AGA TOPICS Newsletter

Indian Affairs Makes it Simple for Finance Employees to Earn CGFM

Janet Hogler, CGFM, is not only committed to bringing the best training to employees, but also to making it as convenient as possible.

About six years ago, Hogler brought AGA’s three Government Financial Management (GFM) courses to U.S. Department of Energy employees in Pittsburgh, PA, and Morgantown, WV. While successful, in looking back she thought more employees would have taken the three examinations if she had brought the test to them, rather than expecting them to do that footwork on their own.

That’s why Hogler added an extra step this time. As Chief Of Staff to the Chief Financial Officer – Indian Affairs, she asked AGA to bring the three GFM courses to their workplace in Reston, VA. She lined up 26 students, most of them from Indian Affairs and a few from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of Financial Management, and also arranged for the exams to be held immediately after each course. 

Hal Steinberg, CGFM, CPA, taught all three courses over a two-week period in January, with the examination for each course held the day after the class work ended. “Most of the folks said it was pretty intense,” Hogler said.  In fact, one employee told her, “You put me through hell those two weeks.” In the end, most Indian Affairs employees, plus additional DOI employees have passed all three CGFM Examinations. Most others passed two of the three exams and are already studying to retake the exams they did not pass.

Hogler said the courses attracted a range of employees from GS-7 through GS-15.  Some were from the Office of Internal Evaluation and Assessments, some from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and some from DOI.

“It was funny on the days of the test, they all wanted to change to the afternoon slots to allow more time to study. I would go around to the conference rooms and they were all studying,” Hogler said.

Hogler, who says she’s “big on training,” particularly likes AGA’s GFM courses and the fact that the CGFM credential is portable—employees who must move to another agency within federal government or to state or local government can use the credential to show they have a broad range of knowledge in government financial management. It also goes a long way toward boosting the credibility of the office within the financial management community.

The GFM courses were the culmination of a training program that also included courses on the Standard General Ledger, appropriation law and other topics. She said her boss saw the value in bringing the courses and exams onsite to “bring this group to the next level.”

Katya Silver, AGA’s director of Professional Certification, said Hogler put all the pieces in place to ensure success for the employees. ”I am happy to see Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) make an investment in their staff. This is such a success story! The GFM training, the onsite exams, the employer support and the dedication of the candidates have all paid off—congratulations to BIA and our new group of CGFMs!”