AGA Boston Chapter - Many Faces of Fraud Seminar 2026

Zack Fentross Related Seminars and Products

CPA

CLA Manager

Zack has more than 14 years of experience specializing in providing auditing and accounting services to governmental entities throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of New Hampshire. Zack has annually performed approximately 25 audits and assurance engagements throughout the Commonwealth and State of New Hampshire. He has an in-depth understanding of light departments in the Commonwealth, as well as governmental accounting and auditing standards.

Tom Cesso Related Seminars and Products

CISO

MA Exec. Office of Administration & Finance

Thomas Cesso is Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Administration & Finance (A&F). He is also faculty member at Boston University School of Law, where he teaches Cybersecurity & Privacy in the Banking and Tax LLM program.

Mr. Cesso brings deep expertise in cybersecurity, technology, risk, and compliance across higher education, state government, and the private sector. He most recently served as Lead for Risk & Compliance for the BEST Program at the Massachusetts Office of the Comptroller and previously held the role of CISO at Salem State University.

He chaired the Higher Education Information Security Officer Council, a consortium dedicated to cybersecurity collaboration across Massachusetts colleges and universities. As Principal Investigator, Mr. Cesso secured $1.2 million to establish a Cybersecurity Lab at Salem State University.

His public service also includes membership in InfraGard, the FBI-affiliated program focused on protecting critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats.

In the private sector, Mr. Cesso led major IT and recovery efforts, including as Global Head of Technology for Citigroup during the 9/11 recovery, and as Global CIO for Telerate/Reuters. He also served as CIO of First Marblehead, where he was featured in a Harvard Business School case study and the book Adventures of an IT Leader. Previously, Mr. Cesso provided Technology Advisory Services for Fortune 500 firms as Principal Consultant for Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mr. Cesso holds three degrees from Boston University: a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a Master of Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

CAPT Patrick Sullivan, AGA Boston President Related Seminars and Products

President

AGA Boston Chapter

Captain Patrick Sullivan serves as the Commanding Officer of Base Boston, responsible for leading a 541-person crew delivering services and systems to support steady state and contingency response operations across 8 Northeast states and throughout the Coast Guard. Most recently, Captain Sullivan served as Base National Capital Region Commanding Officer leading a team of mission support professionals focused on delivering quality, responsive, and cost effective services within the 5th Coast Guard District and to Coast Guard Headquarters.

Patrick graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Government. After graduation, he reported aboard the USCGC BEAR in Portsmouth, VA and served as Deck Watch Officer, Educational Services Officer, and First Lieutenant. Following his underway tour, he reported to the PACAREA/District Eleven Command Center where he earned qualifications as Maritime Homeland Security Watch Stander and Search and Rescue Duty Officer. Concluding his tour in the command center, CAPT Sullivan was selected for graduate school and earning his Master of Business Administration at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

Following graduate school, Patrick served in a variety of roles at the Surface Forces Logistics Center (SFLC) in Curis Bay MD, including Budget Officer and Fiscal Operations and Policy Supervisor. During his tour, he was the primary command representative for all Chief Financial Officer (CFO) compliance issues and initiatives, ensuring financial stewardship of $290 million worth of surface asset inventory. After SFLC, he joined Sector Jacksonville, FL as Command Center Chief. In this position, he served as Search and Rescue (SAR) Mission Coordinator and led a team of specialists maintaining situational awareness over a diverse area of responsibility encompassing 190 coastline miles and 409 river and intracoastal waterway miles. From Sector Jacksonville, Patrick was assigned to Air Station Clearwater, FL, where he served as unit Comptroller, managing a $315 million personal property program and executing a $24 million operating budget supporting 10 helicopters and four fixed wing aircraft.

He then reported to Coast Guard Headquarters, where he worked in the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS) front office, serving as Executive Assistant and principal advisor for both the Deputy for Personnel Readiness (DPR) and to the Deputy for Materiel Readiness (DMR). Following his special assignment, CAPT Sullivan served as Executive Officer at Base Cape Cod in Buzzards Bay, MA, where he was responsible for the oversight of all Mission Support functions for Cape Cod and for Pay and Personnel functions for all of District One. Additionally, CAPT Sullivan served under DCMS-DPR as the Coast Guard Academy's Program Manager, where he served as the primary liaison between the Academy and Coast Guard Headquarters and managed the school's Board of Trustees.

During his career, Patrick earned both the Certified Government Financial Manager certification and Certified Defense Financial Manager certification. He has been a proud member of AGA since 2010 and assumed the duties as Boston Chapter President in June, 2025. Patrick resides in Plymouth, MA with his wife Amanda, of Mississauga, Ontario and they have eleven-year-old twins, Morgan and Shaun and a loving Boxer, Sonny.

Manish Aggarwal Related Seminars and Products

Senior Developer / Engineer

Aspen Technology

Manish Aggarwal is a Senior Developer / Engineer at Aspen Technology with over 15 years of experience spanning process design, software development, and applied research. He holds a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, where his work focused on data science, machine learning, and advanced modeling. Manish has applied AI/ML techniques in supply chain optimization, economic evaluation engines, and anomaly detection frameworks. A Senior Member of AIChE and editorial advisor for Chemical Engineering Progress, he actively contributes to the advancement of engineering and analytics. His expertise lies in integrating AI and machine learning to improve decision-making, detect anomalies, and enhance efficiency across industries, including finance and chemical engineering.

Doug Cash Related Seminars and Products

Senior Manager - Fraud & Forensic Advisory Services

Eide Bailly, LLP

Doug is a senior manager in Eide Bailly’s Fraud & Forensic Advisory Services with 18 + years
of conducting fraud investigations as a forensic accountant and 28 years of law enforcement
experience with an emphasis in white collar crime. He has been the lead investigator in diverse
types of fraud-related investigations, including embezzlement, theft by misrepresentation, money
laundering, identity theft, financial exploitation of vulnerable adults, and Ponzi and Pyramid
schemes. Doug is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI), a
Certified Financial Crime Investigator (CFCI), Certified Economic Crime Forensic Examiner
(CECFE), and holds dual Master’s degrees, in Business Administration (MBA) and in
Administration of Justice and Security (MSAJS). Doug has also worked as a Special Agent for
the State of Arizona Insurance Fraud Unit and as a financial investigator for JP Morgan Chase
bank.

Megan Gaillard Related Seminars and Products

Division Director - Corporate Compliance & Continuous Improvement, Collier County, FLA

Collier County, FLA

Megan Gaillard also has returned to the Collier County Board of County Commissioners as the Division Director for Corporate Compliance and Continuous Improvement. In this capacity she helps improvement operations and controls for county-wide and division operations. She served as the Public Utilities Department Utilities Finance Division Director as a special assignment, as well as, completed a special assignment for the Public Services Department Domestic Animal Divisions to help enhance controls and resolve issues. In this capacity she is responsible for finance and operations for the utilities.

Megan Gaillard is serving as an auditor and consultant for Auditing, Forensics, and Consulting, LLC. In this capacity, she completes governmental special reviews for financial and budget information. Additionally, she teaches at the graduate level for Florida Atlantic University for Accounting Fraud Examination Conduct and Procedures.

Megan Gaillard previously served as an Assistant City Auditor III / Quality Control Audit Manager for the City of Fort Lauderdale and the Interim City Auditor. In this capacity, she helped the government improve and enhance internal controls to make City operations more effective and efficient.

Megan Gaillard previously was the Director of Audit for the Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General. In this capacity, she directed and managed complex audits and forensic audits of departments, offices, agencies, and activities of governmental units under the OIG’s jurisdiction. These audits found over $24,000,000 in questioned, identified, and avoidable costs. The OIG jurisdiction includes 42 governmental entities and oversight for approximately $8 billion dollars of government funds.

Megan Gaillard previously served as an Internal Controls Manger for the Division of Facilities Management at the Collier County Board of County Commissioners. In this capacity, she performed reviews and evaluated internal controls. The Division worked for is responsible for Government Security, Building Operations, Real Property Management, and Capital Construction with an annual budget of $14,000,000 with an additional $27,000,000 in capital construction budgets.

Megan Gaillard previously served as a Senior Internal Auditor for the Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. In this capacity, she managed audits, forensic reviews, and investigations of Collier County Board of County Commissioner Divisions and Departments, as well as, for the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Departments. Audits were completed to evaluate internal controls and ensure the legality of payments made with taxpayer dollars.

Megan Gaillard earned her Bachelors of Science Magna Cum Laude from Florida Gulf Coast University in Accounting with a minor in Psychology. She went on to obtain her Masters of Science Summa Cum Laude from Florida Gulf Coast University in Accounting and Taxation. She has obtained the following professional designations: Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Inspector General Auditor, Certified Government Financial Manager, Certified Government Audit Professional, and Certification in Risk Management Assurance. She completed the leadership program Growing Associates in Naples, FL (GAIN) in 2015.

She serves on the Association of Government Accountants Professional Ethics Board and the Professional Development Training committees. She is the Vice President for the Palm Beach County Institute of Internal Auditors Chapter. Ms. Gaillard is a frequent speaker at national and local conferences for accountants, auditors, and government professionals on topics, such as, data analytics, fraud, information technology, internal controls, risk management and assessment, and investigations.

Shipra Aggarwal Related Seminars and Products

Director of Finance

Pelmeds

Shipra Aggarwal is the Director of Finance at Pelmeds in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she oversees financial strategy, budgeting, and compliance across business operations. She holds a Master’s in Finance from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, where her research and projects focused on financial modeling, macroeconomic forecasting, and risk analysis.

With over a decade of experience spanning corporate finance, FP&A, and accounting, Shipra has led financial operations for organizations in both the U.S. and India, driving measurable improvements in reporting accuracy, profitability, and audit compliance. Her technical proficiency includes tools such as Bloomberg, FactSet, Power BI, SQL, and Python.

Shipra’s expertise bridges financial management and data analytics, providing valuable insights into economic behavior, fraud detection, and business decision-making—complementing the application of AI and machine learning in finance and risk analysis.

Alan Goodwin Related Seminars and Products

Manager

BerryDunn – Not-for-Profit Practice Group – Governmental Accounting

As a Governmental Accounting Consultant in BerryDunn’s Not-For-Profit Practice Group, Alan provides audit readiness, accounting, and assurance expertise to governmental clients. He leverages his extensive experience to help clients navigate GASB standards, Uniform Guidance, and internal control improvements. He has over a decade of experience in government accounting and auditing that allows his clients to meet their standards and goals and achieve new successes along the way.

Alan is passionate about collaborating with clients and helping them find and implement solutions that meet their unique needs. Prior to joining BerryDunn, Alan spent over 10 years at a public accounting firm serving governmental clients throughout the Northeast.

Vanessa Maybury Related Seminars and Products

Senior Manager

BerryDunn – Government Assurance – Compliance and Risk Management

As a Senior Manager in BerryDunn’s Government Assurance Practice Group, Vanessa provides audit, evaluation, and assessment expertise to government clients. She leads the fraud and forensic services and helps clients evaluate compliance, internal controls, and fraud risk. Vanessa specializes in fraud risk assessments, financial process improvement, fraud investigations, and programmatic, IT control, performance, and forensic auditing.  

Vanessa is a Certified Fraud examiner and serves as a Director for the Maine chapter of the ACFE. Vanessa enjoys helping clients identify and mitigate risk while providing unique insight to improve efficiency and effectiveness of programs, agencies, and organizations.