ACPEN Signature 2024: Governmental Accounting & Auditing Update

Frank Crawford, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Crawford & Associates, P.C.

Frank Crawford, CPA, is President of Crawford & Associates, P.C., Certified Public Accountants, an accounting firm located in Oklahoma City, OK. 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 39 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. 

Mr. Crawford was the recipient of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) 2014 Private Sector Financial Excellence Award, an annual recognition of one individual who has been deemed by the AGA to have made significant contributions to the field of governmental financial management.  Frank was also recognized as a recipient of the U.S Graduate School’s “2010 Instructor Excellence Award”. Quoting the U.S. Graduate School officials, “Your students and colleagues, as well as Graduate School Staff, honour and value the work that you do here, as evidenced by the many statements of support that praised your skills. Of the School’s 800+ instructors, you are one of only thirteen who will receive this prestigious award this year.” 

In 2012, Mr. Crawford completed a 4 year term as Chairman of the AICPA Government Expert Panel after serving on the Panel for 11 years, and is currently the Chairman of the Oklahoma Society of CPAs Government Accounting and Auditing Committee (27 years), and has also been involved in a number of other AICPA committees and task forces as they relate to governmental accounting and auditing, including the AICPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee, the AICPA Government and Not-For-Profit Expert Panel, the AICPA Government Performance and Accountability Committee, the AICPA GASB 34 Audit Guide Revision Task Force, and the GASB’s recent Financial Reporting Model revision Task Force. In 2015, Mr. Crawford completed a 4 year term as Chairman of the AICPA’s annual Government and Not-For- Profit Training Conference after serving on the Planning Task Force of the Conference for 18 years. 

Over the years, Mr. Crawford has assisted both the AICPA and GASB in the development of several implementation guides as a member of an advisory group, task force or technical content provider. His experience with GASB 34 implementation and audit issues dates back to June 30, 1999, as auditor of the first general-purpose government in the United States to implement the requirements of GASB 34. 

Mr. Crawford is also currently working with many of the US states, territories, commonwealths and freely-associated compact governments on audit finding resolution and financial analysis projects and also serves as a technical consultant and advisor to a number of Federal Government Agencies.  Frank is a frequent lecturer, trainer and discussion leader for numerous groups, including U.S. Federal Government Agencies, various local and national CPA firms, a number of State Societies, and has also appeared in several AICPA continuing professional education videos and live CPE broadcasts and webcasts related to governmental accounting and auditing. 

Commonly known as Frankie to clients, friends and family, and Pappy to his two grandchildren, Mr. Crawford has two children and two grandchildren, daughter Madison and husband Jon, son Blake, 5 year old grandson Brody, and 3 year old granddaughter Brenley. Mr. Crawford also has the good fortune to be married to Cindy Crawford (not the supermodel, but better). 
 

Joel Black, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Chairman

Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)

Joel Black was named chairman of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, effective July 1, 2020. Joel came to the GASB after almost 16 years as a partner at Mauldin & Jenkins in Atlanta where he was the partner in charge of the firm’s audit practice at the time of his departure. Prior to Mauldin & Jenkins, Joel worked for 12 years at KPMG, LLP. During his experience in public accounting, he exclusively served state and local government clients leading audits and financial statement preparation engagements.

Joel previously served on the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council, the AICPA’s State and Local Government Expert Panel, and the executive committee of the AICPA’s Government Audit Quality Center.

Joel graduated from Georgia State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Robert Scott, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Bob Scott, CPA is Executive Director of Administrative Services for the Town of Prosper, Texas where his responsibilities include all aspects of the City’s financial operations, Information Technology, Human Resources, Municipal Court and Utility Customer Service.  Mr. Scott, a CPA, began his career in public accounting, ultimately serving as an audit manager with responsibility for numerous local government clients. He has extensive experience in accounting and financial reporting issues having served on various GASB review committees and taskforces including the pension taskforce. He has been active in GFOA for many years serving both as Chairman of the Committee for Accounting Auditing and Financial Reporting and on the GFOA Executive Board.   Also, as an active member of the AICPA, he has served as a member of the State and Local Government Expert Panel and has authored the AICPA course:  GASB 68 Pension Accounting and Auditing Seminar. In 2008 the AICPA named him the outstanding CPA in local government.  At the state level, he has twice received GFOA of Texas Outstanding Finance Officer Award and is a Past President.  He currently serves as a Trustee for the Texas Municipal Retirement System. 

William Blend, CPA Related Seminars and Products

William Blend, CPA, CFE, heads MSL’s Governmental Practice Group. He has over 30 years of public accounting experience. This experience includes extensive work in auditing and consulting with governmental entities including municipalities, counties, school boards, and special districts. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner. He has performed multiple litigation and consulting engagements involving fraud and other forensic accounting issues. Bill Is a member of the Florida Board of Accountancy and currently serves at the Board Chair. He is also a member of the AICPA State & Local Government Expert Panel. He’s authored numerous CPE courses and has instructed CPE sponsored by the AICPA, FGFOA, the FICPA, and others, including ACPEN.