AGA TOPICS Newsletter

CGFM Profile: Russ Roberts, CGFM

“The certification is critical for qualifications on working in federal financial systems because the federal government is continuing to value the CGFM certification, above even the CPA, because it focuses on governmental operations.”

Many of the professionals in the federal consulting practice of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), AGA’s newest Corporate Partner, have former lives as civil servants.

Russ Roberts, CGFM, an industry expert on federal financial systems, has worked for the Federal Aviation Administration as a systems accountant developing a quality assurance program for property, plant and equipment. At the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, he helped develop a financial system called the Defense Cash Accountability System, designed to marry millions of unmatched disbursements. He also spent a few years in between as a consultant, helping federal agencies meet the requirements of the CFO Act and the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act.

With his background, Roberts is keenly aware that the rules are constantly changing. Federal agencies are being required to improve financial reporting and accountability under tight deadlines, and because CSC helps agencies re-engineer their business processes, install ERP systems, etc., it is critical that CSC consultants stay current.

There’s no question that change will come, Roberts said. The question is when, how much and how to deal with it. “Technology is continually changing the way we provide financial services. We must stay current with both the technology and the government environment. This process ensures we provide the tools and guidance to our clients that allow them to work effectively and efficiently while maintaining public trust.”

That’s why Roberts did not have to be convinced that earning the CGFM certification was a valuable tool to stay up-to-date—in fact, he wishes he had done it sooner. “I spent most of my professional career as a civil servant so I already knew the value of the CGFM before I even went into contracting work.”

He passed all three examinations in November. Rather than study on his own, he decided to take the three AGA-sponsored preparatory courses in government financial management. “I’m was confident once I acquired the material from AGA and studied it in a very disciplined manner I could do well, however, there’s nothing like having classroom instruction.”

The instructors, one a former federal CFO among other experts in the field, have experienced the dramatic changes in financial management, bringing more depth and meaning to the information. Roberts said, “That extra dimension is important to make what has occurred over the past 10-20 years more applicable to what you’re doing today.”

The experience broadened Roberts’ knowledge of state and local government finances, introduced him to other professionals in his field, and helped him in his work supporting federal agencies that choose CSC to implement or integrate their federal financial systems. The CGFM also gives him and his firm a credential that shows he is a qualified expert in his field, and the CFOs and CIOs who hire CSC are well aware of the value of the CGFM.

“The certification is critical for qualifications on working in federal financial systems because the federal government is continuing to value the CGFM certification, above even the CPA, because it focuses on governmental operations,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ supervisor also did not have to be convinced that allowing him to pursue the CGFM was a good idea.

“My employer is very supportive of professional education and certification because those are the qualifications used to express the value this company can bring to the federal sector,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ supervisor, Greg Bitz, CGFM, who heads up the financial management division of the federal consulting practice, concurs.

“The CGFM and the CPE that goes with it is something we believe in because the CGFM attests to others the levels of experience and knowledge that we purport to have,” Bitz said. “It’s one thing for me to tell you I’m smarter than a stump, but it’s another thing to test it and carry the accreditation.” He added, “We need to do more than say, ‘Trust us, we know what we’re doing.’”

CSC is so committed to continuing professional education that it dedicates more than 3 percent of its budget to its training program. In Roberts’ case, CSC paid for the three government financial management classes and for all the required CPE (80 hours every two years), not to mention access to one AGA-sponsored conference a year.

Roberts encourages government financial managers to consider the CGFM. “If you plan on staying in government financial management it’s going to become more and more a basic necessity to compete.”