This session will focus on the important role that a robust fiscal policy framework and the implementation of best practices play in successfully managing a finance department.  Why does your success depend on instituting an effective financial management framework that is built on a foundation of thoughtful policies?  The presenter will answer this question and focus on the role that well thought out and comprehensive policies play in avoiding problems that can otherwise occur.  Resources for filling gaps in your existing financial management practices and case studies on the benefits associated with these efforts will also be discussed.

CPE 1

Presenter info: Scott Catlett

Based in Nashville, TN, Scott Catlett is a Director in the Government Advisory Services
Department at Eide Bailly LLP, where he assists state and local government clients
throughout the United States with financial management and budgeting best practice
implementation, complex accounting and financial reporting challenges, organizational
assessments, and financial policy development. Scott has 25 years of diverse
experience in public sector financial management and accounting, with 17 of those
years spent working directly for cities. During his government service, Scott served as
the Assistant Finance Director and later Finance Director for three cities where he
managed annual budgets of as much as $1.2 billion and investment portfolios of over
$500 million.
Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Tulane University in New Orleans and a
master’s degree in public administration from California State University, San
Bernardino (CSUSB). Scott served as an adjunct professor at CSUSB from 2014 until
2022, teaching graduate courses in public financial management and public budgeting.
His passion for education extends to serving as a past instructor for the Government
Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Budget Analyst Training Academy and a current
instructor for the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers’ (CSMFO) Financial
Management and Analysis core course, as well as serving as a frequent speaker for
government industry conferences and webinars.
Scott is an active member of GFOA, AGA, CSMFO, and the Tennessee Government
Finance Officers Association. He was a volunteer leader for CSMFO for 14 years,
serving successively as a Chapter Chair, Committee Chair, and elected statewide
Board Member. In 2020, he was elected by CSMFO’s 2,600 members to be the
Association’s 2022 President.
On the weekends you will find Scott hiking the wooded trails near his home, cheering for
his sons at their football and basketball games, and battling rabbits and armadillos in his
garden.