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You asked and we listened - GAAF is going back to Birmingham!
This conference is a collaboration between the Alabama’s Government Finance Officers Association, the Alabama Association of Government Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Our planning committee has received feedback from attendees the last few years that led us to taking this event back to Birmingham and making it an in-person only event.
We've got a lineup of fantastic speakers presenting 16.0 CPE, including 8.0 A&A, 2.0 Ethics, 2.0 Tax, and 4.0 Other. Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise or grow your professional network, this is the place to be!
Scroll down to the "Agenda" section to and hit the sideways triangle next to each day to get session titles, descriptions, and more.
Sponsorships and exhibitor opportunities are available! To find out more, contact Megan Hughes at mhughes@alabama.cpa.
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Event Leader/GAAF
Lisa Parker is a senior project manager with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Prior to joining the GASB in 2008, Lisa worked for Runyon Kersteen Ouellette CPAs for 10 years, the town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine as finance director and interim town manager for 2 years, and the city of Saco, Maine as finance director for 8 years.
Lisa is a certified public accountant and a chartered global management accountant. She also is a member of the Association of Governmental Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Maine Society of Certified Public Accountants, where she served as president. Previously, Lisa was president of the Maine Governmental Finance Officers Association, an executive board member of the New England Governmental Finance Officers Association, and a member of a national GFOA standing committee.
Lisa attended Boston College and the University of Southern Maine graduating with magna cum laude honors and a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Oakworth Capital Bank (Birmingham)
Mr. Norris serves as the Chief Economist and Chief Investment Officer for Oakworth Capital Bank and was one of the company’s incorporators. Prior to helping start Oakworth, Mr. Norris was Chief Economist and SVP for Regions Financial Corporation’s Morgan Asset Management (MAM) subsidiary. Prior to joining MAM, Mr. Norris served as Chief Investment Officer for The Trust Company of Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc. He started his professional career in 1991 with Mercantile-Safe Deposit & Trust Company in Baltimore, Maryland, as an institutional fixed income portfolio manager. He has 30+ years of experience in the investment industry.
John serves on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee for The Alabama Trust Fund, and is Past President of the IPC Foundation, as well as currently being a board member. He also serves on the Advisory Board for Gabriella White LLC (Summer Classics), and is a member of the Birmingham Rotary Club. In the past he has served on boards at Samford University, the (now defunct) Southern Trust School, the Literacy Council of Central Alabama and others. John was a guest columnist for the Montgomery Advertiser for over a decade.
Mr. Norris writes a weekly newsletter/blog entitled Common Cents, which you can find under the Thought Leadership tab on the oakworthcapital.com website. He further co-hosts (with Sam Clement) a weekly podcast called Trading Perspectives, which you can find on the podcast outlet of your choice. He also appears in other national and local media and makes numerous public speaking engagements throughout the year.
Partner IT Audit and Assurance
Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC (Enterprise)
What are two of David Mills’ best characteristics? His IT expertise and his ability to explain highly complex, technical IT topics in a way that each of us understands. David has extensive experience in IT compliance/audit, IT security, risk analysis, disaster recovery, network design, installation, and implementation. David’s accomplishments include IT assessments/audits for Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA/Hitech), Gramm Leach Bliley, Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council (FFIEC), National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), SSAE 16, SOC 1,2, & 3, and the Bank Secrecy Act.
David served as an IT liaison for many education and government agencies. He has designed, configured, and installed complete IT systems for large and medium-sized local and state government, education, financial, legal, medical, and manufacturing entities. David retains the ability to implement his skillset in a manner that is easily understood by non-technical personnel.
Chris Pembrook, MBA, CGAP, CPA, CRFAC is a Partner/Shareholder at Crawford & Associates, P.C., in Oklahoma City. The accounting firm is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and specializes in providing auditing, consulting, and accounting services solely to governmental entities. Prior to joining the firm, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Oklahoma Police Pension & Retirement System and the Deputy Director of the Local Government & Special Services Division of the Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector’s Office. He is currently serving as a committee member of the OSCPA Government Accounting & Auditing Committee and recently finished a 4-year term on the AICPA Government Expert Panel. Chris was also selected to serve on the joint COSO-ACFE-AICPA Task Force for the development of the group’s Fraud Risk Management Guide. Most recently, Chris has been named a member of the AICPA Technical Issues Committee (TIC) and has also been named as a task force member for the planning of both AICPA National Governmental Accounting and Auditing Conferences and the AICPA Governmental and Non-profit Conferences.
Partner
Amanda is the Director of the Alabama Securities Commission where she has been employed since 2008. She is responsible for advising the Commission on securities-related matters, investigating and prosecuting fraudulent actions surrounding the sales of securities throughout the state of Alabama, and has coordinated and litigated numerous multi-jurisdictional administrative, civil, and criminal matters. She also serves as a legislative liaison for the Commission. In that capacity, she advocates for investor protections, market integrity, and promoting responsible capital formation in Alabama.
Amanda is involved on both the State and local level in various organizations which address issues and promote awareness of Elder Abuse and Investment Fraud; including the Montgomery County Elder Justice Task Force and the Alabama Interagency Council for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. She is actively involved in the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), where she has served as Chairman of the Cybersecurity Committee, Chair of the Broker Dealer Market and Regulatory Policy Committee and is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Enforcement Section. She is a frequent speaker on Alabama’s securities laws, Elder Justice, Financial Literacy, and an instructor in a securities litigation course offered through NASAA.
Amanda has testified before the United State House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy on fraud and elder exploitation and before the United States Securities Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee.
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Karen joined the Culverhouse School of Accountancy faculty at the University of Alabama in August 2019 and teaches undergraduate and graduate level tax courses. Karen’s areas of specialization include state and local taxation and the taxation of individuals, corporations, and consolidated groups. Prior to joining the Culverhouse School of Accountancy faculty, Karen worked for an international public accounting firm for twenty-two years, serving as a tax partner based in the firm’s Birmingham office. During her career in public accounting, Karen served clients throughout the Southeast region and specialized in tax provision, consulting, and compliance services for the financial services industry.
Karen received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Alabama and a Master of Science in Accounting, with a tax concentration, from the University of Virginia.
Karen currently serves as a member of State Taxation and Legislation Committee for the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants. She is a frequent speaker at continuing education events and seminars sponsored by the society, and she has published several articles on taxation topics for the society’s quarterly publication for its members. Karen also serves on the Undergraduate Council for the University of Alabama, and she is a member of the Capital Campaign Committee and the Board of Visitors for the Culverhouse College of Business.
University of Montevallo College of Business (Montevallo)
Dr. Emma Cole is an Assistant Professor in Accounting at the University of Montevallo. She has a BSBA in accounting from Auburn University, an MBA with a concentration in accounting from Troy University and a DBA with a research focus in accounting from Creighton University. Her current research areas are accounting information systems, emerging technologies, management accounting, and ethics.
Dr. Cole is active in several professional organizations, including the ASCPA. She is also a past president of AGA. She received the 2025 University of Montevallo Graduate Faculty Civic Engagement & Community Advocacy Award for her service to her students, the university, the community, and the accounting profession.
3590 Grandview Pkwy, Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama 35243-1946
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