April 2025 Hybrid Luncheon

When: Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Time: Doors open at 11:30am EDT. Program is from 12:00pm to 1:00pm EDT

Where: Clyde's of Gallery Place, 707 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20001 and Virtual via Zoom

This event will take place in the Piedmont room of Clyde's Restaurant. Lunch and beverages will be served prior to the training. The Gallery Place parking garage can be accessed at 736 6th Street NW. See cost section below regarding parking validation. Clyde's is also a five-minute walk from the Gallery Place Chinatown metro station.

Cost: $15 in-person for AGA members, $40 in-person for non-AGA members, $5 for virtual attendees, free for volunteers. SPECIAL PROMOTION: $15 for 1st time in-person non-AGA members.

Parking validation at the Gallery Place parking garage (mentioned above) is at a 50% discount for the first two hours and drops to 25% afer 2 hours. No discount on validation after 4 hours.

Speakers: John Lynskey, Deputy CFO and Controller and Rafael Cotto, Internal Controls Program Manager, Smithsonian Institution

Speaker Biography: John Lynskey is the DCFO and Controller of the Smithsonian Institution. At the Smithsonian, John oversees the daily financial and accounting operations of the Institution. He is responsible for the institution's financial reporting and financial statements (federal, trust, and endowment), treasury activities, cash management, payment activities, and official financial records. Treasury activities include short and mid-term investments, bond management, trust advances, and debt ratings. He is also responsible for risk management, internal controls, and ERM. He supports audit activities and oversight activities of the Regents Audit and Review and Finance Committees. He advises senior leadership and unit management on financial issues and provides customer support to the finance community across the institution.

In September, John retired from the U. S. National Science Foundation (NSF) after 31 years of federal service. He served for over 20 years as the Controller and Deputy Division Director for Financial Management at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and in the Senior Executive Service. As NSF’s “Controller” he was responsible for fiscal stewardship of NSF’s daily financial operations including financial statements, financial reporting, accounting operations, grant payments and grant financial administration, internal controls, and NSF’s financial system. As controller of a $10 billion CFO Act agency, he led NSF programs for internal control, improper payments, financial audit,s and strategic financial initiatives. He also oversees NSF’s cloud-based, FedRamp-certified financial system and spearheads grantee financial outreach to NSF’s 1,700 institution customers. Under his stewardship, NSF was a government leader in sustained success in obtaining “clean” audit opinions and in financial reporting excellence.

Prior to joining NSF, John served eight years with the U.S. Secret Service where he developed the Secret Service’s first financial statements and a detailed budget model for protective events. He held several positions related to financial management, budgeting, and administration both under the CFO and in protective operations. John was part of the security teams for events such as political conventions, United Nations General Assemblies, the State of the Union Address, and the Olympics. His time with the Secret Service instilled in him traits that make him worthy of trust and confidence at all times.

Prior to his federal government service, John worked in the private sector for Deloitte, Haskins, and Sells (currently Deloitte).

John has been very active in The Association of Government Accountants (AGA), serving in many positions culminating as AGA National President in 2018-2019. As National President, he transformed the governance structure setting AGA up for long-term success along with expanding the certification and student programs.

John graduated with honors in 1989 from James Madison University in Virginia with a BBA degree in Accounting. John is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).

John and his wife Elizabeth have two daughters. John makes his home on the Maryland Chesapeake Bay, where he enjoys the salt air life, crabbing, and fishing.

Rafael Cotto serves as the Internal Controls Program Manager at the Smithsonian Institution, where he leads initiatives to enhance accountability, risk awareness, and operational resilience through effective internal controls. With 33 years of project management experience across various federal agencies, Rafael has significant expertise in financial management policy, audit, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), and internal controls to improve organizational outcomes.

Before his current role, Rafael was instrumental in developing policy, managing audits, and implementing the Data Analytics and Assurance Program at the National Science Foundation. There, he applied ERM and internal control principles to enhance decision-making and risk oversight. He holds a certification in Enterprise Risk Management for the Public Sector from George Washington University and a Master’s in Business Administration.

Presentation Topic: Smithsonian 101 with a Financial Emphasis

Instructional Delivery Method: Group-Live

Target Audience: All finance, auditing, and accounting professionals working in, or providing support to the federal government.

Program Level: Basic

Advance Preparation: No prerequisites or advanced preparation are required for this program.

CPE Credit: AGA members can receive 1 NASBA CPE credit with confirmed in-person and virtual attendance. Credits will be granted based on a 50-minute hour. CPEs may or may not meet the criteria required by your state CPA governing body for continuing professional education. All attendees should check with their licensing boards on whether these will be accepted for continuing professional education credit.

Refund Policy: There are no refunds.

John Lynskey

Rafael Cotto

Host or Publisher [email protected]