Food & Finance

September 10
Lessons in Financial Efficiency
Joe Calhoun

Joe Calhoun is a teaching professor and chair of the Department of Economics at Florida State University.  He is also the Director of the Gus A. Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education.  He currently teaches economics and personal finance classes. He regularly presents at national teaching conferences about how to effectively use media and technology in the classroom.  A strong supporter of study abroad programs, he has been privileged to teach in England, Italy, and Spain.  Professor Calhoun has received an Undergraduate Teaching Award at FSU three times.  His doctoral degree is from the University of Georgia.

September 12
FSU Benefits and Human Resources
Joel Huffman

The FSU HR Benefits team will present the benefits available to FSU employees. These benefits will focus on insurance (available plans, opportunities to enroll or make changes, etc.) and retirement (mandatory retirement plans (FRS and SUSORP), voluntary retirement plans (voluntary 403(b) and the deferred compensation plan (457), etc.) available to FSU employees. Workshop participants will be able to ask questions to the presenters during and after the session and questions are encouraged.

September 17
Credit Management
Chuck Adcock

Charles E. “Chuck” Adcock III has been the FSU Credit Union President/Chief Executive Officer since 2018. Adcock first joined the credit union in 1994 as a teller while completing his finance degree from Florida State University. Adcock is considered one of Tallahassee’s most respected lending and financial literacy experts. He serves as a guest lecturer on financial literacy topics at local colleges and universities including Florida State University, local high schools, and area businesses. Adcock also led Florida State University Credit Union to it’s 2022 League of Southeast Credit Union’s Credit Union of the Year.  He received his B.S. in Finance from the Florida State University College of Business in 1997 along with his Juris Master’s from the Florida State University College of Law in 2023. He is also a graduate of the University of Lending (1997, 2002), CUNA Mutual BDS/BDST Program (1999), and the Jim Moran Institute Small Business Executive Program (2015).

September 24
Retirement Planning
Joe Calhoun

September 26
Tax Planning and Myth Busting
Miles Romney

Miles Romney is an associate professor in the Department of Accounting at Florida State University’s College of Business. His 15 years of accounting, banking, tax and financial planning work experience help to inform his research and teaching in tax issues. Romney earned his bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Brigham Young University, his master’s degree in accountancy and financial management from the University of San Diego and his doctoral degree in accounting from Michigan State University. He has published articles in The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, and the Journal of the American Taxation Association among others. Miles Romney has appeared on “Wheel of Fortune”, run a marathon, completed the Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast and the Red Hills Triathlon, performed in a comedy troupe, and been run over by a sailboat. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Amy, and their brood of four active children at home. He also enjoys playing and watching anything with a ball, singing, dancing, and making merry.

October 1
Avoiding Identify Theft, Scams, and Fraud
Chris Green

Christopher Green is the Public Relations Manager and Outreach Coordinator for the Division of Consumer Services at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Division of Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints and a consumer resource for protection, information, and education. The division’s outreach team partners with associations, civic groups, and local entities across the state to deliver presentations about fraud and scams and about the services provided to consumers through the division.

October 8
Investing Principles and Strategies
Steve Hiraga

Steve Hiraga is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chief Compliance Officer at Smith Bruer Advisors, a fee-only registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida. His focus is on holistic financial planning and investment management for families and individuals. He also serves businesses in selecting and administering their retirement plans and providing retirement planning advice to their employees. Steve joined the banking industry in 2005 and gained widespread experience in financial and credit analysis. He joined the financial services industry in 2013 and since then has worked to employ an analytical and pragmatic approach to serving his clients. Steve holds a B.S. in Psychology from Florida State University. He is a native Floridian and has adopted Tallahassee as his home after growing up in Hollywood, FL. With his wife Priya, he enjoys attending FSU football games, hiking with their dog Aspen, and traveling. Steve is also an avid golfer and has been the head golf coach for Leon County Special Olympics for over 10 years.

October 10
Trusts, Wills, and Estate Planning
John Grant

John Grant has a J.D. from the FSU College of Law (1992) and is a member of the Florida Bar and Georgia Bar.  He practices in the area of real estate, probate and estate planning.

October 15
The Basics of Social Security
Jamey McClenny

Jamey McClenny is an Investment Advisor Representative with Trek Financial LLC and brings over 25 years of experience as a financial professional to the classroom. He has hosted two regional radio shows, Financial Safari and Cover Your Assets that aired on multiple radio stations in Tallahassee and Panama City and can be heard live on Real Talk 93.3 on Tuesday mornings at 8:30.  A member of the Council of Financial Educators, Jamey began teaching Planning Your Retirement at Tallahassee Community college in 2016.  He was recently selected to serve as an advisor for CPALMS, a joint initiative between Florida State University, the Learning Institute, and the State of Florida to improve financial literacy among Florida high school students.  He has been quoted in Forbes Magazine and Fiduciary News.  A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Jamey and his wife, Dr. Carolyn McClenny, reside in Tallahassee with their Labrador Retriever and Boykin Spaniel. 

October 17
Risk Management: Property Insurance
Dalisha Herring

Dalisha Herring, Ph.D., CFP^®, earned a doctorate in Personal Financial Planning from University of Missouri-Columbia, a Master of Business Administration from Florida State University, and Bachelor of Science in Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Family Financial Planning and Counseling from The University of Alabama. As Finance Department faculty in the FSU College of Business, Dr. Herring currently teaches courses on personal finance and investments. She is a graduate of Florida Bankers Association’s Florida Graduate Trust School and has more than two decades of industry experience in trust and estate administration, retirement plan wholesaling, and personal financial planning practice. She currently serves as Chair of the Awards Committee for American Council on Consumer Interests.

October 24
Investing in Stocks and Bonds
Tyler Huston

Tyler Huston was born and raised in New York until graduating high school and attending Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL.  During his collegiate time, Tyler participated in numerous organizations. He played on the FSU Lacrosse team as well as joining and becoming president of his fraternity, Sigma Lambda Beta.  In 2019, George Avant and Tyler merged their firms forming Avant Huston Financial Group. Personally, Tyler is married to his lovely wife Darcie Morningstar. They reside in Tallahassee, FL with their three furry children, pups Margo, and Dingo and cat, Mr. Tux.

October 29
Additional Topics in Tax Planning
Miles Romney

Miles Romney is an associate professor in the Department of Accounting at Florida State University’s College of Business. His 15 years of accounting, banking, tax and financial planning work experience help to inform his research and teaching in tax issues. Romney earned his bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Brigham Young University, his master’s degree in accountancy and financial management from the University of San Diego and his doctoral degree in accounting from Michigan State University. He has published articles in The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, and the Journal of the American Taxation Association among others. Miles Romney has appeared on “Wheel of Fortune”, run a marathon, completed the Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast and the Red Hills Triathlon, performed in a comedy troupe, and been run over by a sailboat. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Amy, and their brood of four active children at home. He also enjoys playing and watching anything with a ball, singing, dancing, and making merry.

November 5
Financing Major Capital Purchases
Grant Abbott

Grant Abbott, who joined the Florida State University (FSU) Credit Union team in 2010, graduated from the FSU College of Business with degrees in Finance and Marketing. He is a Certified Lending Expert, graduate of the Lending Solutions Consulting, Inc. (LSCI) Advanced Lending Institute, an ACFE Certified Fraud Examiner, and one of only a few professionals in the greater Tallahassee area with the Credit Union Business Lending Professional designation. Through his leadership of the iDriveLending, LLC CUSO, Grant has reviewed more than 250,000 loan applications and helped to originate nearly $1 billion in auto loans for the North Florida markets.  He has 10+ years of service on local non-profit boards and regularly speaks on topics ranging from basic budgeting tips to entrepreneurship and innovation. Grant is also the current elected President of the Tallahassee Chapter of Credit Unions.

November 7
Investing in Mutual Funds
Joe Calhoun