Fall Forum Agenda Course Descriptions

Proactive Avoidance of Common Audit Findings
Speakers: Sam Twyman, Crowe LLP, Lisa Stinson, Crowe LLP,
and Claudia Miller, Senior Auditor, Office of OIG, HHS, and
Lori Beeler, GATU, Governor's Office of Management and Budget

This course provides an overview of the types of audits, as well as the types of findings that may occur. We will provide real world examples to help you understand the red flags and ways to identify the greatest areas of risk to your organization. By understanding what most commonly may go wrong for an organization, you will be able to strengthen your internal control framework and help to mitigate deficiencies at your organization.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the different types of audits.
• Identify different types of audit findings.
• Review common risks, red flags, and areas susceptible to audit findings.
• Discuss common audit findings and how to mitigate deficiencies at your organization.

Course Level: Intermediate

Timesheets, Paystubs and Audits…OH MY!
Speakers: D’Laun Oubre and Heidi Sobek, Kim Joyce and Associates LLC

Are you in a “tornado” of Time & Effort Recordkeeping with your grants? Do you know what you need to see the Wizard of Audits? We will walk you down the yellow brick road to the magical land of Uniform Guidance & Compliance …. and you can bring Toto too!

Learning Objectives:

• What is Time and Effort reporting and why it’s important in grants management.

• Common monitoring findings and proactive actions that can be taken to avoid them.

• Properly Documenting Time and Effort Record keeping.

Course Level: Intermediate

Leading a Team Through a Successful Audit (Preparation, Communication, etc.)
Speakers: Sly Atayee, Dan Durst and Sisil John, BDO

This session is designed to equip federal grant recipients with the essential knowledge and strategies needed to effectively prepare for and navigate the audit process. The session will provide practical insights into audit preparation, onsite management, and communication techniques to ensure that your organization is well-prepared to meet federal grant requirements. Join us to discover actionable approaches and gain valuable insights from experienced professionals in the field.

Learning Objectives:

• Strengthen Audit Readiness: Participants will learn how to proactively prepare for audits by establishing robust internal controls, maintaining accurate financial records, and organizing documentation in accordance with federal grant compliance standards.

• Manage Onsite Audit Processes: Attendees will gain an understanding of best practices for managing onsite audits, including coordinating with auditors, facilitating document reviews, and responding effectively to auditor inquiries to ensure a smooth and productive audit experience.

• Communicate Effectively During Audits: Participants will discover techniques for clear and concise communication with auditors during the audit process, including addressing inquiries, providing relevant documentation, and navigating audit discussions professionally.

Course Level: Intermediate

The Auditors Are Coming: Preparing for Site Visits Confidently
Speakers: Brooke Wanlass and Brandi Davis, Ernst & Young

The purpose of this training is to provide an overview of audit ready site visit planning by identifying:

• Potential reasons for grants monitoring site visits.

• Common areas of risk uncovered during site visits, as articulated through mock site visit scenarios.

• Mechanisms for identifying and addressing common risks prior to site visits, potentially including the development of monitoring plans, performance of rapid process evaluations, and execution of risk-based sampling to uncover the root cause(s) of potential deficiencies.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand typical site visit expectations for grants programs.

• Identify practical steps to prepare for a site visit.

• Understand how to navigate common challenges during a site visit.

Course Level:  Intermediate

How to Support Grant Recipients Through a Robust Audit Plan
Speakers: Rahaf Kaylani, HUD, and Crystal Wolf, Guidehouse

Awarding agency oversight should not be focused on ‘catching’ the recipient but should be used as a way to identify risks and work with recipients to confirm that program outcomes are being met. By working early on with recipients on risk management and internal controls, awarding agencies and recipients can collectively work together to achieve program objectives in an effective and well-controlled manner.

Learning Objectives:

• Conduct overview of oversight requirements outlined in 2 CFR 200.

• Understand how awarding agencies can proactively identify grant program risks.

• Learn about tools that can be used to work with recipients prior to program outlays.

Course Level:  Intermediate

Findings: Scary or Not Scary? The Two Sides of the Same Coin
Speaker: Mara Ash, BFS Strategic Partners

This presentation takes the mask off of the monster and shows you what is really behind those pesky findings! In this session, we take a dive into what findings are, how they happen, what they mean and how to resolve them. This session is in gameshow format where the limits of your (non)-compliance knowledge are put to the test!

Learning Objectives:

This session delves into the learning objectives below from two unique perspectives- both the Grantee and Pass Through Entity (PTE) a/k/a Prime (a/k/a Prime Grantee).

• Define a Finding of noncompliance.

• Investigate common reasons for Findings.

• Uncover common Finding resolutions.

• Evaluate the impact of Findings on your organization.

• Explore ways to “Finding Proof” the future.

Course Level: Intermediate

National Grants Management Association is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State Boards of Accountancy have the final authority on the acceptance of individual course for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.