Series Overview
Learn more about the electric utility business, understand the foundations of public utility accounting, review how to coordinate operations and finance processes to accurately account for projects, and examine the more complicated aspects of accounting theory and practice in these popular-and practical-courses that will help you in your day-to-day work. Learn about industry trends, new accounting standards, and strategies for ensuring future financial success.
This series of three, in-depth virtual courses, provides progressive training for utility accounting and finance personnel. Earn CPE credits for attending live sessions! Sign up for courses individually or together for a discounted, bundled rate:
- Public Utility Accounting: November 6, 7, 19, 2024 (3 hours each)
- Electric Work Order & Fixed Asset Accounting: January 8 and 9, 2025 (3 hours each)
- Advanced Public Utility Accounting: January 29, 30, February 5, 6, 2025 (3 hours each)
All events will be recorded, and attendees will automatically receive access to the recordings (accessible for 90 days).
Who Should Attend?
Utility accounting, finance, and operations personnel who are looking for a progressive track of training in public utility accounting and work order processes.
Course Levels
Course levels range from basic to intermediate as you progress through the training. There are no prerequisites, and no advance preparation is required.
Accreditation
Continuing education credits (CEUs, CPEs, and PHDs) will be provided for each session. See individual course pages for details.
Instructors
Russ Hissom, CPA, is a consultant for Baker Tilly and principal of Utility Accounting & Rates Specialists. Russ has over 35 years of power and utilities, accounting and finance experience. He provides utility accounting, cost of service, rates, financial analysis consulting, and expert witness testimony for rate cases and accounting matters. His goal is to help your organization deliver effective and reliable utility services to your customers by maximizing the efficiencies in your accounting, rates, and business processes. He has authored dozens of articles on power and utilities accounting and rates issues and co-authored industry financial and governance-related textbooks. Russ is an instructor for several APPA Academy courses and a frequent speaker at national industry conferences.
Dan La Haye, CPA, has been a Director with Baker Tilly for over 13 years, serving on the energy and utilities team. Dan specializes in providing auditing, accounting, and consulting services to utilities around the country. His areas of expertise include conducting financial risk assessments and internal control evaluations; preparing financial forecasts, cash flow projections and rate studies for utilities; assisting clients with implementing new Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards; and providing recommendations for process improvements and efficiencies. Dan is also involved in number of electric, water, and wastewater organizations, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and several state accounting associations.
Bethany Ryers, CPA, MAS, has been a Principal in Baker Tilly's energy practice for 18 years, with a focus on assurance and advisory services for power and utility organizations. Bethany has helped some of the country’s largest public power systems implement the latest governmental accounting standards. She is involved with a number of state electric, water and wastewater organizations and is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and several state accounting associations. Bethany is co-author of the APPA Advanced Public Utility Accounting publication and is a frequent speaker at industry events.
Ryan Theiler, CPA, is a Manager in Baker Tilly's energy practice with a focus on assurance and advisory services for power and utility organizations. Ryan specializes in providing financial statement audit services to power organization as well as water and wastewater organizations. Ryan is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Questions?
- Registration/Billing: Registration@PublicPower.org
- Schedule/Content/Accreditation: EducationInfo@PublicPower.org
Registration
Registration Fees
Registration is for individual access. If you have multiple people interested in attending, group discounts are available.
| Members* | |
| Bundled Series - Includes All Three Courses (save $300!) | $2,195 |
| Individual Courses | |
|
$895 |
|
$595 |
|
$995 |
| *Non-member rates are double the member rates. | |
Group Discounts
Save money when your organization registers five or more people for the same class or the bundled series. The larger your group, the more you save! Registrations must be submitted on the same order (at the same time) to qualify for the group discount; discounts cannot be retroactively applied to previous orders.
If you need assistance, contact Registration@PublicPower.org.
| Number of Registrants | Discount (Per Person) | Discount Per Person – Bundled Series |
|
1-4 |
n/a | n/a |
|
5-9 |
$50 | $150 |
|
10-14 |
$100 | $300 |
| 15-24 | $150 | $450 |
| 25+ | $200 | $600 |
Cancellations/No-Show/Refunds/Substitutions
All events will be recorded, and attendees will automatically receive a copy of the recordings, in case you can’t attend live.
Registrants who cancel in writing at least 7 days before the first day of a course are entitled to a refund of their registration fee, minus a $100 cancellation fee. Registrants who cancel after that will not receive a refund, but attendee substitutions will be allowed for this event only. Registrants and no-shows who do not cancel at least 7 days before the course start date are responsible for the full registration fee and are not entitled to a refund.
Cancellation deadlines:
- Accounting Fundamentals Series (all 3 classes): Cancellations must be received on/before October 30
- Public Utility Accounting: Cancellations must be received on/before October 30
- Electric Work Order & Fixed Asset Accounting: Cancellations must be received on/before January 1
- Advanced Public Utility Accounting: Cancellations must be received on/before January 22
Cancellation requests should be made through your My.PublicPower portal, or addressed to: Registration@PublicPower.org
Accreditation
Earn While You Learn!
Participate in virtual programs to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs), Professional Development Hours (PDHs) and Continuing Professional Education credits (CPEs).
What educational credits are available?
You can earn the following kinds of continuing education credits for attending live sessions—provided the following requirements are met:
Requirements for Successful Completion: Virtual
- Registration is for individual access, so each person participating must register. If you have multiple people interested in attending, group discounts are available.
- Individuals are required to attend and actively participate in 90% of each live session and complete an online evaluation after the last session in a course.
- Attendance: Individuals must attend at least 90% of each live session (based on electronic timestamps in Zoom).
- Participation: Active participation in class will include engagement activities such as: polling/check-in questions, Kahoot quizzes, group discussions, breakout sessions, and in-class exercises.
- Activities vary by class: Information on participation will be provided the day before (and during) class. Participation is tracked electronically.
- Online evaluation: Each person must complete an online evaluation after the course concludes.
- Partial credit cannot be given for partial attendance.
- Attendance is monitored by an APPA staff member during the event, through an online report log, and upon review of the post-event evaluation data
- Completion certificates will be available within two weeks of the last session in a live event (for those who meet the requirements) through your APPA member portal (access instructions will be provided).
- Virtual sessions are recorded (attendees automatically receive access to recordings within a week of the last session), though continuing education credits can only be given for attending live events. Recordings will be accessible for 90 days after the last session.
Guidelines for group participation in virtual events
- If a group is participating in a conference room together, we recommend each person still logs in individually from a laptop to ensure attendance and participation requirements are met (as noted above).
- If individual log in is not possible, the organization must designate one person as the main point of contact. Email EducationInfo@PublicPower.org in advance of the virtual event noting this information
- This person will record attendance in the room in the room (we can provide a sample attendance tracker) and ensure attendance and participation from the group throughout.
- Submit the attendance record to APPA within 2 business days of the conclusion of a virtual event.
- Ensure each person fills out the required online evaluation
Continuing Education Units (CEUs): The American Public Power Association is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. For information regarding certification status, attendance requirements and obtaining attendee transcripts, contact EducationInfo@PublicPower.org. Verify our IACET Accreditation.
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits: The American Public Power Association is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.NASBAregistry.com. Unless noted, there are no prerequisites for the courses offered and no advance preparation is required. Courses are group-internet based offerings at the basic program level (unless otherwise noted). Credit hours and areas of study for the courses are listed on the individual course pages. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as clarification of requirements, complaints, and refunds, please contact EducationInfo@PublicPower.org.
Professional Development Hours (PDHs): The American Public Power Association’s educational practices are consistent with the criteria for awarding Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as established by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Course eligibility and number of PDHs may vary by state.
Questions?
- Registration/Billing: Registration@PublicPower.org
- Schedule/Content/Accreditation: EducationInfo@PublicPower.org
Additional Information
Format and Log-In Information
These classes will be offered on the Zoom meeting platform.
Communication
- 24 hours after registering: You’ll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of registering, which contains some preliminary information.
- 24 hours before:
- You’ll receive your Zoom log in link the day before the first session in a course (sent from the APPA Academy’s Zoom account <no-reply@zoom.us>)
- You’ll also receive a final logistics email 24 hours in advance of the first class.
- If you don’t receive this, email EducationInfo@PublicPower.org.
Course Materials and Recordings
- Zoom Links: Zoom log in credentials will be sent out 24 hours before the start of the first session in a class.
- Course materials: Attendees will receive access to course materials the day before each session through the "Documents" section of their My.PublicPower.org user portal.
- Recordings: All sessions will be recorded and can be accessed through your user portal as well (within a week of the last class in the program), in case you can’t attend the live versions. Recordings will be accessible for 90 days after the last session. Note: Continuing education credits can only be issued for attending live sessions.
Technology Requirements
- Zoom Meeting Application: Attendees are required to have strong Internet access, in order to run the Zoom meeting platform. Please see below for more information on downloading the Zoom Web Client.
- Audio/Webcam: You will need to enable computer audio to listen and speak (alternatively a call-in number will be provided) and you will also need a webcam, so you can fully engage in the small group breakout sessions and group discussions.
New to Zoom?
If you haven't participated in a Zoom meeting before, please download the Zoom web client from the Zoom Download Center. This will enable you to access all of the Zoom tools and functionality vs. using the web version. Then, visit Zoom.us/test to ensure you are able to join a meeting.
If you are not able to download the Zoom web client, you can still participate via your Internet browser. We recommend using Chrome for the best results.
Privacy and Security
The American Public Power Association takes your privacy and security very seriously. For this reason, we have put the following security measures in place for this course:
- A random Meeting ID
- Password-protected
- Enabled waiting room to screen meeting participants
- Restricted screen sharing to hosts only
Questions?
- Registration/Billing: Registration@PublicPower.org
- Schedule/Content/Accreditation: EducationInfo@PublicPower.org
