AGA TOPICS Newsletter

CGFM Success for Northern Virginia Chapter

(l to r) Michael Conrad Agresti III, CGFM, Tzu Y. Chen, CGFM, Noah A. Kaufman, CGFM, Richard Kenneth Strasser, CGFM, Susan Cash, CGFM, Dennis Gabriel Green, CGFM

The CGFM Chair for the Northern Virginia Chapter set the bar high for himself this program year: Jim Davis wanted to sponsor the training courses, form a CGFM Study Group, increase recognition of the CGFM among area governments, and boost the number of CGFMs by 12.

Less than a year later, 11 Northern Virginia Chapter members and one member of both Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia Chapters can be proud of earning their CGFM. Among the group is Northern Virginia Chapter President Dennis Green. Davis himself has passed two of the three examinations, with plans to pass the third before the Professional Development Conference & Exposition in June. Green figured he should set an example. He thought, “If I’m going to be president, I’d better get the CGFM certificate,” he said.

Green, a CPA who now works as a cash and debt management supervisor with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, had previous experience conducting audits for municipalities and school districts in Phoenix for a boss with the CGFM credential. When he moved over to the federal arena, first with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, he joined AGA and began volunteering at the chapter level. As president, he aimed to go through the chapter-sponsored training in December, and prepare for the examinations by reading all study material between then and the Intensive Review Course in Washington, D.C. in February.

He admits, however, that he ended up jamming in the reading over the weekend before the Intensive Review Course, held just before the National Leadership Conference. His daughter also visited that weekend with his brand-new grandson. “I held that baby for 20 minutes, but other than that I ate, slept and breathed CGFM. Now this is real dedication,” he said.

He found the examinations to be more difficult than he anticipated. “You really have to know the material to successfully pass the tests because nothing is parroted from the learning materials to the tests.” He said he had the advantage of working in state and local government AND the federal level. But still, he said, “You have to let it sit and resonate a little bit in your brain and come back...that’s the key to it.” Green encourages test takers to bookmark questions they are unsure of, returning at the end to go over them again. “Normally, they tell you that your first response is usually the right one, but I ended up changing a good third of the answers that I had bookmarked.” He passed all three examinations on Feb. 18.

Green said the CGFM gave him a great refresher on federal issues, and it helps in his day-to-day work, as his staff puts together two detailed sections of the Performance and Accountability Report, or PAR. The CGFM preparation work broadened his understanding of the policies that drive his work.

Like Green, Davis also plans to attend the Intensive Review Course and then sit for Exam 2. He is also preparing to sit for the final part of the CPA exam, and last year he earned the Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) credential from the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC). The CDFM is specific to Defense, and Davis said the CGFM is the only credential that covers all three levels of government. In November, Davis helped put together a joint ASMC/AGA luncheon. Both credentials were discussed, and the presentation generated interest in the CGFM among ASMC members.

Chapter members from Northern Virginia and Prince Georges County were enthusiastic about the CGFM too. Davis said he was getting 20 e-mails a day and several voice mails messages from people wanting to sign up for the CGFM courses, offered at no cost in December. “It was tough to narrow it down to 30,” he recalled. The Study Group, held afterward, was also popular and the chapter is getting requests to continue that effort.

The chapter was also successful in seeking proclamations declaring March CGFM Month from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Arlington County, Prince Williams County and Fairfax County.

The chapter last Wednesday honored the new CGFMs with award certificates, and presented the proclamations declaring March CGFM Month to Katya Silver, AGA’s director of Professional Certification Administration, to display at the National Office.

Congratulations to the new CGFMs in the Northern Virginia Chapter:

Michael Conrad Agresti III, CGFM
Kevin Michael Alsop, CGFM
Susan Cash, CGFM, who is also a member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter
Tzu Y. Chen, CGFM
Dennis Gabriel Green, CGFM
Noah A. Kaufman, CGFM
Christopher Kuzmick Hare, CGFM
Cynthia A. Landrum, CGFM
Mie Miller, CGFM
Richard Kenneth Strasser, CGFM
Kimberly Anne Tibbs, CGFM
Carol L. Weatherly, CGFM