History

AGA 2000 and Beyond

January 2000
The National Nominating Committee has chosen Richard V. Norment, CGFM, a member of the Nashville Chapter, as its candidate for President-Elect. Norment, who is assistant to the comptroller of the treasury and director of county audit for the State of Tennessee, would take office on July 1, 2001. The nominee for Treasurer-Elect is Eva J. Williams, CGFM, a member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter. Williams is a program manager at the Internal Revenue Service.
AGA is seeking applications from agencies wishing to showcase their Best Practices at the PDC in San Francisco.

February 2000
AGA plans to cosponsor a nationwide satellite teleconference with the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. The teleconference will cover the implementation of GASB’s new reporting model for state and local governments.
A new newsletter, Certified Government Financial Manager TOPICS, debuts as an insert to the main TOPICS newsletter, with profiles on successful CGFMs and other items of interest to the CGFM community. The newsletter will eventually be moved to the website.

March 2000
Thirty-eight chapters have signed on to host the nationwide GASB Statement 34 Implementation Seminar.
AGA members can now receive their monthly newsletter TOPICS through the website, rather than waiting to receive it by mail.

May 2000
Disabled AGA member reports that the CPE Online program, which offers quizzes based on the content of The Government Accountants Journal, is helping him to meet the CPE requirement for his CGFM designation.
The NEC has appointed a Regional Governance Task Force to pick up where the last Governance Task Force left off—with a study of national committees and Regional Vice President responsibilities.
AGA welcomes the Northern Mariana Islands Chapter.

June-July 2000
AGA plans to cap 50 years of advancing government accountability with a weekend of events in September. They include a luncheon hosted by the Washington, D.C. Chapter, a symposium at the Library of Congress and a gala dinner dance.
The Academy for Government Accountability takes a bold step by moving one of the Government Financial Management Courses to the Internet.
The recent GASB telecast trains 5,500 state and local government financial managers on the far-reaching changes required by GASB’s Statement 34.
AGA closes the books on fiscal year 1999-2000, the first year that the Association’s finances reflect the use of improved cost accounting techniques intended to record the full cost of major programs.
Rutgers University is now requiring students in its governmental accounting graduate degree program to take the CGFM Exams.

August-September 2000
AGA’s 49^th Annual PDC in San Francisco is judged, “Simply the Best,” as the Association continues its 50^th Anniversary celebration. A high point was the awarding of the Robert W. King Award to charter member and Past National President Raymond Einhorn.
The Association’s new corporate identity and logo were unveiled at the PDC.
Past National President Arthur Litke, who served in 1972-1973, has died.

October 2000
CGFM TOPICS, issued twice this year as an insert in Government Financial Management TOPICS, has been launched as an electronic newsletter for the first time. The July newsletter was sent as an e-mail attachment to nearly 4,000 professionals, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
The Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) has announced that Frank W. Sullivan, CGFM, and N. Anthony Calhoun, CGFM, have received Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Awards for distinguished leadership in financial management improvement in the public sector. Sullivan is deputy assistant secretary for finance at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Calhoun is deputy executive director and chief financial officer of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).
The first audit to determine compliance with the CGFM Program’s continuing professional education (CPE) requirement has been completed. CGFMs are required to earn 80 CPE hours every two years. AGA is pleased to report that the vast majority of those CGFMs audited have complied with the CPE requirement.

November 2000
It was the perfect ending to a perfect year. AGA’s 50th Anniversary came to a gala close on Sept. 14-16 in Washington, D.C., where the Association was founded on Sept. 14, 1950. Members came from far and wide to help celebrate the ending of a remarkable year, filled with unforgettable moments. It all began last year in New Orleans with the unveiling of the 50th Anniversary logo, continued with a National Community Service Day in September of 1999 and at PDC2000 in San Francisco this summer. The grand finale weekend had been in the planning for more than two years.
In a move intended to continue the growth of the CGFM Program, the National Executive Committee (NEC) authorized two new staff positions. The NEC, accepting a recommendation from the Association’s Professional Certification Board, approved the creation of a deputy executive director of professional certification position as well as a professional certification administrative assistant position.
Congress recently changed the GI Bill so that the benefits can be used to pay for a veteran’s civilian occupational licensing or certification examination. The move is considered a victory by AGA, which has been pushing for the change as part of the Coalition for Professional Certification. AGA believes certification, such as through the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) Program, can help ease the transition of the military veteran into the private work force.

December 2000
The National Science Foundation and the Social Security Administration were honored with AGA Certificates of Excellence in Accountability Reporting at an Oct. 17 awards ceremony at the Library of Congress.
Frederick Neuman, 87, AGA National President in 1980-1981, died of leukemia on Oct. 5. He was the director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency from 1976 until his retirement in 1981 and Special Consultant to KPMG for more than 15 years.

January 2001
William J. Anderson Jr., CGFM, a past president of the Washington, D.C. Chapter, has been chosen by the National Nominating Committee as AGA’s next National President-Elect. Richard O. Bunce Jr., CGFM, a past president of AGA’s Richmond Chapter, has been chosen as the next Treasurer-Elect.
AGA has entered into an official partnership with the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) to help advance the common interests of both Associations. AGA will benefit significantly through this formal link to the state government financial management community.
Over the past few years, the AGA National Office staff has taken a number of strides to improve its communication with the AGA membership around the world. As is the case in all business communication, e-mail in particular has revolutionized our ability to break down barriers and get the word out as quickly as possible.

February 2001
AGA’s flagship publication will begin its 50th volume year with a new name—The Journal of Government Financial Management. The National Executive Committee (NEC) voted in December to accept the recommendation from the Journal Editorial Board that The Government Accountants Journal’s name be changed to more accurately reflect the publication’s coverage of the entire profession.
AGA’s Financial Management Standards Board has expressed its support of a revised audit and accounting guide to aid state and local governments in making financial reporting changes required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).

March 2001
After an illustrious career in federal service spent ferreting out fraud, waste and abuse, June Gibbs Brown, CGFM, has retired from the federal government. Brown, who served as the 1985-1986 AGA National President, was most recently the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Her retirement ceremony in January was attended by more than 250 people, including the now-former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala.
Bob Holden, a member of AGA’s Mid-Missouri Chapter, was sworn in as his state’s Governor on Jan. 8. The Holden Plan, the platform upon which he was elected, included the planks for improvements in education, health care, crime, environmental protection and transportation.

April 2001
Eleanor M. Clark, CGFM, the first woman to hold AGA’s highest elected office of National President, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 27, in Virginia. A member of AGA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter, she was a member for more than 30 years.
The Spring issue of The Journal marks a turning point for AGA’s flagship publication. The Journal began Volume 50 with a new name—Journal of Government Financial Management—and a new online offering. With this quarter’s issue, we instituted The Journal Online, to be located in the Members Only section of AGA’s website.

May 2001
NEC approves charters of Roanoke, Tallahassee and Central Indiana Chapters.
AGA forges strategic partnership with the National Association of State Comptrollers (NASC), in which the state comptrollers endorse the CGFM as a professional designation for government financial managers working in the state comptroller community. This agreement follows an earlier pact with the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers.

June/July 2001
Chartering ceremonies were held in May for AGA’s newest chapter in Roanoke, VA. The Roanoke Chapter is the fourth AGA chapter in the Commonwealth of Virginia and was founded with the assistance of several members from the Richmond Chapter.
Small in size—at about 150 members—but strong in influence, the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) has joined AGA in a formal partnership that is expected to help the state financial management community through improved access to educational events.

August/September 2001
AGA’s 50^th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition was one of the most successful ever, bringing together more than 1,200 professionals who learned from the top financial managers in government while networking with their peers and enjoying historic Boston over the Fourth of July holiday.
The North Central Region’s first regionally linked website is off to a robust start. Designed and maintained by two-time national champion Mary Hudson, CGFM, who works for CALIBRE Systems, Inc., it notched more than 600 hits in its first three weeks.

October 2001
Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, will speak at AGA’s 13^th Annual Federal Leadership Conference on Thursday, Jan. 24.
Past Dallas Chapter President Jack Carrington Jr. died on July 19, 2001 following a long illness. He was 57. Carrington was Dallas Chapter President in 1988-89.

November 2001
We regret to report that three AGA members were on the list of casualties in the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. The three were members of the Northern Virginia Chapter. Killed were U.S. Department of Defense employee Patricia E. (Patty) Mickley, CGFM, 41, of Springfield, VA; U.S. Department of the Army employees Diana B. Padro, 55, of Woodbridge, VA; and Janice M. Scott, 46, of Springfield, VA.
With local, regional, national and international flavors, together with well-rounded excellence in all areas, the 11^thBiennial Pacific Emerging Issues Conference and related activities rose to exciting new levels under the leadership and management of new conference chair, Chase Masuda, CGFM.

December 2001
AGA is pleased to introduce and welcome its new Corporate Partners. These prestigious companies have chosen to support AGA’s continued growth by becoming Charter Corporate Partner members: Accenture, AMS, CACI International Inc., Influatec, Logistics Management Institute, Optimum Management Systems LLC and SAP.

January 2002
The National Nominating Committee has chosen Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, as AGA’s next National President-Elect. Evelyn A. Brown, CGFM, a past president of AGA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter, has been chosen as the next National Treasurer-Elect.
AGA recently honored five federal agencies with the prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting. One hundred people were on hand Nov. 14 at a Library of Congress ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of the National Science Foundation, Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Labor.

February 2002
The PDC Technical Committee, chaired by John E. “Jack” Carson, CGFM, has announced several confirmed keynote speakers for AGA’s 51^st Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition. Keynoters include Comptroller General of the United States David M. Walker; Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James; Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman, CSP, professional motivational/leadership speaker; Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Sean O’Keefe (tapped to be NASA administrator) and Indiana State Auditor Connie Kay Nass.

March 2002
President Bush’s Budget Director Mitch Daniels used his speech at AGA’s 13^th Annual Federal Leadership Conference to announce a major restructuring in the federal budget, which focuses on “how well” rather than “how much.”
President Bush has signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision to permit government agencies to “use appropriated funds or funds otherwise available to the agency to pay for expenses for employees to obtain professional credentials, including expenses for . . . professional certification and examinations to obtain such credentials.”

April 2002
As cooperation between federal, state and local governments becomes more and more essential, intergovernmental collaboration will continue to evolve. With that in mind, AGA’s National Executive Committee has decided to consolidate the State and Local Government Leadership Conference and the Federal Leadership Conference into one National Leadership Conference, to be held in February of each year in Washington, D.C.

May 2002
The Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) has announced that AGA members Larry J. Eisenhart, CGFM, deputy chief financial officer of the U.S. Department of State, and Ohio Auditor of State James M. Petro, a member of AGA’s Central Ohio Central, are this year’s recipients of the Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Awards for distinguished leadership in financial management in the public sector.
At its March meeting, AGA’s National Executive Committee (NEC) approved a $3.2 million operating budget for the 2003 fiscal year (April 1, 2002 – March 31,2003).

June/July 2002
In 2002, AGA is all about getting back to basics—enhancing our education program, promoting the CGFM Program, expanding our membership to encompass all government accountability professionals and enhancing member services.
AGA’s Immediate Past National President Richard V. Norment, CGFM, CIA, has set a goal of $30,000 for the AGA Relief Effort. As the fund-raising effort on behalf of the three AGA families affected by the September 11^th Pentagon attack comes to a close, we will spend these final weeks focused on that goal.

August/September 2002
AGA is proud to announce the recipients of the 2002 Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting. Eight agencies, more than any other year since the program’s inception, have been recognized for outstanding fiscal year 2001 Accountability Reports and Performance and Accountability Reports.
Using common themes such as enhancing security, improving accountability and navigating change, speakers at AGA’s 51^st Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition spent three and a half days giving more than 1,300 attendees the tools they need to continue “Transforming the Government Enterprise.”

November 2002
In an effort to reduce expenses and take full advantage of available technology, AGA’s National Executive Committee voted in September to cease the printed version of TOPICS after the March 2003 issue.
More than 125 AGA members, government officials and colleagues attended a standing-room-only awards ceremony on Sept. 17, 2002 at the Library of Congress to acknowledge the outstanding Accountability Reports or Performance and Accountability Reports of eight federal agencies: the Departments of Energy, Interior, Labor and State; the General Accounting Office, National Science Foundation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Social Security Administration.

December 2002
Comptroller General of the United States David M. Walker and a host of other high-level state and federal officials have signed on to speak at AGA’s First National Leadership Conference.
AGA’S Denver Chapter kicked off its 50^th Anniversary year with a bang on Thursday Oct. 24. The Denver Chapter was the first chapter ever chartered by AGA, then known as FGAA, the Federal Government Accountants Association.

January 2003
The National Nominating Committee has chosen Bobby A. Derrick, CGFM, to serve as the candidate for AGA’s next National President-Elect. Jeanne B. Erwin, CPA, has been selected to serve as the Nominating Committee’s candidate for National Treasurer-Elect.
Themes for each day of the 2003 Professional Development Conference & Exposition have been set: Defining the Business Challenges, Meeting the Business Challenges and Becoming more Citizen-Centric.

February 2003
AGA’s National Board of Directors has supported the National Executive Committee’s recommendations and approved a new dues structure. Dues increases will be incorporated into the 2003-04 renewal packages and will take effect April 1,2003.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation recently approved AGA’s funding to launch a Certificate of Excellence in Service Efforts and Accomplishments Reporting Program. This important initiative is aimed at encouraging state and local governments to prepare and issue high-quality Service Efforts and Accomplishments Reports.

March 2003
Let’s give “three cheers and three cheers more … “ to AGA’s Mid-Missouri Chapter leaders for persuading the Missouri State Division of Personnel to recognize the CGFM as equal to a bachelor’s degree and two years of professional experience.
This is the last printed issue of AGA’s Government Financial Management TOPICS newsletter. Beginning with next month’s April issue, TOPICS will be delivered to AGA members online through the AGA website.

April 2003
At its March meeting, AGA’s National Executive Committee (NEC) accepted the retirement plans of Executive Director Charles W. Culkin Jr., CGFM, who plans to move to his Florida home in July.
AGA is committed to getting back to basics this year, and with the results of our membership survey now in, your Association is fine tuning its efforts to meet your needs. The online membership survey, with 47 questions, was conducted late last year to help the National Office better customize AGA services to best meet the needs of the membership. The survey marks the beginning of a quality assurance program for AGA, as the results will be used to determine how AGA spends its resources.

May 2003
Charles W. Culkin Jr., CGFM, AGA’s longest-serving executive director, will retire on July 11. He and his wife Cindi will be relocating from Virginia to their home in Sarasota, FL. Culkin spent more than six years in the post, during which time he helped to modernize the National Office operations, develop new programs such as the CEAR and SEA certificates and to expand the CGFM Program.
AGA has formed an Executive Director Search Committee to organize the search for an executive director to replace the retiring Charles W. Culkin Jr., CGFM. The committee will review and interview applicants and make a recommendation to the National Executive Committee, which will hire the new executive director.

June/July 2003
AGA announces the recipients of the 2003 Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting for outstanding fiscal year 2002 Performance and Accountability Reports (PARs):

• Department of the Interior

• Department of Labor

• Department of State

• General Accounting Office

• Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• Patent and Trademark Office

• Social Security Administration

The CGFM Exam 2 Study Guide can be purchased online on the AGA website after July 7. This guide is the perfect alternative for those of you who were unable to attend the CGFM preparatory classes offered by Management Concepts. And for those of you who found the Course 2 reading list on the AGA website daunting, AGA has produced a study guide that is portable and can be taken anywhere, anytime.

August/September 2003
AGA’s National Executive Committee has selected Relmond Van Daniker, DBA, CPA, as its new executive director. Van Daniker replaces Charles W. Culkin Jr., CGFM, AGA’s longest-serving executive director, who retired in July after more than six years in the post. The appointment was approved at the NEC’s July 30 meeting, upon the recommendation of the five-member Executive Director Search Committee. Van Daniker, who has been the executive director of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers since 1985, will relocate from Lexington, KY, and start his new job with AGA on Oct. 1.
AGA is pleased to announce formation of its newest chapter in Albuquerque, NM.

October 2003
AGA Acknowledges Longtime Member Milestones
AGA is pleased to recognize these longstanding AGA members for their years of dedicated service to the Association. All of these individuals have received an exclusive member service lapel pin, inscribed with the number of years they have been AGA members. Their involvement and support has helped shape AGA into the premier organization for accountability professionals that we see today. AGA thanks you for your continued support! 50-Year Members Harold Barton, Montgomery (AL) *Nathan Cutler, CGFM, Space Coast Clarence Jauchem, Washington, D.C. Gilbert Kufahl, San Francisco 45-Year Members Bernard Dembro, Boston George Dimitrakis, Boston Michael Gudis, CGFM, At-Large Herbert Kittrell, CGFM, New Orleans Charles Lowe, Washington, D.C. Francis Lyle, Washington, D.C. Edward Mahoney, Washington, D.C. David Rudolph, CGFM, Baltimore *Frank Sato, At-Large *Susumu Uyeda, CGFM, Washington, D.C. Fred Yamron, Orange County 40-Year Members Paul Caron, At-Large Victor Ell, Los Angeles Arthur Gordon, New York George Holiner, New York Thomas Keating, Philadelphia William Myers, Montgomery/PG County Harry Palmer, New Mexico James Payne, CGFM, San Francisco Alan Strelser, Washington, D.C. J.P. Wilde, Virginia Peninsula Robert Willis, Dallas Herbert Witt, CGFM, San Francisco John Wrafter, New York Capital

November 2003
Member Keeps His AGA Membership Through 40 Years of Changes: Robert (Bob) H. Willis has held many professional roles over his long career—federal government auditor, computer program manager, instructor and owner of his own CPA firm, just to name a few—but one thing has stayed the same. He has remained a member of AGA’s Dallas Chapter for 40 years, longer than any other chapter member.
The chapter honored Willis with a Certificate of Appreciation and AGA’s 40-year membership pin in September. “The other 35 people in the room—except for other retirees being honored—were too young to remember me,” he said, laughing.
Willis heard about the Association, then called the Federal Government Accountants Association (FGAA), from his father-in-law, Arthur Nobles, an early FGAA member, who was then the chief of general accounting for the U.S. Postal Service in Dallas, where Willis worked for a few years in the early 1950s. That was just the start of his federal government career.

December 2003
AGA Mourns Passing of T. Jack Gary Jr., CGFM: AGA is sad to announce the October passing of Charter Member and Past National President T. Jack Gary Jr., CGFM. Gary, who was 92, served from 1952-1953 as the third National President of what was then the Federal Government Accountants Association. “Let me say that this Association has been the most satisfying and rewarding part of my professional career," Gary said in a 2000 interview.

January 2004
Position Announcement: Association Technical Manager: The Association of Government Accountants is seeking an enthusiastic self-starter to fill its new Technical Manager position. Responsibilities include monitoring, researching and analyzing government financial management issues and developing strategies and position papers for committee review.
AGA’s National Nominating Committee has chosen Sam M. McCall, CGFM, to serve as the candidate for AGA’s next National President-Elect. Karen J. Holmcrans was selected as the Treasurer-Elect candidate.

February 2004
Pilot Year for SEA Program Off to Strong Start
The 20 evaluations performed under AGA's Certificate of Excellence in Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) Program are well under way. The first sets of comments will be returned to charter participants in early February and the rest of the evaluations will be returned by late March. A program evaluation summary will be developed and available in late spring, 2004.
AGA Hires Anna D. Gowans Miller, CPA, as Technical Manager: Anna D. Gowans Miller, CPA, has accepted the newly created AGA staff position of technical manager. Having a technical manager on staff will enable AGA to better represent the interests of members in matters regarding government financial management legislation and regulation.
AGA extends its congratulations to Robert H. Attmore, CGFM, a member of the New York Capital Chapter, who was appointed last week as the next GASB chairman, succeeding Tom L. Allen, a member of AGA’s Northern Utah Chapter. Allen, who has served as GASB chairman since 1995, is not eligible for reappointment. Attmore, retired deputy state comptroller, Office of the State Comptroller, State of New York, will begin his term July 1, 2004.

March 2004
More than 400 people participated in AGA’s Second Annual National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 19 and 20. Many attendees said they were pleased to hear just how much is being done behind the scenes by the first responders in this time of crisis.
April is CGFM Month in Wisconsin: AGA’s Southern Wisconsin Chapter has solicited support for the Association’s CGFM certification from the top officials in state government—Governor James Doyle and Secretary of State Douglas LaFollette. And with no hesitation, the governor’s office issued an official proclamation declaring April Certified Government Financial Manager month in the state of Wisconsin.
Texas State Auditor Announces Resignation: Lawrence F. Alwin, CGFM, CPA, Texas State Auditor and a member of AGA’s Austin Chapter, announced last Thursday that he will resign his position on March 31, after serving in that capacity for 19 years.

April 2004
David Richard, CIA, has been named the new president of The Institute of Internal Auditors.

Food Stamp recipients in 38 states who have questions about the program get their questions answered by someone in India. JP Morgan Chase & Co., which administers a key part of the Food Stamp program for the states, has outsourced its call center.

Let’s say you’re the controller of a large federal agency, and you get a call from a company that offers financial management services. What’s your first thought? Hank Steininger, CGFM, chair of AGA’s Corporate Partner Advisory Group (CPAG), is well aware that it would be, “What are they trying to sell me now? That’s why it’s so important for industry and government to come together through the CPAG, which offers “neutral ground” for both sides to discuss financial management issues, best practices and solutions, he said. The private and public sectors can learn from each other, especially if the conversations never include a sales pitch from industry, and government leaders know they can speak freely.
AGA is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2004 National Awards. The awards will be presented during the Professional Development Conference & Exposition, June 27-30, in Washington, D.C. The recipients of the Robert W. King Memorial Award is Richard V. Norment, CGFM, CIA, Assistant to the Comptroller for County Audit, Comptroller of the Treasury, State of Tennessee

May 2004
AGA Member Zack E. Gaddy, CGFM, Named DFAS Director: Zack E. Gaddy, CGFM, CPA, a member of AGA’s Denver Chapter, has been named the new director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS).
Results of the 2003-2004 Back to Basics, Back to Benefits Membership Campaign: The results are in. A total of 1,243 members joined AGA during the past membership year. Of that total, 563 were recruited by 322 current AGA members. Kirk Schanzenback, president of the New York Capital Chapter, is the recipient of the Recruiter of the Year Award for encouraging 26 professionals to join AGA.

June 2004
AGA proudly announces the recipients of the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting
• Department of Education (1)
• Department of the Interior (4)
• Department of Labor (4)
• Department of State (3)
• Federal Aviation Administration (1)
• General Accounting Office (3)
• General Services Administration (1)
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (3)
• Patent and Trademark Office (2)
• Social Security Administration (6)
(The number in parenthesis indicates the number of years, including this year, that the agency has received the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting.)

Americans' use of the Internet to access government information is growing rapidly, according to a new study. The report, "How Americans Get in Touch With Government," showed a 50 percent growth from 2002 to 2003 in the number of Americans who visited a federal, state or local government website or contacted a government official online.

Denver Auditor’s Office Gives CGFM Applicants a Boost: The list of government agencies that formally recognize the specialized skills and knowledge earned by CGFMs is growing. Dennis Gallagher, elected City Auditor of the City and County of Denver, has requested that "preferred skill status" be granted to all job applicants who have earned the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) designation. The CGFM preference applies to all accountant, auditor and other professional financial management positions within the Auditor's Office of about 100 employees.

July 2004
The PDC came to a close as Immediate Past National President Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, passed the gavel to 2004-2005 National President Bobby Derrick, CGFM. President Derrick promised a year of excitement and optimism as he visits chapters and discusses leadership.

The U.S. General Accounting Office has a new name: the Government Accountability Office. In early July President Bush signed the GAO Human Capital Reform Act, which also gives Comptroller General David M. Walker the authority to institute a performance- based pay system, separating the agency’s 3,200 employees from the federal general schedule system.

During the third-quarter of fiscal 2004, federal agencies took the largest leap forward yet on the Bush administration's traffic-light-style score card marking accomplishments in five areas of management reform. The score card, released every three months by the Office of Management and Budget to rate 26 major agencies' accomplishments in the five areas of President Bush's management agenda, boasted 27 improved marks for the quarter ended June 30.

August 2004
CEAR Program Training Boasts Record Attendance! Almost 80 individuals attended the annual CEAR Program workshop, "Producing an Excellent Performance and Accountability Report" in Washington, D.C. last week. The event provides instruction for performance, budget, CFO and IG staff and others involved in the production of their agency's Performance and Accountability Report (PAR).

Raymond Harris, CGFM, a member of AGA's New York Capital Chapter, will join the AGA National Office staff Sept. 13 as the director of education. He is retiring from the New York State Comptroller's Office where he served as the internal control officer and executive assistant to the deputy comptroller. Formerly, Harris was the audit director for the New York State Office of Mental Health for nine years.

In Memory of R. Schuyler Lesher Jr., CGFM: AGA regrets to report the passing of R. Schuyler Lesher Jr., CGFM, a member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter. Lesher, deputy chief financial officer and director of the Office of Financial Management, U.S. Department of the Interior, died August 23 after a nearly two-year battle with cancer.

Can accounting be viewed as a ‘sexy’ career choice? Maybe so, if the number of new accounting majors among college freshmen is any indication. Academics say the corporate scandals over the last few years has piqued the interest of today’s students. According to the AICPA, the number of accounting degrees awarded nationwide in 2003 jumped 11 percent from the year before.

September 2004
New PCB Member Well-Positioned to Help CGFM Gain Greater Recognition: Vandee DeVore, CGFM, one of the newest member of AGA's Professional Certification Board (PCB), has already proven she has the right stuff to help guide the CGFM Program to greater recognition. It was DeVore and other members of the Mid-Missouri Chapter who worked with the Missouri State Division of Personnel last year to ensure the CGFM can be used as a substitute for a bachelor's degree and two years of professional experience for the state's auditor classifications.
AGA Name Change Focus Group Begins Work: A focus group charged with exploring a possible name change for AGA has begun its work and is asking members for their input. The focus group, appointed by National President Bobby A. Derrick, CGFM, and chaired by Past National President Richard V. Norment, CGFM,

October 2004
AGA Bids Farewell to Lisa S. Thatcher: Lisa S. Thatcher, director of AGA's Certificate of Excellence Programs, will leave the Association on Oct. 28. She is taking a new position as a consultant in the Unisys Global Public Sector component, working on an organizational performance management team. Lisa has played a significant role in the success of AGA's Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) Program.

Tennessee, Maine, Utah, New York and Illinois top the states in providing e-government services, according to the fifth annual study of state and federal websites by researchers at Brown University.

November 2004
New AGA Group Membership Program: ADVANTAGE: AGA is pleased to announce its new government organization group membership program called ADVANTAGE. Join other government agencies that value their staff and are willing to invest in their professional development and continuing education. This new program is designed to give government employers the opportunity to support their staff in part or in whole and in turn accrue additional benefits that would defray a portion of the organizational membership fee.
Spotlight on AGA's CGFM Program—Celebrating a Decade of Success: When Jeffrey C. Steinhoff began planning for his 1993–1994 term as AGA National President, a new certification program was not on his priority list. Steinhoff, who is managing director of the Financial Management and Assurance Team at the Government Accountability Office, testified quite often before congressional committees at that time. One particular hearing stands out. “During the hearing, Senator James Sasser, the chairman, really asked a lot about my professional credentials and made a pretty big deal about me being a CPA, and that added a sense of greater reliability, and greater reliance on whatever I was saying,” Steinhoff recalled. “I really didn’t think those skills and that exam I passed quite some time before that was all that applicable to the issues I was discussing at the hearing.” Chairman Sasser had unknowingly planted a seed that would bloom into AGA’s CGFM Program, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

After Congress enacted the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was left with a question: Should it change the standards for government auditors? GAO's Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards, a group of auditing experts from the public and private sectors, met Nov. 8 to debate that proposition. GAO sets governmentwide auditing standards through the Yellow Book, which was last updated in 2003, and is considering changes for its next revision.

All but two major agencies submitted financial statements by Nov. 15, just 45 days after the close of the fiscal year, meeting a deadline that is nearly three months earlier than last year's, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced.

College graduates with accounting degrees are entering the working world at a good time—recruiters are eager, jobs are plentiful and offers are attractive. Demand for accounting services is way up because of new regulations spawned by corporate scandals such as Enron and WorldCom. Recruiters from PricewaterhouseCoopers plan to hire about 3,100 people off U.S. college campuses this year, up almost 19 percent from last year.

December 2004
AGA's National Nominating Committee Selects New Slate of National Officers To Take Office on July 1, 2005: Jeffrey S. Hart, CGFM, a member of AGA's Denver Chapter, Office of the Inspector General, EPA, leads the slate as National President-Elect Designate. Thomas J. Sadowski, CGFM, a member of AGA's Mid-Missouri Chapter, Director of Accounting at the University of Missouri, was chosen as National Treasurer-Elect Designate.
Name Change Focus Group Recommends No Change to AGA Name; NEC Accepts Findings: Association of Government Accountants is here to stay—for now anyway. The Name Change Focus Group, convened by National President Bobby A. Derrick, CGFM, recommended no change to AGA’s name and that recommendation was accepted by the National Executive Committee (NEC) at its Dec. 10 quarterly meeting.

January 2005
AGA Taps Long-Time CGFM Supporter as New Director of Professional Certification: AGA welcomes Peter V. Aliferis, CGFM, as its new director of Professional Certification. An AGA member for more than 20 years and one of the earliest supporters of the CGFM credential, Aliferis is looking forward to spreading the word to professionals and their employers about the benefits of certification.

A majority of financial executives (57 percent) say Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance was a good investment for stockholders, according to a report released this month by Oversight Systems, the 2004 Oversight Systems Financial Executive Report On Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, a nationwide survey of 222 financial executives.

The U.S. Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Council has unveiled a Metric Tracking System, a website designed to provide federal financial managers, taxpayers and others information on federal agencies’ financial operations. The website http://www.fido.gov/mts/cfo/public/

Larry E. Rittenberg, Ph.D., CPA, CIA, has been named the new chairman of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission.

February 2005
AGA's Reach Extends to Northern Mariana Islands: Mike Sablan, public auditor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is so committed to bringing a higher level of professionalism to financial management that he arranged to bring AGA’s CGFM courses to this remote string of islands in the North Pacific.
AGA Member To Receive Distinguished Scantlebury Award: John D. Webster, CGFM, CPA, a member of AGA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter, has been named the recipient of the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program’s (JFMIP) Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Award for distinguished leadership in financial management.

Painting a bleak picture, the head of the Government Accountability Office said that if the federal government does not get serious about the looming fiscal crisis soon, important functions at the state and local government level will be hurt.

The Government Performance Project has completed a massive study evaluating government management in all 50 states. To weather the poor economy, any states have cut back on their analytic capacity; allowed their roads, bridges and buildings to decay at an accelerating clip; resorted to financial tactics that only defer fiscal pain; slowed down or rejected positive initiatives in human resources and—in a few extreme cases—have so undernourished government that they risk malnutrition or worse.

March 2005
AGA Welcomes Julie V. Bryant, CGFM, as Director of Performance Reporting: Julie V. Bryant, CGFM, an AGA Past National Treasurer and a former president of both the Virginia Peninsula and Northern Virginia Chapters, has joined the AGA staff as our new director of performance reporting.

Member-Get-A-Member Challenge Ignites Competition!: Marion Demer, of the Idaho Centennial Chapter, continues to hold the Top Recruiter position along with Nancy Zmyslinski, CGFM, of the Greater Columbus Chapter, both with 19 recruits! James Nellegar, of the New York Capital Chapter, follows close behind with 14 recruits.

At the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program's (JFMIP) last annual conference March 10, financial management leaders pushed new ways of measuring—and controlling—government spending. JFMIP, which has certified and tested financial systems since 1950, will soon cease to exist. Most of the organization's duties, formerly shared among the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will come under control of OMB.

Thomas J. Sadowski, MPA, CGFM, CPA, recently accepted a new position as director of accounting for the State of Missouri. Previously, he was the director of accounting at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Sadowski is an AGA Past National President and Past National Treasurer. He is also the AGA National Treasurer-Elect and will take office to once again serve AGA on July 1.

April 2005
AGA awarded the first-ever Certificates of Excellence in Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA), after in-depth evaluation of performance reports submitted by more than 20 governments and government agencies.

Eight states declared March as Certified Government Financial Manager month. Governors signed proclamations in Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

About three-fourths of Senior Executive Service (SES) members received the highest rating available under their performance appraisal systems in fiscal 2003, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has reported, and more than half of them received what OPM termed “substantial” performance bonuses.

May 2005
On Monday, May 9, more than 400 federal agency financial managers gathered at the Washington Court Hotel to share their experiences in implementing the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) revised Circular A-123 and to learn more about OMB’s planned implementation guide.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, a documentary that opened Friday in theaters nationwide, tells the inside story of one of history's greatest business scandals, in which top executives of America's seventh largest company walked away with more than $1 billion while investors and employees lost everything.

The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) has announced that Keith L. Johnson, CPA, controller for the State of Idaho and member of AGA’s Idaho Centennial Chapter, has been named as chair of the FAF’s Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council (GASAC), for a two-year term, effective July 1.

June 2005
AGA announced 10 federal agencies will receive AGA’s prestigious CEAR Awards for their outstanding 2004 Performance and Accountability Reports.

While college graduates are facing the best career prospects in three years, it's the grads with accounting degrees who are sitting pretty. No degree is more in demand, Reuters reported.

July 2005
AGA hosted its largest-ever Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Orlando, FL, bringing together 1,500 professionals from all three levels of government, academia and the private sector.

Linda M. Combs, the new controller for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and a member of AGA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter, will lead the Improved Financial Performance Initiative for the President’s Management Agenda.

The last of three CGFM study guides was published, giving candidates a new way to study on their own for the three rigorous examinations. The CGFM Program also conducted its first intensive review course followed by a no-cost offering of the three examinations at the PDC.

August 2005
Louisiana’s Office of the Legislative Auditor is now providing educational leave and reimbursement to employees who earn AGA’s CGFM certification. The office recently changed its policy to allow employees educational leave to take the three CGFM Examinations. Employees who earn their CGFM certification can also be reimbursed for the costs of educational courses and the examination fees, for a maximum of $1,000. Before the change, staff had to pay those fees out of their own pockets.

Of 26 major agencies tracked by a presidential scorecard, the U.S. Department of Labor is the first to garner the highest rating, a green mark, in the five categories deemed priorities by President Bush.

On August 10, AGA’s revitalized Japan Chapter held its first luncheon of the year at the Naval Air Facility, Atsugi, Japan. Guest speaker was Commanding Officer Capt. Reed Ecktrom, who was also inducted into the chapter's board of directors for 2005-2006.

At the recent PDC in Orlando, AGA continued its discussion on some of the profession's most pressing issues: Human Capital, Education & Research, Performance Reporting and Citizen-Centric Government.

September 2005
AGA launches relief effort to help Gulf Coast area members in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina. More than $6,000 is raised in the first two weeks of the effort.

AGA prepared for its first National Performance Reporting Conference, "Service Efforts & Accomplishments Reporting: The Cornerstone for Building Trust and Enhancing Management" is the theme for conference, set for Nov. 14-15 at the Portland Marriott Downtown in Portland, OR.
 

September 2006
AGA welcomes new Corporate Partners Lionel Henderson & Company, LogicalApps and MorganFranklin Corporation. In total, AGA has 61 Corporate Partners.

More than 400 government accountability professionals gathered in Atlanta on September 25 and 26 for AGA's First National Internal Control and Fraud Conference. The conference began with an address from the nation’s top accountability officer, Comptroller General of the United States David M. Walker, CPA, who heads the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Two longtime members of AGA's Nashville Chapter recently passed away. Patricia Wright, CGFM, CFE, an AGA member since 1985, was the first woman hired in a professional accounting role at the Metropolitan Nashville government, where she worked as a financial administrator for more than 30 years. She died July 28 at age 74. Billy Rogers, a former auditor with the Comptroller's Office, Division of State Audit, was elected to the Putnam County Commission in 1978 and was running for his eighth term. He died June 15 at age 61. Gary J. White, a member of the Central Ohio Chapter, died July 30, 2006. He was an audit manager for Whited Seigneur Sams and Raue CPAs.

September 11, 2006
AGA remembers September 11, 2001 and the more than 3,000 Americans who lost their lives, including three of our own members: Patricia E. (Patty) Mickley, CGFM, Diana B. Padro and Janice M. Scott.

October/November 2006
Two of AGA's Corporate Partners made the list of the 50 fastest growing government contractors. Congratulations to Delta Solutions and Morgan Franklin.

AGA's Second National Performance Management Conference in Schaumburg, IL, October 30 - 31, successfully provided education and networking opportunities for attendees.

Mary L. Rogers, 49, a member of AGA’s Virginia Peninsula Chapter since 2003, passed away on October 4. She worked as an accounting technician for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service at Norfolk Naval Station.

Lisa Thatcher, MPA, became the first former AGA staffer to become a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).

December 2006
AGA President Jeffrey S. Hart, CGFM, CFE, and the Comptroller General of the United States David Walker were panelists in the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour in Denver and Seattle. The Concord Coalition sponsors the tour, and AGA co-sponsored the stops in Denver and Seattle. AGA was shadowed in both cities by a crew from 60 Minutes. Between the two cites, AGA and its programs were publicized to more than 600 top government, business and university leaders, as well as many other citizens. The Fiscal Wake-Up Tour is a series of public forums around the country designed to help educate the public on our nation’s daunting long-term fiscal challenges.

January 2007
Samuel T. Mok, CGFM, CIA, a member of AGA's Washington, D.C. Chapter and chief financial officer, U.S. Department of Labor, has been chosen by the National Nominating Committee as AGA’s next National President-Elect. Thad Juszczak, also a member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter and a senior manager at Grant Thornton LLP, was chosen as National Treasurer-Elect.

The State of Oregon, the City of Saco, Maine and the City of Portland, Oregon all signed on to produce four-page ‘annual state of the government’ reports to their citizens, as part of AGA’s Citizen Centric Reporting initiative. These reports will be easy to understand and will tell the citizens what they need to know about their government and how their tax dollars are being spent.

February 2007
AGA holds its Fifth Annual National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

March 2007
AGA announces that they and member organizations of the Government Performance Coalition will undertake the Transitions in Governance Project to help shape the agenda in the 2008 presidential election by promoting dialogue and debate on budget, management and performance issues in government. The project will use a web-based survey tool in pursuing a comprehensive picture of federal management's experiences and ideas going forward.

The first of four Sectional Leadership Meetings (SLM) was held for AGA’s Section IV Chapters. SLMs will be held in each of the other three sections in 2007.

June/July 2007
AGA hosted its Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Nashville, TN, bringing together over 1,800 professionals from all three levels of government, academia and the private sector. A high point was the awarding of the Robert W. King Award to charter member Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, CPA, CFE, CGFO. Renthrope served as AGA's National President during the 2003-2004 program year and is a member of AGA's New Orleans Chapter and the audit manager of Louisiana's Office of the Legislative Auditor.

AGA is pleased to recognize the outstanding Fiscal Year 2006 performance and accountability reporting efforts of the following federal agencies, which are the recipients of the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR):

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (1)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1)
U.S. Department of the Interior (7)
U.S. Department of Labor (7)
U.S. General Services Administration (3)
U.S. Government Accountability Office (6)
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (6)
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (5)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1)
U.S. Small Business Administration (1)
U.S. Social Security Administration
(The number in parenthesis after each agency indicates the number of years, including this year, that the agency has received the award.)

A donation of $12,500 was made to the Academy for Government Accountability in memory of AGA Past National President and charter member Raymond Einhorn, CGFM, who passed away last year. This is the first major donation the Academy has received.

AGA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

October 2007