We had a great time at NAFOA’s 35th Annual Conference in San Francisco this week. The two-day conference was full of knowledgeable speakers, delicious luncheons, the Orange Book release, a reception with a great view, the 10th Annual Leadership Awards, and so many amazing people and organizations.
Phil Glynn, president, and Bryan Schuler, vice president for housing development, joined me in San Francisco. As people came by our booth, we chatted about economic development and housing opportunities. We also gave away some goodies – we hope everyone had a comfortable flight home with their new airplane pillow (complete with a Travois logo)!
On Monday afternoon, Phil spoke on a panel about planning sustainable communities through smart development. If you have additional questions for Phil, send him an email — he’s happy to walk you through the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) process to help you reach your community goals.
The President’s Reception was hosted in the hotel’s Cityscape lounge on the 46th floor. The space had floor-to-ceiling windows and a 360-view of the city. Through a little bit of fog, you could see the Golden Gate Bridge! It was a great setting to end the day with new friends.
The 10th Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon took place on Tuesday. Awards are given to honor tribal leaders and finance professionals for their outstanding contributions to improving economic conditions in Indian Country.
NAFOA released the Financial Reporting and Information Guide for Tribal Governments and Their Enterprises, also called the Orange Book, at the conference. The Orange Book provides sample tribe-wide financial statements, answers to common government and enterprise-activity scenarios, and discussions on pensions and taxation.
To close out the two-days of learning and networking, NAFOA organized a group tailgate and invited the crowd out to watch some Giants baseball together. Great planning, NAFOA!
Congrats on another successful event!