Message from the President
As I step into my second year as UCOWF President, I am filled with immense gratitude for what we have accomplished together over the last year and look forward to the incredible opportunities ahead. First, I want to welcome our newly elected Board of Directors. I am incredibly eager to begin collaborating with each of you, drawing on your diverse expertise to guide our organization forward. To our returning members and the entire UCOWF community, thank you for your continued trust, steadfast collaboration, and shared passion for the vital work we do.
Defending the integrity of public assistance programs requires dedication, unity, and a forward-looking vision. I am deeply honored to lead this organization for another year. Armed with our collective strength, I look forward to achieving even greater milestones, strengthening our networks, and expanding our impact in the year to come. Thank you for your dedication to our shared mission.
Reflecting on my first year, I am proud of the resilience, innovation, and dedication of the Executive Committee and UCOWF Board of Directors. Together, we navigated challenges, expanded our reach, and laid a strong foundation for future growth. This past year was about listening, learning, and aligning our core goals with the needs of our members.
I am proud to continue supporting our Intergovernmental Board in the vital work they do to advance our mission. Beyond their outstanding contributions in submitting comments and correspondence that firmly reflect UCOWF’s stance on maintaining program integrity, these board members serve as essential subject matter experts in welfare fraud—actively educating Congress and shaping public policy. They have worked tirelessly to promote UCOWF’s goals and initiatives, and I want to express my deepest gratitude for their past, present, and future dedication.
We saw the incredible power of this collective voice at our 53rd National Training Conference in Pittsburgh. Gathering with over 300 fraud investigators, administrators, and federal officials underscored a vital truth: the work we do on the front lines is directly shaping the legislative guardrails of tomorrow. Whether it is pushing for federal whistleblower protections for state and local fraud fighters or modernizing systemic security, our real-world insights are driving the national conversation.
But our momentum does not stop when the conference ends. Growth and professional development are the lifeblood of UCOWF. To keep this vital exchange going. We want to enhance our national network, fostering deeper collaboration during our quarterly fraud calls so that trends and emerging schemes can be shared in real time.  These sessions serve as our real-time tactical network—a space to break down emerging regional schemes, share immediate investigative breakthroughs, and track the progress of our legislative priorities together.
Thank you for your unyielding dedication to public assistance integrity. Protecting these vital resources ensures they remain strong for the vulnerable citizens who truly rely on them and the honest taxpayers who fund them. I am incredibly proud of what we have built, and I look forward to standing alongside you as we achieve even greater milestones in the year ahead.
Together, we will continue to elevate the standards of our profession, protect vital public resources, and make our collective voice heard on the national stage. I am excited for what we will accomplish in the year ahead. See you all in Omaha. Let's Get Talking!
Keith Miskie
President, the United Council on Welfare Fraud