Not-For-Profit Conference

Melisa Galasso is the founder and CEO of Galasso Learning Solutions LLC. A CPA with nearly 20 years of experience in the accounting profession, Melisa designs and facilitates courses in advanced technical accounting and auditing topics, including not-for-profit and governmental accounting. She also supports essential professional development, audit level training, and train the trainer efforts.

Melisa is a Certified Speaking Professional, a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), and has earned the Association for Talent Development Master Trainer™ designation. Her passion for instructional design and adult learning techniques is one of the differentiators that set her apart from other CPE providers.

Within the industry, Melisa serves on the FASB's Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC), AICPA Council, and the VSCPA's Board of Directors. She previously served on the AICPA's Technical Issues Committee (TIC) and is a past-Chair of the NCACPA's A&A committee. Melisa also authors the AICPA's State and Local Government Guide and serves as a SME for the Center for Plain English Accounting.

Fran Leahy, CPA, is a tax services senior manager with KraftCPAs in Nashville, Tenn. She works exclusively with nonprofit clients to perform and oversee tax research, planning, consulting, and compliance services. Her duties also include building and maintaining client relationships and managing/reviewing the work of other team members relating to nonprofit tax issues and the Form 990.

As a licensed CPA in North Carolina and Tennessee, Fran works remotely and on-site with clients in both states.

Fran frequently presents on topics affecting nonprofit entities for clients and organizations including the TSCPA's Governmental and Not-for-Profit Conference, the Arts and Business Council, and the National Business Officers Association. She frequently attends continuing professional education courses made available through her membership in the AICPA's Not-for-Profit Section and The Rainmaker Group's Nonprofit CPAs association. Fran holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from Wofford College and a master's degree in accounting from Appalachian State University. In addition to more than 20 years of public accounting experience, she has five years of internal audit and reimbursement experience with a national healthcare firm and more than three years as a college-level accounting instructor with Belmont University and Appalachian State.

Fran is actively involved in her community through multiple organizations, including as board treasurer for Hammer & Heart, a nonprofit group that repairs homes in the Swannanoa Valley of North Carolina, and through activities at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. Fran enjoys the outdoors, including year-round hiking and backpacking.

Christy N. Tennant is Deputy Director with the Tennessee Comptroller's Division of Investigations. Christy is responsible for overseeing and directing investigations involving fraud, waste and abuse in local governments, state agencies, and other publicly funded entities. Christy has worked with the Comptroller's Office for over 23 years. She has directed investigations, resulting in the discovery of fraud, waste and abuse and the prosecution of public officials and employees. Christy has also worked closely with the TBI, the FBI, local District Attorneys General and local law enforcement groups. A graduate of Tennessee Technological University , Christy is also a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Government Manager and a Certified Fraud Examiner. She provides training to professional groups related to internal controls and fraud.

Melinda DeCorte has 24 years of accounting, auditing and government financial management experience.

Melinda directs, manages, and serves in a quality assurance capacity for engagements conducted in accordance with Government Auditing Standards (GAS). She is experienced in applying applicable Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Government Accountability Office (GAO), and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) methodologies and requirements, as well as ensuring engagement teams comply with applicable professional standards. Additionally, she has extensive advisory experience for multiple governmental agencies, primarily focusing on internal controls and risk assessments, financial statement preparation, financial system implementation, and evaluating agencies for audit readiness and compliance with internal control standards and generally accepted accounting principles.

Prior to her career in public accounting, Melinda served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army, Finance Corps.

Melinda is a member of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). She serves as the Chair of the AGA Professional Ethics Board and as a Director (for Chapters) on AGA's National Governing Board. She also served on the advisory council to the Government Accountability Office in updating the Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government (Green Book), and she has authored several articles in the AGA Journal of Government Financial Management and the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC) Armed Forces Comptroller. A former adjunct professor at the University of Virginia, she regularly speaks on ethics, audit, and internal control at professional development conferences and training seminars.

Melinda graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Major in Economics), and completed an additional 30 semester hours in Accounting at the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Project Management Professional (PMP) and is the Elijah Watts Sells Gold Medal winner with the highest score in the country for the November 2002 Uniform Certified Public Accountant examination

Lisa Bellar is a Senior Contract Audit Review Specialist in the Tennessee Comptroller's division of Local Government Audit. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the division's contract audit review team. In her role she performs technical reviews of audited financial statements for Tennessee's local governments and certain not-for-profit agencies and assists in the review of audit working papers.

Lisa first joined the Comptroller's Office with the division of State Audit after graduating from Austin Peay State University where she majored in accounting and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. After moving out-of-state, she held accounting positions at a university, equipment rental company, and tile manufacturing company. She returned to the Comptroller's Office in 2005 and has 18 years of service with the Comptroller's Office.