AGA TOPICS Newsletter

From the National President

By: Samuel T. Mok, CGFM, CIA, CICA

Happy Lunar New Year! According to the Chinese Lunar calendar, 2009 is the year of the ox. The ox symbolizes hard work, dependability and occasional stubbornness. In most agricultural societies, the ox is the engine that sustains farming and transportation (ox carts) in the villages.

I was born in the year of the monkey. In Chinese folklore, there is a famous story about a monkey who fell off a tree and accidentally landed on the back of a tiger. The monkey hung on for dear life while the tiger raced ferociously through the jungle and the neighboring villages trying to shake the monkey from its back.  All the animals and villagers that witnessed this spectacle were amazed and impressed that the monkey could ride a tiger so valiantly. They were unaware that the entire time the monkey was desperately trying to dismount without being eaten alive.

Leadership positions are somewhat like a monkey riding on the back of a tiger. There is the perception that they are grand and majestic, however it is impossible to understand their challenges until you yourself are in that position. AGA is not quite like the tiger in this story, but you get the idea.

Speaking of leadership, I am delighted to have two extremely capable young leaders succeeding me as AGA National President. The first of these is “Crowned Prince” Billy Morehead, CGFM, and the second is Lisa Casias. I know both of these individuals well and am confident that they, like their predecessors, will serve AGA to the best of their ability. They both have pledged to continue my efforts to prepare AGA for the challenges of the future.

As I have stated many times in past TOPICS columns, there are many managerial challenges facing AGA. Your national leaders are tackling them one by one. Some members of the National Office are concerned that my assessment of AGA’s organization and operations is overly critical and negative. They have expressed the desire for the National President to accentuate AGA’s impressive progress thus far rather than talk about its problems. I agree whole-heartedly that progress has been made and I applaud the efforts of the national staff.  They have been integral in improving the financial viability of our organization and in extending membership reach.  I am also grateful for the support of the many AGA members who have volunteered their time to help our organization become a thought leader in our profession.  Despite the fact that steps have been made in the right direction, I am still of the opinion that there is a substantial amount of work left to be done. I frequently receive e-mails and phone calls from members and past national officers expressing their approval of the initiatives I have launched. Recently, I asked the NEC to evaluate my performance as the National President, and I am encouraged by the response. You can see a summary of this evaluation at the end of this column.

I want to give you my monthly status report on the following.

Executive Director Succession Plan:

I give myself a yellow on this. A task force of several highly distinguished AGA members has been assembled to lead this initiative. Some progress has been made and a viable succession plan should be completed and implemented before June 2009.

Enhanced National Office Finance Operation: Internal Control (Chair, Thad Juszczak)

I give myself and the committee a green. We are making substantial progress and an overview of our initiatives will be presented to the NEC in mid-February. The NEC will review this information and provide the committee with their input and suggestions. This project should be completed within the established time frame. My thanks to Thad, Mary and Cristina for their hard work.

The Governance Protocol: (Chair, John Radford)

I give myself and the task force a green on progress. The task force is hard at work and is adhering to the established timeframe.  I am pleased to report that PNP Charles Harrison, CGFM, has joined the task force.  He will certainly bring great experience and wisdom to this endeavor. I would also like to salute John Radford, CGFM, for his leadership as chair of this committee.

The Responsibility and Accountability of the National President: (Chair, Sam Mok)

I give myself a yellow because I am not quite satisfied with my progress. I expect improvement in this area within the next month or two.  I am in the process of talking to various PNPs to seek their guidance and wisdom on this matter.

The AGA Radio Program: (Chair, Clif Williams, CGFM)

I give myself a bright green for this project.  Thanks to the hard work of the AGA radio program task force, the upcoming programs have been determined. In addition, Jane Norris (the co-host of the WTOP Federal Radio/ Federal Drive Show) has volunteered to serve as an advisor for our program. We are very fortunate to have her input.

National Leadership Conference:

Planning for the National Leadership Conference has been completed and we are ready to “rock and roll.” Please join us for a wonderful two days of learning and productive discussion. I give myself and all parties involved in planning this event a bright green.

The AGA Executive Director Evaluation Plan:

I continue to give myself a yellow on this front. The ball is in my court. I expect this matter to be green within a week or two. Dr. Van Daniker and I will meet to finalize the Evaluation Plan before the NLC.

National President Performance Evaluation by the NEC (Dec 08)
Total Participants - 22

Excellent                                                                                                     Terrible

                                                1                              2                              3                              4                              5

Leadership                           19                           3             

Communication                     7                         13                             2

Accessibility                          9                            9                             4

Vision                                     20                           2

The following are additional suggestions I received from members of the National Executive Committee on areas of focus for the remaining months of my AGA presidency:

- Establish more meaningful performance metrics for AGA programs

- Enhance internal Operations

- Better communication with Past National Presidents

- Promote more intergovernmental cooperation

- Reevaluation of AGA priorities

- Reshape strategic plan based on current economy

- Facilitate chapter growth

- Translating vision into action

- Cost cutting at the national level

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank AGA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter for the wonderful annual Lunar New Year Dinner they hosted on Feb. 3, 2009.  Ann Davis, CGFM, Caitlin Holmes and the NOVA Chapter all deserve recognition for their excellent work in putting together such a successful event.  I would also like to thank Charlie Johnson, Acting HHS Secretary, Jackie Patillo, Acting CIO of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Nancy Huang, CIO of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Yann King, President of Asian American Government Executives Network and Deputy IT Director of Labor, for joining us.  Dan Christovich (past Washington, D.C. Chapter President), Bill Anderson, CGFM, (Past National President), Eva Williams, CGFM, (Past National Treasurer), Lisa Casias (National President-Elect Designate), Karl Boettcher, CGFM, (Senior Vice President), and Dr. Relmond Van Daniker, National Executive Director, and Michiyo Wheeler also joined us for the festivities.

Sam