GFOA’s annual conference welcomes attendees from across North America, including almost all states, provinces, and U.S. territories. GFOA also hosts delegations from several other countries, who bring unique perspectives but common values and experiences as leaders in public finance from across the world.

GFOA’s international program started in 1988, when former GFOA CEO Jeff Esser met Amir Bartov at a Sister Cities conference in Jerusalem. Amir was in charge of the Municipal Finance Directors Association (MDFA) of Israel, and Jeff invited him to attend a GFOA conference. Amir attended that year, and thereafter, GFOA started sending delegations to the MFDA’s annual conference. In turn, MFDA also started sending a delegation to the GFOA conference.

Amir’s vision of bringing countries together to share information was the impetus of the international program. In Israel, municipal finance officers were just starting to get organized and provide training, and they were eager to work with their counterparts in the United States and Canada.

• Publication date: October 2022