Course Information

The Texas State Auditor's Office invites you to attend the 2023 Audit Conference on August 2-3, 2023. The conference will be held at the Commons Conference Center (formerly the Pickle Center) at 10100 Burnet Rd. Building 137, Austin, Texas. Check out the agenda below!

All sessions meet Texas Administrative Code requirements for technical training and Government Auditing Standards requirements for governmental CPE. Estimated 14 hours of CPE.

For Your Information:

• An electronic version of session materials will be provided a week prior to conference start date.

• You are responsible to print out any session material you would like to use at the conference. A QR code will be provided at the conference for digital copies. Paper copies of the agenda, session descriptions and speaker bio's will be available in paper form.

• Lunch each day is on your own. There is a café in the building, and we will provide a list of restaurants nearby.

August 2, 2023

7:30 am – 8:30 am Check in and Registration

8:30 am – 8:35 am Welcome and Announcements

8:35 am – 8:45 am Opening Remarks, Lisa Collier, State Auditor

8:45am – 9:35 am Keynote: Data Visualization and Analytics, Becky Beachy and Adam Berry, State Auditor's Office

9:45 – 10:45 am Breakout Sessions

• Creating a Fraud Response Plan, Laura Soileau, Postlethwaite & Netterville

• Harnessing the Power of Coaching and Mentoring Skills, Shakira M. Brown, SMB Strategic Media

11:00 am – 12:00 pm Breakout Sessions

• Procurement Fraud: How to Identify and Reduce Procurement Fraud in the Public Sector, Ivy Williams, Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker

• Understanding the Platinum Rule of Leadership, Quilesha Patterson, Straight Path Solutions

12:00 pm – 1:05 pm Lunch on your own

1:05 pm – 2:00 pm Keynote: Detecting Lying and Deception, Jerry Balisteri

2:15 pm – 3:15 pm Breakout Sessions

• Secrets, Conspiracies & Hidden Patterns: Detecting and Combatting Fraud in the Public Sector, Shauna Woody-Coussens, Forvis

• Artificial Intelligence for Auditing and Real-Time Process Improvement, Jeri Hale, Tunabear

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Breakout Sessions

• External Vendors and External Threats, Jim Kreiser and Sundeep Bablani, Clifton, Larsen, Allen LLP

• Visualizing a Cybersecurity Plan: Out of the Mind and onto Paper, Trip Hillman, Weaver

August 3, 2023

8:30 am – 8:35 am Welcome and Announcements

8:35 am to 9:35 am Keynote: Relationship Management for the Critical Thinker, Tali Ploetz, GoldSRD

9:45 – 10:45 am Breakout Sessions

• Risk, Rapport, Ethics and the Audit Plan, Christine Dever Homack, Cherry Bekaert LLC

• 3 Habits to Boost Productivity While Decreasing Stress and Anxiety, Tondee Lutterman, FORVIS

11:00 am – 12:00 pm Breakout Sessions

• Strategic Risk Assessments, Mark Maraccini, Crowe LLP

• Creating a Culture of Feedback, Bhakti Patel, Clifton, Larson, Allen LLP

12:00 pm – 1:05 pm Lunch on your own

1:05 pm to 2:00 pm Leadership in Audit - Executive Panel

2:15 pm – 3:15 pm Breakout Sessions

• How to Issue Audit Findings that Deliver Results, Tali Ploetz, GoldSRD

• Principles for Effective Sustainable Leadership, Terry Pankratz, PHT Partners

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Breakout Sessions

• GASB Update, Tony Boras, Crowe LLP

• The Five Languages of Appreciation at Work, Denise Messina, State Auditor's Office

TAC Rule 523.142(g) requires the CPE Sponsor to monitor individual attendance and assign the correct number of CPE credits. Participants will be asked to document their time of arrival and departure in compliance with this Rule. Additionally, attendance will be monitored throughout the day and CPE certificates will reflect actual attendance of each participant.

To see answers to our Frequently Asked Questions, visit http://www.sao.texas.gov/training/faq.html.