Chapter Roundup: Peninsula Chapter Rings in 2026 with a Great Turnout

Peninsula Chapter Rings in 2026 with a Great Turnout, Great Conversation, and Great Company

By: Derek Rampone, Peninsula Chapter Chair

The CSMFO Peninsula Chapter kicked off the new year in style with a lively New Year Luncheon on January 29, 2026, at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Palo Alto, bringing together thirty-eight (38) finance professionals from across the Peninsula to reconnect, share ideas, and start the year on a positive note.

Our featured speaker, Dr. Lynn Levis, Lead Facilitator for the Conscious Leadership Academy at the University of San Diego, an instructor in USD’s Leadership Coaching Certificate Program, and  Co-Founder of Moms Rising, delivered an engaging and practical presentation on building a sense of agency within organizations. Her talk focused on how individuals and teams can strengthen their ability to influence outcomes, navigate change, and lead effectively—an especially timely topic as local governments continue to face evolving fiscal and operational challenges. Attendees appreciated both the thoughtful insights and practical takeaways they could bring back to their own organizations.

While the luncheon service took a little longer than planned, the consensus was that the food was well worth the wait, and the extended time between courses simply provided more opportunity for networking and catching up with colleagues.

A special thank-you goes to our generous event sponsors, whose continued support makes Peninsula Chapter events like this possible. We greatly appreciate:

• Badawi & Associates
• Chandler Asset Management
• Fieldman, Rolapp & Associates
• PFM Asset Management

Their partnership helps ensure we can continue providing valuable professional development and networking opportunities throughout the year.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to kick off 2026. We look forward to seeing you at upcoming Peninsula Chapter events!

Derek Rampone is currently the Chair of the Peninsula Chapter of CSMFO and has over 26 years of accounting and finance experience, including extensive experience leading the finance and administrative services departments at the City of Mountain View (Finance and Administrative Services Director 2023-Present) and the City of Redwood City (Assistant Director of Administrative Services 2022-2023 / Financial Services Manager 2016-2022) as well auditing California municipalities while serving as Audit Manager, Senior Accountant, and Staff Accountant at Moss, Levy & Hartzheim, LLP (2000-2016).   Additionally, Derek obtained his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Business Economics with an Emphasis in Accounting from the University of California, Santa Barbara. And in his free time, Derek loves to golf, workout, take his boat out on the lake, and spend as much time as possible with his family, friends, and dog.