Melisa Galasso

Melisa Galasso, CPA is assionate about providing confidence, not just compliance as she leads Galasso Learning Solutions as Founder & CEO. Melisa is a nationally recognized authority in designing and facilitating courses on advanced technical accounting and auditing topics, including not-for-profit and governmental accounting. Since 2016, she has guided the GLS team to deliver quality in everything we do. With a far-ranging career in public accounting, academia and industry and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, Melisa has built a reputation for delivering engaging, effective learning experiences for CPAs. Committed to advancing our profession, she has served on multiple committees for leading industry organizations including the AICPA and FASB, written the nonprofit accounting book, “Money Matters for Nonprofits,” and has been honored with the Top 50 Women in Accounting Award, the Rising Star award from NAWBO Charlotte, and “40 under 40” recognition by CPA Practice Advisor. In her free time, Melisa loves spending time with her family and can often be found at one of her daughter’s horse shows, supporting the arts with tickets to the orchestra, volunteering, or speaking a bit of French or Spanish on one of her treasured quarterly vacations.

Cynthia Byrd

Cindy Byrd , CPA, is Oklahoma’s 13th State Auditor & Inspector. She is the first woman elected to serve as the taxpayers watchdog. A CPA with 28 years of government auditing experience, Cindy has conducted audits of federal, state, county and municipal entities. Cindys audits have identified millions in misappropriated tax dollars and called out wasteful spending at every level of government. During Cindys tenure, the office has published nearly 2000 audits including the following, which garnered statewide and national attention: A first of its kind Medicaid audit that revealed weak processes mandated by the federal government as well as 1.6 billion in questiones expenditures, a public charter school audit that exposed tense of millions in misappropriated funds and received the 2022 Excellence in Accountability Award for Forensice Audit from the National State Auditors Association, and an audit of COVID funds which reported millions in fraudulent unemployment claims. Cindy is passionate about responsible government. She strongly advocates for transparency and accountability in the receipt and expenditure of public funds. One of the guiding princibles of her career has been that the people deserve to know how their money is spent. Cindy and her husband, Steve, live in Coalgate, located in Coal County, Oklahoma.

Jacob Winkler

Jake Winkler, CPA is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in business administration. He joined the firm in 2020 and has over ten years of experience in public accounting with a large national firm. Jake has experience with local, state, and tribal governmental units, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, software as a service, and not-for-profit entities.

Jake serves as an instructor for various organizations around the state and nationwide related to governmental topics. He has taught classes for the OSCPA, GFOA, Tribal Conferences, and the National Rural Water Association over topics ranging from state law compliance, single audit best practices, and ARPA funding requirements.

Jake’s experience in managing audits and background working with large governmental authorities will allow you to draw on his experiences with both in-state and out-of-state to determine best practices. He is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Oklahoma Society of CPAs. He serves on the Accounting Careers Committee of the OSCPA, the Governmental Accounting & Auditing Committee of the OSCPA, and has served on the board of various non-profit organizations in his career. He is a graduate of Leadership Edmond Class XXXVI and was named an OSCPA Trailblazer in 2018. Jake was also named to 405 Magazine’s list entitled Metro’s Most Influential, which recognizes the top 250 Oklahoma City leaders in 10 diverse industry areas.

Kency Duarte

Kency Duarte, CPA provides financial and compliance audit and consultation services to a variety of public sector entities. He has been involved in the audits of municipalities, governmental agencies, tribes and school districts. He has practiced public accounting for more than eight years. In his current role, he delivers advice and consultation regarding complex accounting matters, leads engagement teams in audit matters and assists in ensuring that reports issued by the firm comply with professional standards.

Lisa Parker

Lisa R. Parker, CPA, CGMA, is a senior project manager with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Prior to joining the GASB, she worked for Runyon Kersteen Oiellette CPAs, served as the finance director and interim town manager for the Town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine and as finance director for the City of Saco, Maine. Parker has also previously served as president of the Maine Governmental Finance Officers Association.

Lisa Parker

Lisa R. Parker, CPA, CGMA, is a senior project manager with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Prior to joining the GASB, she worked for Runyon Kersteen Oiellette CPAs, served as the finance director and interim town manager for the Town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine and as finance director for the City of Saco, Maine. Parker has also previously served as president of the Maine Governmental Finance Officers Association.

Frank Crawford III

Frank Crawford, CPA, is president of Crawford & Associates, CPAs, P.C., an accounting firm in Oklahoma City. 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 36 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. Crawford served as chairman of the AICPA Government Expert Panel from 2004-2008. He has been involved in a number of other AICPA committees and task force groups, U.S. Federal Government Agencies, various local and national CPA firms and a number of state societies.

Lindsey Kennimer

Lindsey Kennimer, CPA, is the Senior Director of Governmental Auditing and Accounting at the AICPA where her primary responsibility it to address governmental auditing and accounting matters, including compliance audits. Lindsey oversees the AICPA’s Governmental Audit Quality Center and its Executive Committee and is actively involved in the AICPA’s efforts to enhance the quality of single audits and other types of governmental audits. She also directs the AICPA’s governmental accounting efforts, including the activities of the AICPA State and Local Government Expert Panel, related interactions with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, and commenting on GASB due process documents. Prior to joining the AICPA, Lindsey was in public accounting for over 19 years and most recently was an audit partner at Snow Garrett Williams, a local public accounting firm located in Weatherford, TX. Lindsey has extensive experience in financial statement audits and single audits of local governments. She also previously served as a team captain performing peer reviews of other CPA firms throughout the State of Texas through the AICPA’s peer review program, and served as a subject matter expert performing enhanced oversight reviews of Government Auditing Standards/Single Audit engagements reviewed during a firm’s peer review for the AICPA Oversight Task Force.

Christopher Pembrook

Chris Pembrook, CPA, MBA, CGAP, Cr.FA, is a shareholder at Crawford & Associates, CPAs, P.C., an accounting firm specializing in providing auditing, consulting and accounting services solely to governmental entities. He is currently serving as a member of the AICPA State and Local Government Expert Panel and the OSCPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee. Pembrook was selected to serve on the joint COSO-ACFE-AICPA Task Force for the development of the group’s Fraud Risk Management Guide. He also served on the AICPA task force that helped establish the AICPA’s new single audit advanced expert certification program.

Jacob Winkler

Jake Winkler, CPA is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in business administration. He joined the firm in 2020 and has over ten years of experience in public accounting with a large national firm. Jake has experience with local, state, and tribal governmental units, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, software as a service, and not-for-profit entities.

Jake serves as an instructor for various organizations around the state and nationwide related to governmental topics. He has taught classes for the OSCPA, GFOA, Tribal Conferences, and the National Rural Water Association over topics ranging from state law compliance, single audit best practices, and ARPA funding requirements.

Jake’s experience in managing audits and background working with large governmental authorities will allow you to draw on his experiences with both in-state and out-of-state to determine best practices. He is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Oklahoma Society of CPAs. He serves on the Accounting Careers Committee of the OSCPA, the Governmental Accounting & Auditing Committee of the OSCPA, and has served on the board of various non-profit organizations in his career. He is a graduate of Leadership Edmond Class XXXVI and was named an OSCPA Trailblazer in 2018. Jake was also named to 405 Magazine’s list entitled Metro’s Most Influential, which recognizes the top 250 Oklahoma City leaders in 10 diverse industry areas.

Mick Dodson

Mickey Dodson joined the State Auditor’s Office in 2011 and is the senior investigator. He is a graduate of the FBI Academy and a former special agent, and he is certified by the Department of Education as a meetings/records legal instructor. He has a law degree with a public-policy certification and awards in administrative law and professional responsibility, and he is a member of the Bar Association. While in law school, he served on the city council of his hometown and worked in the district attorney’s office of a populous county. He also has a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism with a public-relations emphasis.

Frank Crawford III

Frank Crawford, CPA, is president of Crawford & Associates, CPAs, P.C., an accounting firm in Oklahoma City. 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 36 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. Crawford served as chairman of the AICPA Government Expert Panel from 2004-2008. He has been involved in a number of other AICPA committees and task force groups, U.S. Federal Government Agencies, various local and national CPA firms and a number of state societies.