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11-22-22
Cindy Byrd, CPA, is Oklahoma’s 13th State Auditor & Inspector and the first woman elected to serve as the taxpayer’s watchdog.
A CPA with almost 25 years of government auditing experience, Cindy began her journey as an auditor in 1997.
Throughout her tenure, Cindy has moved through the ranks and conducted every type of government audit possible across Oklahoma. Her audits have identified millions of dollars in misappropriated tax dollars and waste of public funds at every level of government.
Cindy took on the role of County Audit Division Director in 2011. Through her leadership, the Division eliminated a five-year backlog of county audits.
In 2013, Cindy was appointed Deputy State Auditor over Local Government Services and served in that capacity until her election as State Auditor in 2018.
By the end of her first term, Cindy will have published more than 1400 audits including the following which garnered statewide, legislative, even national attention:
- Oklahoma Health Care Authority – Medicaid Eligibility Audit
- EPIC Charter Schools – received the 2022 Excellence in Accountability Award for Forensic Audit by the National State Auditor’s Association
- Oklahoma State Department of Health –PPE expenditures
- OESC – Fraudulent unemployment claims
Cindy is passionate about responsible government and strongly advocates for transparency and accountability in the receipt and expenditure of public funds. After all, it’s the people’s money and they deserve to know how it is spent.
Cindy and her husband Steve live in Coalgate located in Coal County, Oklahoma.
State Auditor Byrd serves as:
- Vice-Chair, Oklahoma State Pension Commission
- Member, State Board of Equalization
- Chair, State Board of Equalization Sub-Committee
- Commissioner, State School Land Commission
Designees named to:
- Archives and Records Commission
- College Savings Plan Board of Directors
- CompSource Board of Managers
- Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund Board of Investors
- Commission for Local Government Technology
- Small Business Linked Deposit Board
Chair of the Day
A leader in the field of taxation, Mark Neumeister advises firm clients on all aspects of tax strategy. He has more than thirty-five years of experience in tax planning, tax controversies and tax compliance in both public and private industry, and has advised companies on tax matters in more than 40 states.
A frequent speaker on tax topics, Mark has presented on a variety of tax matters to such groups as the Oklahoma Society of CPAs. Oklahoma Tax Institute, Tax Executives Institute, Committee of Oklahoma Tax Accountants, and other groups. Shortly after Oklahoma enacted the Oklahoma Pass-through Entity Tax Equity Act of 2019, Mark was quickly recognized as a thought leader and frequent speaker on the implementation, including immediate election options, and interpretation of the new statute. His seminars on the new law were attended by more than 800 CPAs, lawyers and tax practitioners.
In 2020, Mark was awarded the Rick Kells Outstanding Tax Professional Award by the Oklahoma Society of CPAs. He has also received the organization’s Silver Pen Award. Shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, Neumeister spearheaded the formation of a working group of CPA’s, lawyers and tribal members, to study and advise CPAs on the tax impacts of the McGirt decision.
Mark holds a Master of Public Accountancy from the University of Nebraska and is a member of the Oklahoma Society of CPAs. He volunteers his time with the Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium, where he serves as chair of the registration committee. He is also a supporter of the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City, where he serves as assistant treasurer and on several committees.