History
Past National President
Richard V. Norment, CGFM, CIA,
to Receive 2004 Robert W. King Memorial
Award
As
Richard V. Norment, CGFM, CIA, prepared to become AGA’s 52nd
National President during the Spring of 2001, he followed the paths of
other Presidents-Elect by setting a theme—"Lead to
Succeed"—preparing his goals and planning his travel
schedule. He could never have prepared for the terrorist attacks that
occurred just three months into his term, taking the lives of three AGA
members at the Pentagon.
The leadership Norment showed in creating the AGA
Relief Effort, which raised $33,000 for the families of the slain
members, is just one reason that AGA will present Norment with its top
honor, the Robert W. King Memorial Award, at the 53rd Annual
Professional Development Conference & Exposition in June.
Presented annually in the form of a medallion to
formally recognize superior service that enhanced AGA's national
prestige and stature, the award is named for AGA’s founder and
first National President.
"Looking back and thinking of the King Award, I
see it as the ultimate recognition from your peers for all the work you
have done for AGA," Norment said recently, saying he was
"thrilled and humbled" to receive the 2004 King Award and to
be nominated by his chapter.
"The Nashville-Area Chapter of the Association
of Government Accountants is pleased to nominate Mr. Richard V. Norment
for the Robert W. King Memorial Award, for his superior service to the
Association of Government Accountants," Nashville Area Chapter
President Philip D. Carr, CGFM, wrote. "Mr. Norment’s
outstanding leadership and service is recognized throughout the
Association."
A 37-year employee of the Tennessee Comptroller of
the Treasury’s Office in Nashville, Norment is the director of
county audit and an assistant to Comptroller John Morgan. A storied
office, led for more than 40 years by the legendary William R.
Snodgrass, Norment has worked with many of the same people for most of
his career—the same group that founded AGA’s Nashville-Area
Chapter in 1977.
At 61, Norment admits he is contemplating retirement
"in the next four or five years," but he has loved every
minute of his long career as a public servant. Interviewed in 2001,
before the start of his term as National President, Norment said he
vividly remembers his first days on the job and never once
thought—"I’ve got 30 years to go before I can
retire." He acknowledged then that government jobs will never be
as financially rewarding as private sector positions, but he
can’t imagine being more fulfilled by any career.
It was that same zest for service and commitment to
get ahead professionally that led him to be an active AGA member. He
served for nine years on AGA’s National Executive Committee, was
president of the Nashville Area Chapter, was a Regional Vice President,
chaired the membership and PDC host committees, and served on the
Finance and Budget Committee for years, including a term as National
Treasurer in 1997-1998.
While he has given so much to AGA over the past 25
years, Norment is the first to admit he has gotten a lot back in
return. He has made friends and contacts that have served him well in
his professional and personal lives. He cites an example of a problem
he was facing in Tennessee dealing with the USDA’s regional
office of inspector general in the late 1980s. At an AGA meeting in
Washington, D.C., he met USDA Inspector General Leon Sneed and had the
opportunity to discuss his concerns with Sneed. Problem solved. "I
spoke to him and had a big breakthrough on what was a huge
problem," Norment said. "You can’t get that kind of
access any other way than through AGA."
Norment also realizes the need to share his
experience and wisdom with younger people in his office and his
chapter. "I challenge them to take advantage of the opportunities
available to them by telling them that I was sitting where they are
just a few years ago," he said.
By seizing the opportunities available to him,
Norment found himself on AGA’s national stage at a time when the
country and the Association were challenged like never before. "My
year as President was no ordinary year," he said, referring to
September 11, 2001, and the fund-raising efforts AGA undertook to help
the families of the three members who died. Each family was later
presented with a check for $11,000 made possible through the generosity
of AGA members across the country. It is an accomplishment Norment is
very proud of, but he gives credit to everyone who participated in this
project and all the others that led to the King Award.
"You don’t receive recognition like this
alone," he said. "It is part of my work with so many people
who helped make this happen. It’s not about one person,
it’s about many people working together."
Norment, who has been married to his wife Judy for 33
years, is the father of two grown children, Brian, 31, and Cristy, 28,
both of whom live in the Washington, D.C. area.
Receiving the King Award will be one more highlight
in a public service career that has been both interesting and
rewarding, as has his tenure as an active AGA member and volunteer.
"I haven’t regretted one minute of it," Norment said.
"I have made lifelong friends through AGA that will carry on
long after I end my government service."
by Marie
Sullivan Force