Matt Sullivan - Municipal Finance Specialist
Matt Sullivan is a Municipal Finance Specialist at Government Capital Corporation, a nationwide public finance company, headquartered in Southlake, Texas. His efforts have been focused largely on providing tailored financing solutions to a variety of Texas special districts including development corporations, water districts, library districts, and more. Projects have included real estate development, vehicle and equipment acquisitions, and infrastructure improvements.
Government Capital Corporation is a leading public finance firm providing professional financial services to all local governmental entities. Since its founding in 1992, the company and its affiliates have successfully completed thousands of municipal financings exceeding $7 billion in Texas and across the country.
Matt is a 2009 graduate of Lake Dallas High School, and a 2018 graduate of Bryan University in Tempe, AZ.
He served six years in the US Army (2009-2015) with duty in Ft. Hood, TX, Iraq, Kuwait, and Ft. Campbell, KY.
John & Ryan Swaim - Swaim Accounting Services, Inc.
John has over 29 years of accounting and financial management experience, including more than 20 years in public accounting serving clients across local, regional, and national firms. His experience spans audit, assurance, and consulting engagements for governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and small to mid-sized businesses. He has been a CPA since 2004.
In addition to his public accounting background, John spent nine years as Chief Financial Officer for a large multi-campus church in New Mexico, where he oversaw financial operations, budgeting, and strategic planning. A veteran of the New Mexico Air National Guard, he served for 23 years and retired as a Senior Master Sergeant. Outside of work, John enjoys spending time with his wife, Christine, and their four children—Ryan, Abigail, Hannah, and Ethan. He also enjoys golf, grilling, riding his horse, Dollar, and enjoying a weekly happy hour with friends.
Ryan joined Swaim Accounting Services in February 2026 to help lead the firm’s growth strategy and expand its audit and advisory capabilities. Prior to joining SAS, Ryan has over seven years of public accounting experience with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the North Texas private audit practice, including more than two years as an audit manager. He has managed audit engagements across various industries, including nonprofit organizations, online education services, steel manufacturing, oil and gas, and manufacturing and distribution. He has been a CPA since 2019. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys grilling, playing guitar, and spending time with family and friends.
Firm Bio
Swaim Accounting Services, Inc. (“SAS”) was founded in 2019 by John Swaim, CPA. The firm provides comprehensive accounting, assurance, and advisory services to clients throughout Texas and New Mexico. SAS delivers audit, tax, bookkeeping, and consulting solutions to a diverse client base, emphasizing integrity, responsiveness, and personalized attention.
Industries Served
• Nonprofit organizations and foundations
• Homeowners ’associations (HOAs)
• Construction, contracting, and alarm monitoring services
• Manufacturing and distribution companies
• Municipalities and governmental districts
• Employee benefit plans
• Small businesses and individual clients
Core Services
• Audit & Assurance: Financial statement audits, reviews, and agreed-upon procedures for nonprofits, HOAs, and governmental entities.
• Tax Services: Federal and state income tax preparation and planning for individuals and businesses.
• Bookkeeping & Advisory: Monthly financial reporting, payroll services, and accounting system implementation and support.
• Consulting: Internal control evaluations, financial analysis, and management advisory services.
Ryan Fortner - President and CEO, Revenue Management Service
The Power of a Penny: How Texas Sales Tax Funds Local Priorities
Ryan began his career in 2007 as a sales tax data analyst and Ad Valorem tax consultant. He initially worked with Municipal Utility Districts to verify that Strategic Partnership Agreement allocations were accurate, participating businesses were properly accounted for, and any errors were corrected promptly. In 2012, he shifted his focus to Special Purpose Districts. Starting with Improvement Districts, he expanded the company’s work to include Emergency Services Districts, Cities, County Assistance Districts, Developer Reimbursement Agreement repayments, and support for new sales tax creations within SPDs. Revenue Management Services focuses primarily on data analysis and allocation recovery. Ryan ensures that each client receives the specific services unique to their needs. More recently, the company created a secondary branch that helps local businesses establish proper sales tax permits and manage remittances to ensure accuracy for both clients and taxpayers. December 2026 will mark his 19thyear in business.
Melissa Sullinger - HR Client Success Consultant
Melissa Sullinger, MPA, MSCJ, SHRM-SCP is a respected public-sector human resources executive with more than 25 years of experience leading strategic human resources, risk management, employee relations, compensation, classification, and organizational development initiatives for municipalities throughout Texas. Over the course of her career, she has built a strong reputation for helping public agencies navigate complex workforce challenges while aligning human capital strategies with organizational goals and community priorities. Her expertise spans talent management, organizational assessments, compensation and classification studies, policy development, labor and employee relations, performance management, succession planning, and leadership development.
Throughout her career, Melissa has held senior leadership roles with the Cities of Pearland, Waco, Baytown, Allen and Mansfield, where she has led complex compensation and classification studies, succession planning initiatives, self-insured benefits and risk programs, and workforce modernization efforts. Known as a trusted advisor, she brings a practical, data-driven approach to solving workforce challenges and developing high-performing organizations.
Melissa holds a Master of Public Administration from Texas Tech University, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Hygiene and Safety from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. She is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and an active member of SHRM and the Texas Municipal Human Resources Association.
Currently serving as an HR Client Success Consultant with CPS HR Consulting, she partners with state and local government agencies across the Southern Region to provide expert guidance on a wide range of human resources needs and strategic initiatives. In this role, she works closely with state, city, county and district leaders, HR professionals, and executive management teams to identify workforce challenges, develop practical solutions, and implement best practices that strengthen organizational effectiveness. Her work includes assisting clients in determining needs for compensation and classification programs, organizational and staffing assessments, HR compliance, recruitment and retention strategies, employee relations matters, and long-term workforce planning.
Known for her collaborative approach and commitment to public service, she brings a unique combination of municipal leadership experience and consulting expertise to every engagement. Her focus on building strong client partnerships and delivering practical, results-oriented solutions enables agencies to strengthen their workforce, improve organizational effectiveness, and better serve their communities.
Jerrel Conerly - Cybersecurity Advisor
Building a Resilient Cybersecurity Strategy with CISA
Jerrel Conerly is a Cybersecurity Advisor for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Region 6, in Houston, TX. with the charge of helping critical infrastructure owners and operators protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats and enhance resilience through voluntary and non-regulatory collaboration. This includes private sector owners, operators, and employees; state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) officials; and other federal agencies.
Mr. Conerly previously served as an Information System Security Officer with the Department of Veteran Affairs, as the designated Lead in support of the Financial Services Center in Austin, TX. He developed technical solutions, guidance, and specifications for the National Data Center security program. His focus areas included Data Centers, Data Systems/Services, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, Cloud Security, Storage Area Networks, Virtual Desktop and Infrastructure (VDI), Application Security, Change Management, Risk Management, Continuity of Operations (COOP), Disaster Recovery, Blockchain and Robotic Process Automation
Ann A. Terry – Chief Executive Officer, SDACO
Ann Terry, an attorney, has been the CEO since 2009 for the Special District Association of Colorado, a membership organization with over 2,800 district members. Under her direction, SDA provides membership training, policy development and lobbying for special districts. Ms. Terry is also the president of the National Special District Association.
Ms. Terry attended the University of Iowa for her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with minors in History and English, and Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. She has extensive lobbying experience along with 30 years of law practice. Ms. Terry was the Deputy Director of the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council and worked as the Legislative Liaison for the Colorado Department of Public Safety.
She has also served as a prosecutor in Colorado. Ms. Terry has been an adjunct professor for The University of Denver Law School, Buena Vista University, several community colleges in Iowa and assisted trial teams at the University of Iowa Law School trial advocacy program. She has been active in Colorado legislation
and public policy.
You can contact Ann Terry at 303-863-1733 or ann.terry@sdaco.org
