The California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission and
California Municipal Treasurers Association (CMTA) Present:
Fundamentals of Public Funds Investing
January 28–29, 2026
Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa Orange County
3131 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
This seminar provides the fundamental concepts, tools, and strategies necessary to manage and oversee public investment portfolios. Panelists will address the components of portfolio management, including roles and responsibilities of practitioners, understanding permitted investments, establishing policy objectives, and managing cash flow. In addition, panelists will address structuring and diversifying an investment portfolio, benchmarking, and best practices in portfolio accounting, disclosure, and reporting.
Registration and Pricing
Online registration has closed as of January 12, 2026. Onsite registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional assistance with registration, please contact CMTA at info@cmta.org.
Presentation Materials
Printed versions of the seminar presentations are not provided on the day-of the event. PDF files for the combined presentation and individual sessions are listed below.
Day 1–January 28, 2026 | Day 2–January 29, 2026
- Session 1 | Understanding Roles and Responsibilities of Public Investment Officers, Staff, and Elected Officials
- Session 2 | Investment Terms and Concepts
- Session 3 | California Government Code and Legal Investments
- Session 4 | Investment Policy and Objectives
- Session 5 | From Policy to Construction: Portfolio Structure and Diversification
- Session 6 | Investment Accounting and Disclosure
- Session 7 | Understanding Roles and Responsibilities of Investment Advisors and Broker Dealers
- Session 1 | Utilizing the Asset/Liability Management (ALM) Framework: Practical Approach and Theory
- Session 2 | Benchmarking: A Public Fund Guide to Happiness
- Session 3 | Understanding Investment Pools
- Session 4 | The Day-to-Day Management of a Public Investment Portfolio
- Session 5 | Investment Reporting
Lodging Information
Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa
3131 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
The room block has closed as of January 6, 2026. To book your room at the Crowne Plaza outside of the room block, please visit CMTA’s registration page.
Speakers
- Bret Black, Financial Manager – Debt, Treasury and Special Funding, Eastern Municipal Water District
- Ben Finkelstein, CFA, Managing Director, Hilltop Securities Inc
- Peter Gargiulo, Senior Director, Fitch Ratings
- Steven Goodman-Leibof, Investment Administrator, East Bay Municipal Utility District
- Will Goldthwait, Client Portfolio Manager, State Street Investment Management
- Robert Hannay, Treasury Manager, East Bay Municipal Utility District
- Angelica (Angel) Hernandez, Deputy Executive Director, CDIAC
- Deborah Higgins, President, Higgins Capital Management
- Steve Huntley, Senior Portfolio Strategist, Chandler Asset Management
- John (JJ) Johnson, Retired Assistant Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector, County of San Bernardino
- Jordan Kaufman, Treasurer-Tax Collector, County of Kern
- Jason Klinghoffer, CFA, Principal, MaxQ Analytics
- David Maurice,Investment & Debt Officer, Office of the Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector, County of Sonoma
- Susan Munson, Managing Director - Fixed Income Sales, Academy Securities, Inc.
- Krystle Palmer, City Treasurer, City of Burbank
- Laura Parisi, City Treasurer, City of Laguna Beach
- Rick Philips, Chief Investment Strategist, Meeder Public Funds
- Alayne Marie Sampson, Portfolio Strategy Manager, Chandler Asset Management
- Kevin Shirah, Director of Finance, City of Lake Forest
- Monique Spyke, Managing Director, PFM Asset Management, a Division of U.S. Bancorp Asset Management, Inc.
- Kyle Tanaka, Program Administrator, California Asset Management Program (CAMP)
- Vishal Thacker, CFA, Assistant Treasurer, County of Alameda
- Hubert (Hubie) White, CFA, CTP, Chief Investment Officer, City and County of San Francisco
- Jeff Wurm, Director, Investments Division, California State Treasurer’s Office
Public Funds Investing Resources
Seminar Information
Seminar Policies
- Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be received by December 28, 2025. No cancellations and or refunds will be issued after this date. All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to CMTA staff at info@cmta.org. A $50 cancellation fee applies to all cancellations.
- Agenda Information: CDIAC reserves the right to replace or cancel speakers or make any other changes to the agenda without notice. All information is subject to change.
Certificate and Continuing Education Credits
- Certificate of Attendance: CDIAC will issue a Certificate of Attendance for each day of the program to those who sign in at the registration desk. Certificates will be issued within 2 weeks after the program. Participants can submit their Certificate of Attendance to their governing entity to request credits. CDIAC’s education programs are accepted by many governing entities as certifiable.
- Certified California Municipal Treasurer (CCMT) Designation: Attendees can submit their Certificate of Attendance to the California Municipal Treasurers Association (CMTA) to earn credits towards the CDIAC training requirement of the CCMT designation.
- County Treasurers/Tax Collectors: Under California Government Code Section 27000.8, CDIAC’s educational programs are a source for California county treasurers, tax collectors, or treasurer/tax collectors to obtain continuing education credits.
- Continuing Professional Education (CPE) | Accountants: Please refer to the agenda for additional information on the CPE credits offered for this seminar.
- Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Credits | Attorneys: CDIAC is an approved provider of MCLE credits. MCLE credits are not available for this seminar.
Contact Information
If you have questions about this program, please contact CDIAC at CDIACEducation@treasurer.ca.gov.
