Insight in Indian Country Podcast
Trusted Expertise to Serve Tribal Nations
GASB, GASB, GASB! (Or should we say, SIGH…?)
If there’s one thing we know about governmental accounting standards it’s that things change. This episode, REDW Principal and National Tribal Practice Leader Wes Benally and Audit & Assurance Principal Chris Bitakis are looking into future GASB implementations that will likely be affecting Tribal governments and enterprises. What will you need to consider to get ready for upcoming changes? Tune in to get in the loop on what’s around the corner and for insights on current reporting requirements.
Have a question or want to request a discussion topic for our podcast? Connect with Wes.
REDW LLC is proud to bring you the Insight in Indian Country Podcast, covering important advisory, accounting, and finance topics that impact Tribal Nations and business affairs. Thanks for listening!
Meet Your Hosts
Wesley Ryan Benally, CPA
REDW Principal and National Tribal Practice Leader
As the leader of REDW’s National Tribal Practice, Wes is committed to improving financial literacy throughout Indian Country and hosts the Insight in Indian Country Podcast. He oversees audits of a wide range for Native American communities, state and local government agencies, and non-profits, nationwide, is a member of the Arizona State Board of Accountancy’s Peer Review Oversight Advisory Committee and serves as an instructor with Arizona State University’s American Indian Policy Institute. In addition, as a Board member for a tribal gaming entity that operates in two states, Wes keeps up with regulatory issues important to tribal gaming operations. Wes is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
Christopher J. Bitakis, CPA, CGFM, CGMA
REDW Principal, Audit & Assurance
In his 15+ years of experience in public accounting, Chris Bitakis has focused primarily on serving the financial and compliance needs of Native American tribes. As an Audit & Assurance Principal, he provides comprehensive financial and compliance assurance services for tribal casinos and other tribal enterprises, as well as financial and federal program compliance audit services for tribal governments.
Chris shares his broad expertise regularly conducting training classes for tribal gaming commission personnel, and as a frequent speaker at seminars, conferences and training events, including the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Tradeshow and Convention.
Compensation Studies—Your Key to Hiring & Retaining Top Talent.
It’s important to attract—and retain—the best employees to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of your tribal organization. And given an exceptionally competitive labor market and the usual budget constraints, this means basing your employee compensation and benefits programs on relevant and reliable data.
More from Insight in Indian Country
- Paving the Way for Growth: NMSCPA 2nd Annual Tribal ConferenceWes Benally is joined by fellow REDW Principals Victor Flores and Chris Henderson to touch on conference topics including tribal economics, entrepreneurship, and impact investing with native-owned businesses.
- May 16th – NMSCPA’s Second Annual Tribal ConferenceREDW is proud to co-sponsor this half-day Conference on Tribal Enterprise economics for tribal leaders and those involved with tribal and tribal-run businesses
- Investment Intelligence: Decoding What Matters in Global MarketsA panel of Financial Planning professionals from REDW Wealth will share their insights on the global economy and the markets, past and present.
- NAFOA 42nd Annual ConferenceFrom April 29-30, REDW will be joining with tribes, state and federal government officials, and leading industry experts to discuss the latest economic issues in Indian Country.
- Reducing Risks in Retirement Plan Management with Paul Madrid, CPA®, CFP®, AIFA®This episode, Wes Benally and Paul Madrid discuss the Tribal fiduciary role and reducing risk in the management of employer-sponsored retirement plans.
