Background

The Association of Pacific Island Public Auditors (APIPA) held its 28th annual conference on Majuro, August 21-25, 2017. The conference was hosted by RMI’s Office of the Auditor General (OAG). The Graduate School USA provided training and logistical support to the conference through its Pacific Islands Training Initiative (PITI), giving conference participants the opportunity to receive up to 40 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit. The week’s courses were held at the International Conference Center (ICC) and the Marshall Islands Resort (MIR).

Participants

Three hundred and thirty-four (334) participants attended this year’s conference, slightly more than the 325 participants who attended last year’s conference on Pohnpei. Participation in recent years is shown in this table:

(Attendance in 2014 and 2007 was lower than in other recent years primarily because most potential participants find it significantly more time consuming and expensive to travel to American Samoa compared to the other conference sites.)

Participants came from Chuuk, Colorado, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Kosrae, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Pohnpei, and Samoa. A total of 1,809 course certificates were awarded for 11,864 hours of CPE credit.

Instructors and Courses

Seven instructors led the training sessions: Michael Binder, Frank Crawford, Patrician Keehley, Greg Matayoshi, David Rykken, Elizabeth Schubert, and Jeanne Yamamura. Twenty (20) courses were provided during the conference in four training tracks: Audit, Audit Supervisory, Finance, and Advanced Finance and Management.

1. Opening Plenary: Internal Controls: Why They Matter (Frank Crawford & Elizabeth Schubert), 297 Participants, 1188 CPE Hours
2. Creative Thinking for Auditors (Michael Binder), 48 Participants, 192 CPE Hours
   Yellowbook Government Audit Standards Update (Frank Crawford), 29 Participants, 116 CPE Hours
3. Governmental Accounting Basics (Jeanne Yamamura), 162 Participants, 1944 CPE Hours
4. Governmental Accounting Basics (Jeanne Yamamura), 9 Participants, 72 CPE Hours
5. Grants Management: Using Practical Tools for Implementing the Uniform Guidance (David Rykken), 64 Participants, 768 CPE Hours
6. Basic Auditing Techniques (Frank Crawford), 45 Participants, 360 CPE Hours
7. Effective Audit Supervision (Patricia Keehley), 43 Participants, 344 CPE Hours
8. Auditing Grants: Providing Guidance and Direction (David Rykken), 50 Participants, 400 CPE Hours
9. Leadership, Motivation and Accountability for High Performance Audits (Michael Binder), 53 Participants, 424 CPE Hours
10. GASB Update (Frank Crawford), 125 Participants, 1000 CPE Hours
11. Skills for Leading and Managing Staff (Patricia Keehley), 83 Participants, 664 CPE Hours
12. Unlock the Secrets to Measuring Agency Performance (Patricia Keehley), 41 Participants, 328 CPE Hours
13. Planning Audits for Results (Michael Binder), 40 Participants, 320 CPE Hours
14. Implementing Internal Controls and Quality Assurance for Program Managers (David Rykken), 136 Participants, 1088 CPE Hours
15. It’s Time For . . . Priority-Based Budgeting (Jeanne Yamamura), 80 Participants, 640 CPE Hours
16. Audit Evidence and Workpapers (Patricia Keehley), 36 Participants, 144 CPE Hours
17. Peer Review — Are You Ready? (Jeanne Yamamura), 32 Participants, 128 CPE Hours
18. Emotional Intelligence and Dealing with Difficult Personalities (Michael Binder), 134 Participants, 536 CPE Hours
19. Analytics: Adding Value to Our Organizations (Greg Matayoshi), 62 Participants, 248 CPE Hours
20. Closing Plenary: Best Practices in Financial and Audit Organizations (Greg Matayoshi), 240 Participants, 960 CPE Hours

The official APIPA 2017 website remains accessible online at http://www.apipa2017.org.  APIPA 2018 will be held in Palau, with dates to be determined.