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Highlights Internal Control Audio Conference Set for Wednesday Upcoming Audio Conferences March 25—SEA: Taking Accountability and Transparency to a New Level April 8 —The Future of Government Auditing: Which Direction(s) Are We Heading? View the 2009 Audio Conference Schedule
This Week on the AGA Blog Wednesday: John Radford, CGFM, State Controller, State of Oregon, on "The New GAO Cost Estimating Manual" AGA's March 10 Radio Show Discusses CFO Selection and the Obama Administration Member News Audio Conference on GASB 54 Set for April 29 Worth 2 CPE hours, the audio conference is scheduled for 2 to 3:50 p.m. Eastern time, April 29. Dean Mead, GASB project manager, will discuss the key requirements of GASB No.54. He will be joined by GASB Chairman Robert Attmore, CGFM, or David Bean, GASB director of research, who will provide comments during the audio conference and be available for questions during the last 25 minutes of the event. Cost is $249 per site (unlimited attendance) if you register on or before Friday, April 24, 2009, and $299 thereafter. Program questions: Kinney Poynter, 859.276.1147. Registration, CPE, or other logistics: Pat Hackney, 859.276.1147. 2008-2009 AGA Newsletter, Website Contests We encourage all chapters to participate in the 2008-2009 contest. Here’s how to enter: Submit copies of your chapter’s October, November and February newsletters to Chris Camara at camara100@cox.net by COB Friday, April 3. When all entries are in, we will pick ONE month out of a hat and all entries from that month will be judged. All AGA chapter websites are automatically entered into the website contest. Volunteer judges will review all working chapter websites during the week of April 6. Check your chapter’s listing. We must have all updated URLs or changes before April 6 to be included in this year’s judging. Contact April Pardoe with changes or questions. Once again, we are inviting last year’s award recipients to be our judges for other chapter groups. (For example, Group A would judge Group B, Group C would judge Group D, etc.) If you received a Chapter Newsletter Award last year and would like to be a judge this year, send Chris Camara an e-mail. April Pardoe will be contacting last year’s website award recipients. Winners will be announced in early May. Awards will be presented during the PDC in New Orleans, June 21 – 24. Remember that all award recipients must be AGA members. Let’s celebrate the achievements of AGA's 2008-2009 chapter communicators who have produced outstanding newsletters and websites. Good luck! Check out the award recipients from 2007-2008 and the awards criteria. Mark Your Calendar—The annual Chapter Communicators Session at the PDC is set for 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. Sunday, June 21. AGA’s Communications team will be available to answer your questions. AGA Advertising Opportunities! |
Volume 49: Issue 5, March 9, 2009 TOPICS is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner
Grant Thornton Grant Thornton Global Public Sector delivers financial, technology and performance management solutions to federal, state and local government clients, and international organizations. Call us to see if we can help your agency manage its resources more efficiently and effectively at 703.637.2750. From the National President The 2009 National Leadership Conference was a great success, both in content and revenue. Dr. Van Daniker reported that our attendance far exceeded expectations and it was a completely sold out event, both in attendees and exhibition booths. This is no small accomplishment during a severe national financial crisis and its resulting budget constraints. The speakers were all first rate. We received media coverage from major national media outlets as well as the very popular D.C.-based Federal News Radio. Read the entire column. Sam
This year’s educational sessions and conference activities will take place in two hotels: the New Orleans Marriott and the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. For your convenience, both hotels are located on Canal Street and are directly across the street from each other (approximately a 40-second walk from door to door). As of today, the New Orleans Marriott is sold out. If you were unable to obtain a room at the Marriott, please contact the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel for reservations. Located on historic Canal Street just steps from the French Quarter, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is a short walk from Bourbon Street, the Aquarium of the Americas, Harrah’s Casino, IMAX Theater, Riverwalk Marketplace and several renowned restaurants, live music clubs, museums and historic sites. This four-star hotel’s amenities include 24-hour, in-room dining, a Starbucks coffee shop, fitness center, and rooftop pool. Be sure to reserve your room at the Sheraton to ensure you'll be in the center of conference activity. Staying at the headquarters hotels means you'll be able to network easily with other attendees. The room rate is $120 per night (plus tax) for single and double occupancy. Rates are only guaranteed until May 29, or until the block is sold out. After that date (or after the room block is sold out) the hotel may charge significantly higher rates. We encourage you to make your hotel reservations early, for the best price and availability.
Hotel rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis until the hotel is sold out. Make your reservations early! Now is the Time to Become a Certified Government Financial Manager! Demonstrate that you have the skills and knowledge to succeed. Apply to the CGFM Program today. TOPICS is Brought to You by The Institute of Internal Auditors
SEA: Taking Accountability and Transparency to a New Level Audio Conference Set SEA, Performance Reporting, Performance-Based Budgeting—Did you ever wonder when and why these initiatives began? AGA Past National President Sam McCall, CGFM, CPA, CIA, Tallahassee City Auditor, is finishing his Ph.D. in public administration. His dissertation discusses the history of performance initiatives by governments, the AGA Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report Review Program and the impact that the GASB’s 16 suggested criteria has had on the quality of performance reports submitted. McCall will be joined by Ken Smith, PhD., CPA, professor at Willamette University in Oregon, and AGA's academic adviser for the SEA Program, who has been instrumental in creating a website that explains, with examples, each of the 16 suggested criteria. Governments looking to prepare performance reports as well as those entities recently having their report reviewed by AGA will benefit from our new Performance Reporting 2.0. Cost: $249 per site (UNLIMITED ATTENDANCE) if you register on or before Friday, March 20, 2009 and $299 thereafter. SPECIAL PROMOTION: Government agencies and CPAG members who register five or more offices will pay $200 per site. Print the registration form or the special promotion registration form and fax to 703.684.6933 If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Maria Lucas at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 308. Questions regarding the program should be directed to Raymond Harris, CGFM, at ext. 339. TOPICS is Brought to You by Real Asset Management International
Don’t Miss Out on Your Benefits—Renew Today This is an exciting time to be an AGA member, with many more opportunities to take advantage of your member benefits. Since your last renewal, AGA has made continuing your professional education even easier. The Association surveyed the top issues facing financial managers today and expanded AGA’s education and training opportunities to meet your specific training needs. Renew your membership today and take advantage of onsite, audio, conference and online opportunities to advance your career and secure your future. Remember, your membership means more than just CPE hours. Members cite leadership, travel, meeting great people and helping to make a difference in our accountability profession as the reasons they continue to be a part of AGA. It’s easy to renew. Go to the Members Only section of the AGA website. Your AGA login is your membership ID and your password is your first initial immediately followed by your last name (no spaces), unless you have changed it. Once you are logged in, click the gray ‘billing’ button and follow the prompts for payment. It’s that simple. Need assistance or a new invoice? We are happy to help. Contact the AGA Customer Satisfaction Center at 800.AGA.7211. Don’t let renewal time pass you by. TOPICS is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner Graduate School
April 15 - 17, Washington, DC Visit the Graduate School online or call (888) 744-GRAD. Looking For Training? Check out the New AGA Education and Training Brochure Grants Management: This course provides a general overview of grants management, including preparation, review and submittal of proposals; negotiation and acceptance of grants; post-award financial and administrative management; closeout and audit; and relevant compliance issues. Click here to learn more and get detailed information. The 18 other on-site courses include lectures, group discussion and exercises and class problem-solving. They can be customized to meet your needs and participants are awarded CPEs based on the length of each course. For course pricing and additional information about course content, please contact Bekka Gehrmann, Education Manager, 800.AGA.7211, at ext. 309. AGA Needs SEA Reviewers |
Other AGA Links Bring New AGA-Sponsored Training Courses to Your Organization
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© Association of Government Accountants 2009 Disclaimer: AGA serves government accountability professionals by providing quality education, fostering professional development and certification, and supporting standards and research to advance government accountability. If you would like to opt off of future AGA mailings, please e-mail agawebmaster@agacgfm.org. Thank you. |
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In the tough economic climate, when the unemployment is high and more governments are feeling the pressure to improve financial management operations, obtaining and maintaining the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) designation is even more important than ever. The CGFM credential is the only certification that covers a wide range of finance topics across all three levels of government. As the mark of excellence in government finance, more employers are requiring that new hires earn the CGFM designation. Employers are also demanding that their finance professionals keep up with constantly changing regulations and innovations. The CGFM’s continuing education requirements keep you up to speed and make you a more valuable member of your team. The CGFM also brings promotion opportunities, and the certification makes your more portable across government organizations.
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The brochure includes onsite, audio, conferences and online offerings to help you and your staff’s education and training needs. Check out one of the courses currently being offered: