The National Association of State Comptrollers held its annual conference last week, with a record attendance of 265. The conference was held virtually on March 23 through 25 because of continued travel restrictions related to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Awards

An awards ceremony was conducted on Wednesday, March 24. During the ceremony, Doug Cotnoir (ME) presented a plaque of appreciation to President Brandon Woolf (ID) for his service during the last year. President Woolf also presented several awards. NASC wishes to congratulate the following award recipients:

Louis L. Goldstein Award

• Robert L. Childree, former state comptroller of Alabama, was presented with the Louis L. Goldstein Leadership Award in recognition of his long and distinguished careers in state government and the private sector and his lasting contributions to the improvement of financial management in government.

Distinguished Service Award

• David R. Bean, who will retire soon from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, was presented with a Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his long and distinguished career with GASB, his unparalleled knowledge of state government accounting standards, his service to the broader government accounting industry, and his friendship to NASC and its members over the years.

President’s Award

• Kathleen Baxter, state comptroller of Alabama, was recognized for her leadership in the formation and management of meetings for the state comptrollers to discuss issues related to Cares Act funding.

Special Recognition Awards

• Steve Neilson, senior financial consultant with the Washington Office of Financial Management, was recognized for serving as co-chair of the NASC Payroll Group since 2013 and for serving as co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Conference Committee.
• Michelle Oliver, financial administrator, with the Florida Division of Accounting and Auditing, was recognized for her service as co-chair of the NASC Travel and P-Card Group since 2012.
• Alan Skelton, new director of research and technical activities at the GASB, was recognized for his outstanding service to NASC members and the broader NASC community during his time as state accounting officer of Georgia.

Thank You

NASC wishes to thank the Program Committee, who developed an excellent technical agenda for the program, and Brandon Woolf and his staff for their dedication to ensuring a successful annual conference, whether it was held in Boise, Idaho, as originally planned, or virtually. Lastly,

We all look forward to a time when we can gather together to network and learn in person.

The 2022 conference is currently scheduled to be held on March 16-18 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

NASC wishes to extend with gratitude a special thanks to the sponsors of this year’s conference.