Navigating the New Normal in Government Finance: 2011 annual conference recap.

The GFOA held its 105th Annual Conference, "Navigating the New Normal in Government Finance," in the City of San Antonio, Texas. Almost 5,000 people attended the conference at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on May 22-25,2011.

GENERAL SESSIONS

Councilman W. Reed Williams from District 8 of the San Antonio City Council welcomed delegates to San Antonio, thanking the audience members for their dedication to public service.

GFOA President Len Britiain high-lighted what he learned over the past year through his visits to state, provincial, and international organizations. He urged delegates to "make long-term financial planning a cornerstone of [their] achievements so we can be prepared for tomorrow." (Watch the video at www.gfoa.org.)

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Joseph P. Quinlan, managing director and chief market strategist, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, addressed delegates as the keynote speaker at Monday's general session. Quinlan oversees the development and implementation of macro investment strategies, with a particular focus on U.S. sector strategies and emerging and developed markets. In his speech, Quinlan summarized reasons why the U.S. economy is poised for recovery. He attributed this to factors including growing consumer appetite and global emerging markets, for which indicators are strong.

On Tuesday, GFOA Executive Director and CEO Jeffrey L. Esser moderated a panel discussion on "State and Local Government Pension Plans: Myths versus Realities." The panel--Honorable Anthony Williams, executive director of the Corporate Executive Board and former mayor of Washington, D.C.; Keith Brainard, research director at the National Association of State Retirement Administrators; and Pat Robertson, executive director of the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi--discussed the facts about the funded status of public pension funds and reform efforts in the states.

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The panelists presented accurate and reliable research by pension experts showing that public pension plans are not in crisis, and that states and localities do not require and are not seeking a federal government bailout for their pensions. (Watch the video at www. gfoa.org.)

CONCURRENT SESSIONS AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

The GFOA held 69 concurrent sessions covering all major public finance disciplines: accounting, auditing, and financial reporting; budgeting and financial planning; debt management; management...