Highlights
Training Opportunities
 Make Plans Now to Attend AGA's PDC
Join us July 27–30, 2008 in Atlanta, GA, for AGA’s Professional Development Conference & Exposition (PDC) – the government financial management education and networking event of the year!
AGA has been a leader in providing the best training for more than 57 years, and this is the place where it all comes together. With the theme “Building on the Dream: Creating a Culture of Accountability,” and offering valuable CPE hours, timely topics and an impressive lineup of speakers, PDC 2008 promises to be one of the Association's best.
One of the best reasons to attend is the unprecedented gathering of top-notch speakers and financial management experts. This year’s dynamic, high-profile keynote speakers include:
Ernest A. Almonte, CGFM, CPA, Auditor General, State of Rhode Island
David S. Broder, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and national political correspondent, The Washington Post
Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor
Kurt Eichenwald, business journalist and best-selling author, Conspiracy of Fools
Rev. Dr. Bernice King, internationally acclaimed orator, ordained minister and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.
Andrew Young, pastor, civil rights leader, former U.N. ambassador
Registration couldn’t be easier. You can register online or print the registration form to register by fax or mail. Advance registration discounts apply to all forms received before June 27.
Build on the dream… show your commitment a more accountable future—register today.
Last Week to Register Early for May 14 Ethics Audio Conference
AGA, in conjunction with NASACT and ALGA, is pleased to announce a new and increasingly important topic to our audio conference schedule—cases of ethical lapses.
During this audio conference, the presenter will recount recent ethical lapses in government and examine the causes and effects. By examining a series of ethical lapses, we find that a pattern emerges. That pattern allows us to think about this question: What is it in the culture of an agency that allows obvious ethical breaches to occur and continue? Once we understand the culture, we can think about putting the detection methods, as well as antidotes, in place.
To share her expertise in ethical behavior and its ramifications is Marianne M. Jennings, JD, professor in the Department of Management in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (ASU).
Please join us for two hours of lively discussion that includes 20 minutes for Q & A. Cost: $249 per site (UNLIMITED ATTENDANCE) if you register by May 9 and $299 thereafter. SPECIAL PROMOTION: Register five or more offices from your government agency or CPAG firm and receive a 20 percent discount.
Register online, print the registration form and fax it to 703.684.6933 or print the Special Promotion Registration form and fax it to 703.684.6933.
AGA Advertising Opportunities!
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May 5, 2008 • News from the Profession
AGA Today is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner Clifton Gunderson
 Clifton Gunderson offices in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD, Harrisburg, PA, and Arlington, VA, are looking for experienced professionals to join our public sector practice. The ideal candidate will have 5+ yrs of Public Accounting or equivalent audit experience along with your BA/BS in Accounting and CPA or CGFM. Duties will include audits of Federal entities, State & Local audits (GASB), A-133 audits, and compliance auditing. To apply please e-mail Michael.Armstrong@cliftoncpa.com
Former GSA Chief Says She Was Ousted Over IG Feud
In the end, it wasn't an investigation into potential Hatch Act violations, pressure from Capitol Hill or alleged interference in General Services Administration contract negotiations that brought down GSA Administrator Lurita A. Doan. While each of these controversies may have pushed the White House to the breaking point, Doan appeared to have survived them. Ultimately, her turbulent two-year tenure as head of GSA apparently came to an end Tuesday as a result of her ongoing and public feud with her agency's inspector general, Brian Miller. Multiple government sources, including Doan herself, indicated to Government Executive that her ouster was the result of the dispute with Miller, which deepened during the past several weeks after the IG was cleared in a pair of whistleblower probes. The recent flare-up may have been the final straw after Doan had survived a series of earlier probes of alleged misconduct on her part. —Robert Brodsky and Elizabeth Newell, Government Executive. Read more.
NAPA/AGA Panel Tomorrow on Federal Finance Issues
The National Academy of Public Administration and AGA cordially invite you to participate with an expert panel of senior government executives and industry experts to develop a targeted list of priorities in government financial management for the next Administration. The session is slated for 2 – 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 6, at The National Academy of Public Administration, 900 Seventh St., N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C.
National Academy Fellow and AGA President-Elect Samuel T. Mok, CGFM, CIA, will serve as moderator for an energetic discussion among the distinguished panelists and an expert response panel:
Steve O. App, CGFM, Deputy to the Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Michael J. Hettinger, Director of Practice Planning and Marketing, Grant Thornton LLP; Former Staff Director, Government Reform Subcommittee on Management, Finance and Accountability
Wendy Payne, CGFM, Executive Director, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB)
Relmond P. Van Daniker, DBA, CPA, Executive Director, AGA
Daniel I. Werfel, Deputy Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Space is limited. To participate, contact Eveanna Barry by noon today.
AGA Today is Brought to You by Becker CPA Review
 The CPA Exam isn’t easy.
Paying for Becker CPA Review is.
If you’re a federal employee, you can prepare for the CPA Exam with the leading exam prep provider—Becker CPA Review—at a dramatic tuition discount (visit Contract # GS-02F-0105R). You may even qualify for full tuition reimbursement.
Contact us at 1-877-CPA-EXAM or Becker CPA Review or e-mail Monica Callahan to learn more about this career defining opportunity.
Houston Launches Website Offering Help on Health Insurance
Mayor Bill White launched a new website aimed at giving Houstonians more information about health insurance choices. HoustonHealthChoice.com offers a menu of online options for individuals, families and small-business owners to compare health plans side-by-side based on monthly premium prices, deductibles and coverage options. White hopes to bring a measure of transparency to health plan pricing and to encourage the uninsured to seek coverage they can afford. —Lynn Cook, The Houston Chronicle. Read more.
Mississippi Passes Transparency Law
Mississippi residents soon will be able to access the state's accounting books online. The Mississippi Accountability and Transparency Act, signed into law on April 14, requires the state's Department of Finance and Administration to create a searchable website containing information on the use of state funds and bond proceeds. The act makes Mississippi the latest state to join the "Google Government," said Kristina Rasmussen, director of government affairs for the Alexandria, Va.-based National Taxpayers Union. "Access to this information will improve the efficiency of government and greatly benefit the state in the long run," she said in a statement. Mississippi's bill is based on federal legislation passed last year that requires the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to put information on federal grant and contract disbursements on the Web. Rasmussen praised Mississippi lawmakers for requiring that the state's Web site feature user-friendly search functions. "Some states simply have chosen to put lists of information on their websites," she said. "While that's a start, these databases really go to work for taxpayers when visitors can search by keyword. Mississippi residents will soon be able to 'Google' their government just like any other Internet search." —American City & County. Read more.
AGA Today is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner Morgan Franklin
MorganFranklin puts the word “value” back into agency compliance efforts. Visit our website for more information.
AGA Blog Enters Second Month
The first month of the AGA Blog was a huge success, with more than 6,600 people visiting the site and more than 100 comments made on a wide variety of subjects. On any given day, you might find a debate about the use of blogs to advance government accountability, the importance of new budget strategies to combat tough times, or what the next administration needs to know to hit the ground running. If you haven't yet checked out the AGA Blog, stop by at http://aga.typepad.com/aga/.
This week on the blog:
Monday: Eric Berman, deputy controller, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and AGA GASAC Representative
on" Demystifying Derivatives?"
Tuesday: Jeff Steinhoff, retired managing director, Financial Management and Assurance, GAO, and AGA Past National President on "It's Never Too Late for Certification—Learning is a Lifelong Journey"
Wednesday: AGA
Thursday: Lisa Parker, CPA, GASB, on "The Citizen-Centric Reporting Efforts in Saco, Maine"
Friday: Mike Kristek, CGFM, retired, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Energy, on "Are the IGs and Other Federal Auditors Doing Enough to Improve Government Accountability?"
Questions about how to post a comment or how to subscribe to the feed that sends blog entries straight to your e-mail address? Find out more. Want to spend a day as our guest on the blog? Contact Marie Force, communications director.
The Real Reason Employees Leave, and How to Keep The Best
Why do people leave teams and organizations? The No. 1 reason people leave jobs is because they fail to connect with their bosses as leaders and as people. People are rarely honest about why they leave a company. Too many associates that depart follow Jimmy Conway's advice (played by Robert DeNiro) in the 1990 hit movie "Goodfellas," who told Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), "Never rat on your friends and keep your mouth shut." There is no upside incentive for the employee to be open and honest. The primary reason people leave companies is because of the relationship and lack of emotional connection with their boss. However, it is almost never talked about in the exit interview. Why? Who wants to burn a bridge with a boss they may need for a future job reference? —Jim Welch, AccountingWEB. Read more.
AGA Today is Brought to You by NYSSCPA
Government Accounting and Auditing Conference
Held on Thursday, May 8, 2008 in New York City and Tuesday, May 13, 2008 in Albany, NY, the Government A&A Conference will provide CPAs with an update on GASB topics, including results from the National Single Audit Sampling Project. Learn more.
 GASB Adds New Projects to Current Agenda
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has added three projects to its current agenda—a review of existing postemployment benefits standards, a project exploring accounting and financial reporting guidance for public/private partnerships, and a reexamination of GASB Statement No. 14, The Financial Reporting Entity, including consideration of establishing reporting standards for government departments, agencies and other units smaller than a complete reporting entity. The additions were announced by GASB Chairman Robert Attmore following discussion among GASB members at the April board meeting in Norwalk, CT. The Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council recently identified these projects as top agenda priorities. A press release that provides more information about these and other new projects, as well as the GASB’s technical plan for the second third of 2008 are available online. —GASB.
FASAB Seeks Assistant Director
The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) is seeking a qualified individual to join its professional staff as an assistant director. The position is a Band III (salary range: $110,952 – $149,000 per year). All recruitment activities are managed through the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) website and compensation is determined under GAO’s performance-based compensation system. The announcement number is GAO-08-FASAB-0510-01. For questions about this job or the application process, contact Allison Y. Powell. Phone: 202.512.5502; TDD: 800.877.8339.
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