Course Information

The Texas State Auditor's Office invites you to attend the 2026 Audit Conference in Austin, Texas on July 29-30, 2026. The conference is at the Commons Conference Center on the University of Texas Campus at Braker Lane and Burnet Road. REGISTER NOW TO HOLD YOUR SPACE. 

Day 1 - July 29

• Opening Remarks - Lisa Collier, State Auditor

• Skills for 2030: How Internal Auditors Can Stay Ahead in a Rapidly Evolving Risk Landscape - Jamey Loupe, Sikich LLC

• Project Pressure Points: Planning, Priorities, and Progress - Wendy Smith, The Soomitz Group LLC

• Conflict Resolution Tools for Audit Professionals - Orit Ostrowiak, Beacon Training Services, Inc.

• Controls That Matter: Testing What Works (and What Doesn't) - Mara Ash, BFS Strategic Partners

• Professional Presence: Shaping How You are Seen, Heard, and Remembered at Work - Laura Johannsen and Lauren Bernick, The Canopy Oak, LLC

• Protecting Texas: Fraud Resilience in a High-Risk Era - Melinda Gildart and Larry Douglas, MG Audit and Advisory Services, PLLC

• Power BI Desktop for Auditors: From Raw Data to Audit-Ready Insights - Sharon Fry, Beacon Training Services, Inc.

• Team Skills for Audits - Priscilla Luzader Pipho, Lucent Leadership

• Communicating Audit Results with Impact: Storytelling & Clarity for Government Auditors - Dr. Shantana L. Robinson, MFAD Creative Group LLC

• Humble Inquiry: Using Curiosity to Build Healthy Culture - Jerry Fu, Adapting Leaders, LLC

Day 2 - July 30

• Confidence Under Pressure: What's in Your C.U.P.? - Chief (ret.) Jason P. Armstrong, Armstrong Consulting, LLC

• Mastering & Applying Consultative Skills for Government Auditors - John J. Hall, Hall Consulting, Inc.

• Difficult Personalities - Anna Howe and Robert Pagenkopf, State Auditor's Office

• Judgment in Auditing: Making Defensible Decisions Under Uncertainty - Rob Berry, That Audit Guy, LLC

• When You Own the Outcome but Not the People - Kelley Webb, Leadership Wellness Collaborative

• Panel: Maximizing Teammate+ - Tessa Mlynar, State Auditor's Office; Catherine Melvin, Department of Public Safety; David Lupercio, Department of State Health Services; Taylor Huff, State Auditor's Office

• Ethics Issues, Challenges & Actions: Opportunities for Government Auditors - John J. Hall, Hall Consulting, Inc. WILL COUNT FOR 2-HOURS of ETHICS

• Modern IT Audit in Today's Cyber-Threat World - Melinda Gildart, Michael Ratemo, and Chris Carter - MG Audit and Advisory Services, PLLC

• AI-Powered Audit Analytics: Practical Applications for Government Auditors

Prerequisite not required.