Program Presenters

Meet our State Auditor Training Program Speakers

Sunila Birmingham is a Senior II on the Financial Audits team of the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. She has been with the department for 15+ years. She performs desk reviews of audits and other financial reports of local governments within the State of Georgia that are required to be performed in accordance with Official Code of Georgia 36-81-7 and 50-8-38. She is also part of the team that audits the State of Georgia’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

Frank Crawford is President of Crawford & Associates, P.C., Certified Public Accountants, an accounting firm located in Oklahoma City, OK. The firm specializes in providing auditing, consulting and accounting services solely to governmental entities and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the AICPA Government Audit Quality Center. Over the last 36 years, Frank, as President of Crawford & Associates, has provided a variety of audit and accounting services to all sizes and types of governmental entities, including financial statement audits and attestation services, non-attestation services such as financial statement preparation services, general accounting and advisory services, fraud investigations, internal control analysis, accounting policy and procedure development, outsourced internal auditing and internal monitoring, the development of management anti-fraud programs and controls, quality assurance reviews, training, and expert witness services.

Cathy Fredette is a Senior Auditor II on the Financial Audits team. She started at the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts by performing financial audits of state agencies, colleges, and LEAs. She then joined the Professional Practices Division where she prepared the Georgia Lottery Report, Government Emergency Fund Report, state agency budget reports and reviewed LEA audit reports. In 2006, she began working with local government where she reviews the annual audit reports of local governments and nonprofit organizations.

Ms. Ursula Kelley is the supervisor for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils’ Justice and Compliance Division. She has over 12 years of grants management experience working with both state and federal funds. She is tasked with helping her organization plan, implement grant programs, prepare budgets, administer funds, and track their progress. In 2019, she graduated from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government Certified Public Managers Program. She serves as a funding expert for the state of Georgia’s Accountability Court grant programs and works closely with the Council of Accountability Court Judges who provides a unified framework that promotes and improves the quality, accessibility and administration of Accountability Courts. In addition, she supports Division staff by managing the day-to-day responsibilities of the grants and fiscal process.

Jackson Lilly has a master’s degree in applied economics from Georgia State University focused in Environmental, Urban and Regional Economics. For the past 4 years he has held various research-oriented positions in the Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Economic Development working on programs involving local public finance, planning and economic development, and tourism.

Eric Moody is a Manager on the Financial Audits team of the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. Eric has been with the department for almost 18 years. He reviews annual audit reports of both nonprofit organizations that contract with the state and local governments, which include counties, consolidated governments, municipalities, other political subdivisions (local authorities), and regional commissions.

Jackie Neubert is the Deputy Director of the Nonprofit and Local Government Audit Section of the Professional Standards and Practices Division of the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. In this position, Jackie helps to oversee a team that works to improve the financial reporting of approximately 800 Georgia local governments as well as approximately 500 nonprofit organizations that contract with the State of Georgia. Jackie has over 30 years of experience in governmental auditing and accounting.

She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Government Finance Manager (CGFM). Jackie is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs and the AICPA. She has served as a member of the Governmental Accounting and Auditing Conference task force with the Georgia Society of CPAs. Jackie is a member of GFOA and is serving as a member of the GFOA Special Review Executive Committee. Jackie is also a member of the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA). She has served as Chapter President, Chapter Secretary, Chapter Treasurer and Chapter Accountability Officer. Jackie is currently serving as the Chapter Program and Education Officer of the Atlanta Chapter of AGA.

Chris Pembrook, MBA, CGAP, CPA, CRFAC is a Partner/Shareholder at Crawford & Associates, P.C., in Oklahoma City. The accounting firm is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and specializes in providing auditing, consulting, and accounting services solely to governmental entities. Prior to joining the firm, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Oklahoma Police Pension & Retirement System and the Deputy Director of the Local Government & Special Services Division of the Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector’s Office. He is currently serving as a committee member of the OSCPA Government Accounting & Auditing Committee and the AICPA Government Expert Panel, and also was selected to serve on the joint COSO-ACFE-AICPA Task Force for the development of the group’s Fraud Risk Management Guide. Chris was selected as a 2016 Oklahoma Society Trailblazer, a designation by the OSCPA recognizing young CPAs that are helping the CPA profession blaze new and exciting trails for the future. Chris was also selected by the AICPA to participate in their Task Force for the development of the new Advanced Single Audit Certificate Program and was awarded the AICPA digital badge representing his status as an advanced single auditor.

Robert Thornton is the Director of the Justice and Compliance Division at the Criminal Justice Coordaining Council where he has managed grants and worked with the Criminal Justice System for over 20 years. The division currently oversees $30 million in Federal grants and another $40 million in state funded grant programs. These grants support projects including drug task forces, accountability courts, law enforcement training and juvenile courts. As an attorney, Robert provides legal counsel to CJCC on topics ranging from grant compliance, employment law and contracts. Robert has also served as the Division Director of the State’s Victim Compensation Program and was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue as a member of the State’s Commission on Family Violence. He has a BBA from the University of Georgia, a JD from Georgia State University College of Law and has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 2008.

Aleisha Rucker-Wright began her public safety career as a 911 operator in 2008. Since her initial employment, she served as a 911 supervisor and a 911/IT specialist. During her last four years with Dawson County, she worked as their 911 Director. She currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, which aims to facilitate effective and efficient 911 operations across the State.

Aleisha earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Georgia State University. She also holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Arts in Integrated Global Communication from Kennesaw State University. She holds certifications for a Basic Communication Officer, APCO’s Certified Public-Safety Executive, NENA’s Center Manager Certification Program, NENA’s Emergency Number Professional, Emergency Medical Dispatch, Georgia 911 Directors’ Academy, Georgia Crisis Intervention Training for 9-1-1, CALEA Public Safety Communications Accreditation Manager, POST-certified Instructor, Comprehensive Quality, and Disaster Operations in the Communications Center. She is a member of the American Society for Public Administration, the Association of Public- Safety Communications Officials, and the National Emergency Number Association.