The GFOA's new president-elect and Executive Board.

• Position: Government Finance Officers Association

The Government Finance Officers Association is governed by an 18-member executive board, which consists of 15 members-at-large serving staggered three-year terms, the current president, the previous year's president, and the president-elect. At the association's annual meeting in June, GFOA members voted for a slate of nominees for president-elect and five new members-at-large, each of whom is profiled below.

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PRESIDENT-ELECT

LINDA C. DAVIDSON

Financial Services Director

City of Boca Raton, Florida

Linda Davidson has served in various leadership positions for the GFOA and has been on the Executive Board since 2007. She has been a member of the GFOA's Committee on Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting; the annual conference Local Host Committee; and the Nominating Committee. From 2003-2005, Davidson served as the Florida GFOA State Representative. She has been a training instructor for GFOA sessions on fiscal first aid, and she has also prepared material for GFOA periodicals, including an article for Government Finance Review on "Budgeting for Sustainability: A Florida Perspective." Her government has received the GFOA Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting and of the GFOA Award for Distinguished Budget Presentation since inception of the program.

Davidson is a past president of the Florida GFOA, anal under her leadership, that organization worked with the local chapters to provide low-cost regional training through alternate methods; consolidated committees; and presented the first ever "Fiscal Survivor Series" to provide public finance officers with crucial long-term financial strategies. Davidson was instrumental in the City of Boca Raton's obtaining a AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies, and the reaffirmation of that rating in 2010. She has been active in both the City of Boca Raton Police and Firefighters' Retirement System and the General Employees' Pension Plan, the Florida League of Cities Investment Advisory Committee, and the First Florida Governmental Financing Commission.

Goals for GFOA

* Involve members in developing long-term strategies that provide fiscal sustainability and demonstrate strong financial and organizational leadership.

* Prepare finance officers by giving them the ability to solve challenges with prudent fiscal actions that provide accountability and transparency.

* Expand collaborations with other organizations.

I believe that during these challenging times, it is critical that GFOA provide leadership and training to public finance officers so they can guide their organizations with sustainable and resilient actions.

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JULIA HARPER COOPER

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