This regional seminars are designed to ensure financial staff performing payroll and benefits duties are up to date on best practices, cyber security issues, STRS/SERS updates and legal topics in the areas of FLSA, FMLA, HAS, COBRA, and 403b/457s.
*All regional seminars are in-person with the Central region being offered as a hybrid with zoom links and recording.
Course Name | Speaker(s) | Hours Available | |
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STRS/SERS Update | Patty Gordon, Employer Education Sr. Coordinator, State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), Carlisa Holman, Supervisor-Employer Outreach, School Employees Retirement System (SERS), Todd Wolford, Employer Education Sr. Coordinator, State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), Katie Talbert, Employer Outreach Coordinator, School Employees Retirement System (SERS) | 0.75 | View |
Course Name | Speaker(s) | Hours Available | |
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Payroll Best Practices & Internal Controls | Dawn Jacobs, SFO, MBA, Treasurer/CFO, Van Buren Local SD, Melcie Wells, CFO/Treasurer, Warren Local School District | 1 | View |
Course Name | Speaker(s) | Hours Available | |
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FLSA, FMLA, HSA, Cobra – Legal Update & Other Topics | Immy Singh, Of Counsel, Bricker & Eckler LLP | 1 | View |
Course Name | Speaker(s) | Hours Available | |
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Cybersecurity Inside of Payroll and Benefits Departments | Tom Munson, Sr. Account Executive , DataServ | 1 | View |
Course Name | Speaker(s) | Hours Available | |
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403b/457/ROTH – Do’s and Don’ts | Nory Gonzalez, Regional Vice President, Equitable | 0.75 | View |
STRS Ohio updates and introduction to payroll reporting, service credit reporting, combining service credit for STRS/OPERS/SERS and disability retirement. SERS Employer Outreach will cover proposed change in legislation regarding compensation and benefit capping, updates to enrollment procedures, eSERS upgrade, and on overview of determinations, disability, and combined membership with different Ohio pension systems.
This course will provide essential information to STRS Ohio employers on reporting standards. We will discuss the process of using Employer Self-Service and submitting payroll files in the proper record layout. Employers will learn the disability retirement process, available plans, and a flow chart of the employer process. We will familiarize employers with the process of combining service credit for STRS Ohio and other retirement systems. Finally, employers will have the opportunity to discuss the differences between STRS Ohio and other Ohio retirement systems in a Q/A style format. Employers will become aware of upcoming legislative changes along with due dates for district to implement changes to their reporting processes for enrollment.
Statement of Accreditation Rationale:
Employers are required to complete disability retirement reports, submit electronic payrolls, submit contributions on qualifying compensation, and calculate service credit for STRS Ohio members. Discrepancies in calculations or failure to properly report accurate information in a timely manner can result in penalties. It is critical that attendees understand the process, timing, and calculation process to avoid these penalties. Staying abreast of upcoming changes to District roles and responsibilities for SERS is important to remain current in Employer reporting.
[email protected]
275 E Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 227-2930
Patty Gordon is an Employer Education Sr. Coordinator with State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) of Ohio. She’s been employed with STRS for 11 years, with eight of those years in Employer Education. Prior to working for STRS, Patty was in Human Resources and Payroll. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University. Growing up in Ohio, she has been a lifelong Buckeye fan. She enjoys travelling with her husband and 2 daughters, gardening, baking and listening to music.
[email protected]
300 E Broad St Ste 100
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 222-5962
Carlisa Holman is the Supervisor of Employer Outreach at School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS). She supervises the development of communications and education programs for Employers. She has worked 20 years at SERS, prior to joining the Employer Services Department, Carlisa worked in the Member Services Department where she provided retirement education for the members and retirees.
[email protected]
275 E Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 227-8659
Todd Wolford is an Employer Education Sr. Coordinator with STRS Ohio, where he develops and hosts training opportunities to assist STRS Ohio employers in all aspects of employer reporting.
Todd has worked with STRS Ohio for over 14 years and prior to his current position Todd was a Retirement Reporting Specialist and a Sr Reporting Coordinator where he became an expert in annual reporting, retirement reporting, and payroll reporting.
In his free-time Todd enjoys coaching youth sports in the Columbus area and spending time with his family.
[email protected]
300 E Broad St Ste 100
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 340-1090
Katie Talbert has served in Employers Services at the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) for 12 years. She currently serves as an Employer Outreach Specialist at SERS.
She provides customer service to employers who call with inquiries regarding their roles and responsibilities as well as conducts both virtual and in-person trainings. She also has been instrumental in creating a variety of instructional guides for employers and web tutorials to help train employers.
Talbert graduated from Ohio Dominican University with a Bachelor of Science in Business degree.
[email protected]
217 S Main St
Van Buren, OH 45889
Phone: (419) 299-3863 x103
Dawn is the Treasurer/CFO for Van Buren Local School District. She had been Treasurer/CFO for Huron City Schools since August 2014 before joining Van Buren Local in November.
Jacobs began her career in educational finance as assistant treasurer for Anthony Wayne Local Schools in 1993 and has worked in finance for a variety of Ohio school districts since, including the Lucas County Educational Service Center, Bucyrus City School District and Otsego Local School District.
Jacobs earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration and a master’s of business administration from Heidelberg University. She also holds an Ohio School treasurer’s license from the Ohio Department of Education and a School Finance and Operations Certification through the Association of School Business Officials International.
[email protected]
220 Sweetapple Road
Vincent, OH 45784
Phone: 740.678.2366 (114)
A public school Treasurer for almost 10 years, Melcie has established herself as a respected colleague that strives in leadership and collaboration. A 1993 graduate of Waterford High School, a 1996 graduate of Marietta College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting, Melcie started her career in the newspaper industry serving as the accountant for the Gannett owned Marietta Times in Marietta, Ohio. In 1999, she decided to further her education and in 2000, became a graduate of Ohio University with a Master’s of Science in Accounting.
In 2000, Melcie accepted a position with the Local Government Services division of the Ohio State Auditor’s Office, working out of the Athens regional office. Over the next eight years, Melcie worked with various governmental entities assisting and or completing GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) conversions, five-year forecasts, PAFR’s, training of governmental finance officials, and creating training manuals.
In 2008, Melcie accepted her first Treasurer’s position in her home school district, Warren Local in Vincent, Ohio. In 2011, Melcie accepted an additional position with Fort Frye Local Schools as their Treasurer and served both District’s through a shared services agreement for 2 years. Melcie still serves as the Treasurer at Warren Local currently.
Melcie resides in Marietta with her husband of twenty-four years, Phil and two of their children, Kody and Kali. Their third son, Kyle, resides in Marietta as well with his wife, Abbie.
[email protected]
100 S. 3rd Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 227-4904
Immy Singh is an experienced attorney who has provided effective legal counsel for more than 12 years in the public sector, specifically in education law. She advises executive leaders on a wide range of legal and policy issues and is well-versed in communicating and interacting with senior executives and government officials at all levels. Knowledgeable in state and federal regulations that impact K-12 schools and public agencies, she is eager to collaborate with clients to offer leadership and direction for both routine and complex legal needs in the education industry.
Former Chief Legal Counsel with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), Immy advised the State Board of Education, the State Superintendent and ODE on statutory and regulatory matters. Coordinating with the Ohio Attorney General’s office, she managed all phases of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, trial and settlement. Additional legal experience in this role included advice regarding COVID-19school closures, implementation of legislative enactments, contract negotiations, public records, ethics, and overseeing internal labor and employment matters.
[email protected]
31280 Viking Parkway
Westlake, Ohio 44145
Phone: (440) 455-1428
Tom Munson is a Sr. Account Executive with DataServ. He has held numerous sales, sales leadership, product management and channel program positions with various technology organizations. Tom has spent most of his 35 plus year career working in the public sector with focus on education.
Nory.Gonzalez equitable.com
525 Washington Blvd Ste 34
Jersey City, NJ 07310
Phone: ( 513) 264-2105
Background:
- 20+ years in the financial services industry
- FINRA Series 7, 63
- B.A. from State University of New York at Albany
Knowledge and Experience:
- New business development in higher education, healthcare, K-12 and not-for-profit/501(c)(3) markets
- Employer retirement benefit strategies, 403(b), 457(b) and 401(a) plans
- Investment options and multiple recordkeeping platforms