ABFM Plenary: The New Fiscal Federalism: Increasing State and Local Responsibilities and Financial Burden in the Face of Federal Retrenchment

The Volcker Alliance will host the plenary panel at the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM) annual conference.

This year’s conference will have a distinct interest in collaborative budgeting for effective and ethical government outcomes and will focus on topics such as horizontal and vertical fiscal relationships across sectors; the complex world of grants and contracts; networked public service delivery; and collaborative fiscal responses to crisis events.

Panelists will discuss changes and challenges emerging around the federal-state-local fiscal relationship, and any strategies that states and localities are or can implement to mitigate the associated fiscal risks.

Moderator: Noah Winn-Ritzenberg, Senior Director of Public Finance at the Volcker Alliance

Panelists:

Carolyn Bourdeaux
Executive Director at Concord Coalition and Concord Coalition Action Fund, and former US Representative (D-GA)

 Dr. Carolyn Bourdeaux is the Executive Director of Concord Coalition and Concord Coalition Action Fund, where she is building a grassroots movement to advocate for fiscal responsibility, including working to balance the federal budget and cut the $36 trillion national debt.

Dr. Bourdeaux served as a Democratic Member of Congress from Georgia from 2021-2022 after winning one of the most competitive races in the country. During her time in Congress, Dr. Bourdeaux worked with the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and served as Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility and Government Reform. She led bipartisan efforts to advance solutions to our nation’s fiscal challenges through responsible budgeting reform and requiring Congress to pay for programs. She also led policy work on health care, small business, and infrastructure. Dr. Bourdeaux is a contributing columnist to the Atlanta Journal Constitution and a Senior Visiting Scholar at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Bourdeaux is an expert in national, state, and local public finance. Prior to entering politics, she was a professor at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Among her many accomplishments, she served as Director of Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office during the Great Recession, where she received recognition by the Senate for significant service to the State of Georgia (S.Res. 1598).

Emily Brock
Director of the Federal Liaison Center at the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)

Emily Brock serves as Director of GFOA’s Federal Liaison Center. Emily leads coalition and advocacy efforts of the Public Finance Network in Washington DC. Her advocacy includes anticipating and responding to federal legislative and regulatory activities that impact the finance functions of state and local governments and public sector entities, including tax reform, municipal securities disclosure, and public pension and benefit issues. Emily also serves as staff on GFOA’s Debt Committee, working with committee members to develop best practices that promote sound financial practices for local, state, and provincial governments.

Shelby Kerns
Executive Director at the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO)

Shelby Kerns serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of State Budget Officers. Prior to coming to NASBO, Kerns served as Deputy Director at the Idaho Department of Labor, having previously worked in the Idaho Division of Financial Management from 2009-2019 (the state's budget office). In her prior position as Budget Bureau Chief, she led staff in developing, presenting, and advocating for the Governor’s Executive Budget. As a past member of NASBO, Kerns served for two years on the association’s Executive Committee. Earlier in her career, Kerns was executive director of the Idaho Rural Partnership, program director at the Idaho Association of Realtors, and assistant executive director of the Idaho Wool Growers Association. Kerns received a master’s degree in business administration from Northwest Nazarene University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Idaho.

Kerns was a Guardian ad litem for children in foster care from 2000-2020; a Family Advocates Board Member from 2016-2019; the 2015 Tribute to Women and Industry Award Recipient; and Idaho Business Review Women of the Year Recipient in 2009.

Teryn Zmuda
Chief Research Officer and Chief Economist at the National Association of Counties (NACo)

Teryn Zmuda is the chief research officer and chief economist at the National Association of Counties (NACo), overseeing the Programs and Practices Division and the Research and Data Analytics Division. Teryn leads efforts to promote NACo as a thought leader, leveraging research and best practices to elevate the county role across the spectrum of local government authorities and policy implementation, within the nation’s intergovernmental system. She also leads NACo's economic analysis, representing the county perspective in federal policy, and guides the development of the issue-focused programmatic work, including peer learning networks and cohorts. Teryn holds an M.A. in applied economics from George Washington University and a B.A. in sociology from the University of Maryland.