Pre-Conference Seminars Take In-Depth Look at Hot Topics

APPA National Conference activities kick off on Saturday, June 23, with three all-day and three half-day pre-conference seminars. The Saturday sessions will all be held in salons of the Alamo Ballroom in the MarriottRiverWalk Hotel. Program will egin at 8:30 On-site registrants are welcome. Choose an all-day seminar from these topics:

Electric Utility Industry Economics and the Role of Public Power--an examination of the economic rationale for public enterprises, led by John Kelly, director of economics and research for the American Public Power Association.

Power Supply 101--This is a great opportunity for newcomers to the industry to learn basic technical information about electric utility systems. Presenter Bryan Singletary is entertaining and a veteran of popular utility education programs.

Community Preparedness: Ensuring Your Community is Ready to Recruit New Businesses and Retain Existing Ones--If your responsibilities include economic development, you'll want to check out this session. David Kolzow of the Tennessee Economic Development Center will lead a day-long examination of ways to help your community grow.

If a full day on a single topic is too much for you, consider a morning program and an afternoon program on a couple of these topics:

Leadership in the Midst of a Disaster--Diane Fojt, CEO of Corporate Crisis Management, Inc. and a frontline disaster leader, will examine what utility leaders need to understand about disaster response operations. The program will be offered in the morning and repeated in the afternoon.

The Cascading Effect of Sarbanes-Oxley on Public Power--Federal legislation to reform corporate behavior was not enacted to address government agency activities, but publicly owned enterprises are nonetheless affected. Steven Dawson, a CPA, will talk about the spillover effects of this major federal law on state and local governmental entities. The session will be offered from 8:30 to noon.

The Financial Audit Process--CPA Steven Dawson will spend the afternoon (1-4:30) explaining the why, how and who of financial audits.