Agenda/Education Sessions

Monday, October 27

7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Registration Desk Open

7 – 8 a.m.
Breakfast with Exhibitors

Location: Madison Ballroom A

Sponsored by Weidner

Give yourself that mid-morning boost to get you through the day. Coffee, tea and soda are served in the exhibit area, compliments of Weidner, Inc. Enjoy!

10:30 – 11:20 a.m.
M102: Performance-Based Management Reporting: Integrating Financial and Performance Information

Location: Madison Ballroom B

Jon C. Lemon, MBA, Systems Engineer, SAS

John J. Radford, CGFM, CIA, CFE, State Comptroller, State of Oregon; Member, AGA National Executive Committee

Frank Wood, Deputy Chief, Office of Performance Management and Decision Support, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Moderator: Clifton A. Williams, CGFM, CPA, Partner, Global Public Sector, Grant Thornton LLP

Are the management reports you’re producing barely worth the cost of the paper they’re printed on? Hear the overview of AGA’s research project on performance-based reporting and how process orientation can help provide a new view of management reporting.

FOS: BMO
Audience: All

10:30 – 11:20 a.m.
M103: Essential Ingredients for Successful Performance Management—Learning from the Leaders

Location: Madison Ballroom C

Tom Nosack, Performance Analyst, City of Vancouver, WA

Rebekah Stephens, Planning and Performance Coordinator, Nashville and Davidson County, TN

Craig W. Thomas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington

Moderator: Michael Jacobson, Performance Management Director, King County, WA; Co-Chair PMC 2008 Technical Committee

This session covers what some leading performance management practitioners are doing to put all of the requisite pieces into place. Find out how to determine what to do first, how to balance competing demands and how to create your overall system with limited resources. Panelists present a comparative analysis of Bellevue, WA, and King County, WA, approaches, and you'll also learn about the innovative work being done in Vancouver, WA, and Nashville, TN.

FOS: SKA
Audience: State & Local

11:25 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
M104: National Opportunities in Benchmarking

Location: Madison Ballroom B

Kinney Poynter, CPA, Executive Director, National Association of State Auditors, Comtrollers and Treasurers

Gerald Young, Senior Management Associate, International City/County Management Association

Moderator: David R. Bennett, CGFM, CPA, Assistant County Mayor and Finance Director, Blount County, TN; AGA Past National Treasurer and Member, AGA National Executive Committee

One important tool supporting performance management is benchmarking—measuring your organization’s performance against other, similar organizations to learn who is delivering better results, or operating more efficiently, so you can learn what they’re doing and replicate it yourself. This session features speakers on two nationwide benchmarking programs available to government organizations—the administrative services benchmarking program of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers, and the Center for Performance Measurement of the International City/County Management Association. Discussion includes results of benchmark work done to date, how the programs work, and how they are helping governments at all levels around the U.S. today.

FOS: MAS
Audience: State & Local

11:25 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
M105: Activity-Based Costing and Performance Management

Location: Madison Ballroom C

Bob Gardner, Chief Financial Officer, Dryden Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Marlene Walker, ABC Project Manager, Office of Planning and Policy Analysis, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior

Moderator: Lisa Parker, Project Manager, Governmental Accounting Standards Board

Activity-based management information provides a view into an organization’s performance. Our panelists work for organizations with established activity-based management capabilities. They use their capabilities to make resource allocation decisions, to mothball activities that aren’t adding value, to inform strategic decisions and to reinforce operational budgets. If you are in a government organization faced with these decisions, this is a session you won’t want to miss.

FOS: ACCG
Audience: Federal

12:15 – 2 p.m.
Awards Luncheon

Location: North & West Room

Join us for a luncheon and the opportunity to network with colleagues and friends. You’ll also have the chance to meet the award recipients of the 2007-2008 Certificate of Achievement for SEA Reporting. This prestigious award recognizes those governments that use performance reporting to communicate their accomplishments and future plans to citizens.

2 – 2:50 p.m.
M106: Citizen Engagement from Community to State: Issues, Challenges, and Lessons Learned from Vancouver WA, King County, WA, and Washington State

Location: Madison Ballroom B

Chantal Stevens, MMA, Countrywide Community Forums Program Manager, King County, WA Auditor's Office

H. Stuart Elway, Ph.D., President, Elway Research, Inc.

Tom Nosack, Performance Analyst, City of Vancouver, WA

Moderator: Eveanna Barry, Director, Performance Reporting, AGA

Engaging citizens in government, an essential pillar of democratic institutions, can take various forms from town hall meetings, to focus groups, to electronic or web-based polling. Hear representatives from two local governments and Washington state discuss their various approaches to citizen engagement and the impact such efforts have had on government operations.

FOS: COM
Audience: State & Local

2 – 2:50 p.m.
M107: Transforming Budgeting Processes to Deliver Citizen Value

Location: Madison Ballroom C

Thea Bruhn, Ph.D., Senior Catalyst, Strategic and Performance Planning, U.S. Department of State

John E. Whitley, Performance Improvement Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Moderator: Robert J. Shea, Director, Global Public Sector, Grant Thornton LLP; Former Associate Director of Administration & Government Performance, U.S. Office of Management and Budget

Budgets are more powerful when they are supported by performance information. But, it’s easier said than done. The impact of a budget change on performance can be difficult to quantify, especially in terms of impacts to program outcomes. Our panelists provide practical examples of how their organizations have linked budgets with performance, including what has worked and what hasn’t. Panelists discuss how they are moving away from traditional budgeting to performance-based budgeting, including real examples of budgeting for outcomes and using performance assessment information to make budget decisions.

FOS: ACCG
Audience: Federal

2:50 – 3:15 p.m.
Snack Break with Exhibitors

Location: Madison Ballroom A

Join us for an afternoon beverage or snack and network with colleagues and friends. Enjoy!

3:15 – 4:05 p.m.
M108: So You Want to Get Started?!

Location: Madison Ballroom B

Sharon Daboin, Deputy Secretary for Performance Improvement, Governor's Budget Office, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Rebekah Stephens, Planning and Performance Coordinator, Nashville and Davidson County, TN

Moderator: Jon C. Lemon, MBA, Systems Engineer, SAS

Hear from representatives from Nashville and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as they share the good, the bad and the ugly in preparing their first performance report. Their experiences will convince you that, in the long run, performance management is the right thing to do.

FOS: SKA
Audience: State & Local

3:15 – 4:05 p.m.
M109: Budgeting, Performance Management and Reporting Technology

Location: Madison Ballroom C

Anna Danegger, MPM, PMP, Director, Business Office, City of San Diego, CA

Tom O'Brien, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Gary Robinson, Director, Department of Information Systems, State of Washington

Moderator: J.D. Williams, JD, CGFM, Vice President, State and Local Government, Application Solutions, Oracle USA, Inc.

It used to be inconceivable that spreadsheets could be replaced, performance information could be made available in time to act on it and reports would represent one version of the truth. But technology is maturing and increasingly finding its way into government organizations. Technology is being implemented to automate budget data collection, forecast payroll and monitor operational performance. Even organizations that haven’t implemented new technology are anticipating automation and establishing organizational and technical transformation plans. Our panelists provide you with the practical steps they are taking to bring technology into budget and performance management.

FOS: FIN
Audience: All

4:05 – 5 p.m.
M110: Rev Up Your Work Force: The Value of Employee Engagement

Location: North & West Room

Noel Landuyt, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Organizational Excellence, University of Texas at Austin

Moderator: Richard Siegel, Performance and Outreach Coordinator, City of Bellevue, WA; Co-Chair PMC 2008 Technical Committee

The understanding and use of employee engagement strategies by organizations to increase employee performance, efficiency and effectiveness is a growing area of leadership practice. This session reviews cost-saving strategies and provides case and research illustrations to support the need to actively engage employees in the workplace.

FOS: PD
Audience: All

5:30 – 7 p.m.
Welcome Reception

Location: Visions

Sponsored by Oracle. Enjoy!

10:50 – 11:40 a.m.
T103: Auditors Working with Management to Advance Performance Management

Location: Madison Ballroom B

Michael Jacobson, Performance Management Director, King County, WA; Co-Chair PMC 2008 Technical Committee

Ron Perry, Ph.D., Deputy County Auditor, Auditor's Office, King County, WA

Moderator: Richard Tracy, Government Performance Consultant

Federal, state and local government auditors are involved in a variety of activities that further performance management in their jurisdictions. This session describes some of these new auditor roles and presents a real case example of auditor and management cooperation in King County, WA.

FOS: AUDG
Audience: All

10:50 – 11:40 a.m.
T104: Sustaining a Performance Measurement System

Location: Madison Ballroom C

Scott B. Bassett, MBA, Performance Measurement Program Manager, Audit Services, Department of Transportation, State of Oregon

Kristine Adams-Wannberg, MPA, CGAP, Senior Management Auditor, Audit Services Division, City of Portland, OR

Moderator: Sharon Daboin, Deputy Secretary for Performance Improvement, Governor's Budget Office, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Learn from two leaders whose organizations received the AGA Certificate of Achievement in SEA Reporting Award. Now that you've developed a measurement function, how do you keep it running in top shape? Adams-Wannberg and Bassett describe their organizations' past efforts and future plans to sustain the high performance they've built. If your office is beginning or maintaining a measurement function, don't miss this session!

FOS: MAS
Audience: State & Local

11:40 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
T105: What's New with Performance Reporting Programs?

Location: Madison Ballroom B

Cynthia B. Green, Ph.D., Technical Consultant, Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts & Accomplishments (SEA) Reporting Program, AGA

Kenneth A. Smith, Ph.D., CPA, Assistant Professor of Accounting and Information Science, Willamette University

Moderator: Harold I. Steinberg, CGFM, CPA, Former Technical Consultant, Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts & Accomplishments (SEA) Reporting Program, AGA

AGA’s SEA Certificate program recognizes governments that prepare outstanding performance reports and focuses on helping governments improve the quality of these reports. Learn about upcoming changes in the program, including a new award structure. Be the first to see a new web-based tool that offers practical guidance on improving the quality of performance reports.

FOS: SKA
Audience: State & Local

11:40 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
T106: Improving Government Transparency Through Citizen-Centric Reporting

Location: Madison Ballroom C

Joan M. Kane, Reporting and Evaluation Program Manager, Denali Commission

Richard Siegel, Performance and Outreach Coordinator, City of Bellevue, WA; Co-Chair PMC 2008 Technical Committee

Moderator: Susan Fritzlen, Deputy Executive Director of Programs, AGA

Because current financial reports are too complicated and lengthy for the average citizen, AGA is encouraging governments to produce four-page reports to simply explain how governments are spending taxpayers ’money. Two such governments present their reports, explain why they chose to do a report and describe the reaction from the community to their Citizen-Centric Report.

FOS: SKA
Audience: All

12:30 – 2 p.m.
T107: Luncheon & Keynote Speaker– Performance Reporting at Cities and States: Howz that werking fer ya?!

Location: North & West Room

Kenneth A. Smith, Ph.D., CPA, Assistant Professor of Accounting and Information Science, Willamette University

Moderator: Srikant Sastry, CGFM, Partner, Global Public Sector, Grant Thornton LLP

Professor Smith discusses the results of his study of more than 400 state and city performance reports. He looks at the major successes and the ongoing significant obstacles to widespread quality reporting.

FOS: SKA
Audience: All

2 – 3 p.m.
T108: What Are Community Indicators and Why Are They Necessary?

Location: Madison Ballroom B

Cheryle A. Broom, CGFM, King County Auditor, Auditor's Office, King County, WA

Anindita Mitra, AICP, President, Community Indicators Consortium

Chantal Stevens, MMA, Countrywide Community Forums Program Manager, Auditor's Office, King County, WA

Moderator: Cynthia B. Green, Ph.D., Technical Consultant, Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts & Accomplishments (SEA) Reporting Program, AGA

An overview of community indicators—what they are and how they are useful. Successful indicator programs are highlighted, including the work of Sustainable Seattle and Communities Count. New endeavors under way in King County to engage the citizenry and link indicators and performance measures are also presented.

FOS: MAS
Audience: State & Local

2 – 3 p.m.
T109: Measuring Sustainability

Location: Madison Ballroom C

Lynne Barker, Director of the STAR Community Index, ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability U.S.A., Inc.

Vicki Sonntag, B-Sustainable Architect, EcoPraxis

Moderator: Michael Jacobson, Performance Management Director, King County, WA; Co-Chair PMC 2008 Technical Committee

As communities and governments each try to assess how “sustainable” they are, learn from leading sustainability measurement practitioners about diverse approaches used to measure and report on this complex and timely topic.

FOS: SKA
Audience: All

3 – 3:30 p.m.
Snack Break with Exhibitors

Location: Madison Ballroom A

Join us for an afternoon beverage or snack and network with colleagues and friends. This is your last chance to visit with exhibitors. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet your private sector partners and find solutions to your business challenges. Enjoy!

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
T110: Wrap-Up Session: Improving Performance Management and Reporting for Federal, State and Local Governments—What’s Your View?

Location: North & West Room

Cynthia B. Green, Ph.D., Technical Consultant, Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts & Accomplishments (SEA) Reporting Program, AGA

As this 2008 PMC winds down, we look to you for ways to improve the program content. Did we meet the goal as the program was advertised? What did we miss? And who should we be recruiting as speakers? Your input is important to us. Join us for the last session as we hear from you on how to encourage government leaders to embrace performance management and reporting to promote accountability and transparency to drive change in service delivery and resource allocation.

FOS: SKA
Audience: All

4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks & Adjournment

See you next year!

Wednesday, October 29

Special Session!
A New Service Model: Auditor Roles in Government Performance Measurement
Government auditors can increase their value by taking on new roles and practices aimed at improving performance measurement and management. In this course, participants will learn how to apply an organized framework to determine which specific practices provide the best opportunities for adding new value to the entity they serve. The framework will be presented in the context of models of effective governance, service delivery, managing for results and organizational learning. Situational examples, case histories, self-assessment exercises and presentation materials will help participants learn:

* Where to obtain tools used by innovative auditors for implementing these practices.
* Which practices are best to apply now in their entity, and what skills they may need to develop.
* How to change roles and practices used over time to keep adding more value as performance management in their government evolves.

When: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Seattle, WA at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel
CPE Hours: 4
Field of Study: Auditing
Format: Lecture, Group Discussion and Exercises and Class Examples
Cost: $50
Instructor: Richard Tracy, Government Performance Consultant
Contact: Evie Barry for more information.