, CPA, CGMA, is a senior project manager with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Prior to joining the GASB, she worked for Runyon Kersteen Oiellette CPAs, served as the finance director and interim town manager for the Town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine and as finance director for the City of Saco, Maine. Parker has also previously served as president of the Maine Governmental Finance Officers Association.

Lisa Parker

Lisa R. Parker, CPA, CGMA, is a senior project manager with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Prior to joining the GASB, she worked for Runyon Kersteen Oiellette CPAs, served as the finance director and interim town manager for the Town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine and as finance director for the City of Saco, Maine. Parker has also previously served as president of the Maine Governmental Finance Officers Association.

Cynthia Byrd

Cindy Byrd , CPA, is Oklahoma’s 13th State Auditor & Inspector, the first woman elected to this statewide-elected office. Byrd has worked for the State Auditor’s office for 27 years and served as Deputy State Auditor and the Director for the County Audit Division. Cindy published close to 2000 audits some of which have garnered statewide and national attention. State Auditor Byrd serves as: Vice-Chairman on the Oklahoma State Pension Commission, Member of the State Board of Equalization, Chairman of the State Board of Equalization Sub-Committee, and Commissioner of the Commissioners of the Land Office. Cindy received the Dr. Tom Coburn Transparency in Government Award for mirroring his enduring legacy of championing government accountability and transparency.

Christopher Pembrook

Chris Pembrook, CPA, MBA, CGAP, Cr.FA, is a shareholder at Crawford & Associates, CPAs, P.C., an accounting firm specializing in providing auditing, consulting and accounting services solely to governmental entities. He is currently serving as a member of the AICPA State and Local Government Expert Panel and the OSCPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee. Pembrook was selected to serve on the joint COSO-ACFE-AICPA Task Force for the development of the group’s Fraud Risk Management Guide. He also served on the AICPA task force that helped establish the AICPA’s new single audit advanced expert certification program.

Mick Dodson

Mickey Dodson joined the State Auditor’s Office in 2011 and is the senior investigator. He is a graduate of the FBI Academy and a former special agent, and he is certified by the Department of Education as a meetings/records legal instructor. He has a juris-doctorate degree with a public-policy certification and awards in administrative law and professional responsibility, and he is a member of the Bar Association. While in law school, he served on the city council of his hometown and worked in the district attorney’s office of a populous county. He also has a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism with a public-relations emphasis.

Frank Crawford III

Frank Crawford, CPA, is president of Crawford & Associates, CPAs, P.C., an accounting firm in Oklahoma City. The firm specializes in providing auditing, consulting and accounting services solely to governmental entities and is a member of the AICPA and the AICPA Government Audit Quality Center. Over the last 36 years, Crawford & Associates has provided a variety of audit and accounting services to all sizes of government including many types of financial statement audits and attestation services, fraud investigations, internal control analysis, accounting policy and procedure development, outsourced internal auditing and internal monitoring, developing management anti-fraud programs and controls, quality assurance reviews, training and expert witness services. Crawford served as chairman of the AICPA Government Expert Panel from 2004-2008. He has been involved in a number of other AICPA committees and task force groups, U.S. Federal Government Agencies, various local and national CPA firms and a number of state societies.