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President Elect Message By Rich Lee
T
his excitement for an in person annual conference began to crescendo in the day before the conference began with the arrival of attendees. Lots of handshakes, hugs, and even through a facemask, the joy of reconnecting with our friends and colleagues was palpable. As we prepared for the rush of attendees, the reality of what we had prepared for over the past year and were on the precipice of pulling off as an organization began to materialize. As a member of the Program Committee for the past three years, and having experienced and been a part of the collective and massive efforts of CSMFO volunteer leaders and staff to put on a conference in the difficult circumstances of a global pandemic, the outcome has been nothing short of inspiring and miraculous. My sincere thanks and appreciation to all that were a part of a very special conference – our members, speakers, volunteers, commercial sponsors, and staff, all of whom were all integral to success of the conference. Reconnecting with one another face to face, shaking hands, and embracing one another helped to heal the wounds from the past two years. As President Elect, one of my primary responsibilities is to lead the Host Committee in its preparation for the next annual conference, which began immediately following the end of the 2022 conference. We met remotely in March to begin ironing out the various roles and responsibilities for committee members and begin shaping the conference experience. Throughout 2022, we will keep you up to date with the development of the conference, the renovated conference center in Sacramento, featured speakers, and
in general, the outstanding conference experience that you have come to expect, and that we continually refine and improve each year. It is my honor to serve you as President Elect. I look forward to continued collaboration with the Executive Committee (President Scott Catlett and Past President Marcus Pimentel), the Board of Directors, our committees, and chapters. We are diverse in our collective experiences and perspectives, but we are united in our love of this organization and dedicated to its success. It is through that foundation that we will continue to move forward, learn, adapt, and ensure CSMFO’s role as the preeminent resource for promoting excellence in government finance.
