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We are pleased to announce that The Honorable Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-7) and GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro will be speaking at the opening plenary session of the ABFM conference, Thursday, September 30, from 9:00 to 10:30.  The session will include a Q&A.  

Panel, paper, and poster proposals are being accepted through Friday, June 18.

Look for conference registration and hotel information in July.  

About Our Speakers

Carolyn Bourdeaux

Carolyn Bourdeaux

 Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux lives with her family in Suwanee, Georgia and represents Georgia’s 7th Congressional District. In Congress, Carolyn is a strong advocate for affordable health care, an economic recovery that puts workers and small businesses first, investing in her district’s world-class public education system, and developing improved transportation infrastructure to unlock economic opportunity. 

Before her election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Carolyn was a professor of public management and policy at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Throughout the Great Recession, Carolyn was the director of the Georgia Senate Budget and Evaluation Office, where she worked with both parties to balance Georgia’s budget and get the state economy back on track. In this role, Carolyn advocated for a number of policies to improve transparency and fiscal responsibility in the budget process, and was instrumental in developing legislation to track and account for all tax breaks, including corporate tax loopholes. At the end of her time with the Senate Budget Office, Carolyn was honored with a bipartisan special resolution for significant service to the state of Georgia. 

Carolyn earned a B.A. in history and economics from Yale University, an M.P.A. from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in public administration from Syracuse University. In 2016, Carolyn served as chair of ABFM. 

Gene Dodaro

Gene Dodaro

Gene L. Dodaro became the eighth Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on December 22, 2010, when he was confirmed by the United States Senate. He was nominated by President Obama in September of 2010 from a list of candidates selected by a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission. He had been serving as Acting Comptroller General since March of 2008. 

Mr. Dodaro has testified before Congress dozens of times on important national issues, including the nation’s long term fiscal outlook, efforts to reduce and eliminate overlap and duplication across the federal government and GAO’s “High Risk List” that focuses on specific challenges—from reducing improper payments under Medicare and Medicaid to improving the Pentagon’s business practices. In addition, Mr. Dodaro continues to develop GAO’s efforts to meet the needs of Congress in such areas as science, technology and cybersecurity.

As Comptroller General, Mr. Dodaro helps oversee the development and issuance of hundreds of reports and testimonies each year to various committees and individual Members of Congress. These and other GAO products have led to hearings and legislation, billions of dollars in taxpayer savings, and improvements to a wide range of government programs and services.