Highlights
PDC Begins Sunday, June 27, in
Washington!
Informative Sessions & Dynamic
Speakers
The PDC offers more than 80 educational sessions, in six thematic
tracks.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
• Tom Allen, Chairman,
Governmental Accounting Standards Board
• Robert Attmore, CGFM, In-coming
Chairman, Governmental Accounting Standards Board
• Gwendolyn Brown, CGFM, Chief
Financial Officer, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
• Phil Bryant, State Auditor,
State of Mississippi
• James Carney, Deputy Managing
Editor, Washington Bureau, TIME Magazine
• Robert W. Cobb, Inspector
General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• John P. Higgins Jr., CGFM, CISA,
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education
• Gaston L. Gianni Jr., CGAP,
Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Wayne Leiss, Chief, Federal
Financial Systems Branch, Office of Federal Financial Management, U.S.
Office of Management and Budget
• Everett L. Mosley, CGFM, CFE,
Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Agency for
International Development
• Catherine Y. Santana, Director,
Resource Management Transformation Office, Department of Homeland
Security
• Nikki L. Tinsley, CPA, Inspector
General, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Daniel Werfel, Chief, Federal
Financial Integrity and Analysis Branch, Office of Federal Financial
Management, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
• David M. Zavada, Chief, Financial
Standards and Grants Branch, Office of Federal Financial Management,
U.S. Office of Management and Budget
• And many
more…
For more information about the
conference agenda, registration,
hotel and travel discounts, please visit our website.
AGA Seeks Director of Education for National
Office Click here
to find out more.
Spotlight on AGA
Corporate Partner American Appraisal Associates
American Appraisal Associates (AAA) is the premier
"independent" inventory/valuation consulting firm in the
world. Our Property Appraisal Services Group has the largest full time
dedicated professional staff serving the public services community with
their fixed asset/property management regulatory reporting
requirements. We provide property management policies and procedures,
asset management outsourcing, fixed asset physical inventory services
utilizing barcode asset tagging technology, building inventory and
valuation services, and land, land improvement and infrastructure
inventory and valuation/historical costing services.
Kevin J. McHugh
Senior Vice President
601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Suite 900, South Building
Washington, D.C. 20004
PH: 202.628.8800, ext. 8588, or 800.558.8650, ext.
2110
FX: 414.225.2000
kmchugh@american-
appraisal.com
www.american-appraisal.com
Upcoming Audioconference
The Value Proposition of
Internal Auditing in Government
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
2 CPE Hours
An AGA/NASACT Training Audio Conference
This audio conference discusses the roles and responsibilities of
internal auditors and the value that the internal audit function
provides to organizations. You will also be given an opportunity
to ask questions and share experiences during the audio conference.
Click here to learn more.
From the National
Office
AGA is pleased to welcome Cristina Barbudo, MS, CPA, as its new
director of Finance and Administration. She is responsible for managing
the financial and administrative operations of the Association and will
report directly to AGA’s Executive Director, Relmond P. Van
Daniker, DBA, CPA.
For the past five years, Cristina worked for US Airways as
the manager of Property and Inventory Accounting. Originally from
Valencia, Spain, she now lives in Alexandria, VA, with her husband,
Don, and her 15-month old daughter Eva. She enjoys traveling and
spending time with family.
Cristina attended the University of Valencia where she
obtained an undergraduate degree. She earned her MS in accounting from
the University of Virginia. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.
The AGA staff is pleased to welcome Cristina.
AGA Summer
Newsletter Schedule
AGA newsletters will follow the schedule below during July and
August:
June 28: No publication, due to
PDC
July 6: TOPICS recaps the PDC
July 19: AGA Today
August 2: TOPICS
August 16: AGA Today
August 30: Resume normal weekly schedule,
beginning with TOPICS
Input for TOPICS is due the Wednesday before each issue date. Please
contact Marie Force, director of
communications, with any questions you may have. Have a safe and
enjoyable summer! |
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Volume 43: Issue
13, June 21, 2004
TOPICS is brought to you by AGA Corporate
Partner 
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.
It's Not Too Late! Register Today for AGA's
53rd Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition (PDC)
June 27-30, 2004 • Washington, D.C.
Commit To Excellence—Register for the Top
Training Event of the Year: Technology:
Powering the Accountability Age
To stay at the top of the profession, it’s
not enough for government financial managers to keep up to date on
current developments in the field. To position yourself as a leader,
you must understand emerging issues and trends to be ready to handle
the inevitable challenges and crises that arise in an ever-changing
environment. Technological advances in government financial management
have changed financial reporting. New regulations have made those
changes mandatory. Are you prepared?
Dynamic Speakers, Timely Topics, Informative
Sessions
This year’s conference will bring together federal,
state and local government professionals, and private sector leaders,
to discuss timely issues affecting government financial management. If
offers financial management professionals the opportunity to become
more knowledgeable about the complexities of meeting new expectations
for accountability.
In addition to the technical program and exposition we have
arranged a number of social events to ensure an exceptional conference
experience. Whether you come alone or with a group, you will have ample
opportunity to make new contacts in informal settings.
Outstanding Networking Opportunities—Fabulous
Giveaway Prizes...
Join us for the welcome reception from 5 – 7 p.m. on Sunday,
June 27, for your chance to win two roundtrip airline tickets, two
passes to Universal Studios, $250 spa certificate and much, much more!
The PDC 2005 Orlando Host Committee will be giving away a Disney gift
basket, a free registration and other raffle item throughout the
week.
Register
online until June 25, 2004. You can also register on site.
Click here to view the Registration Desk
Hours.
See you next week in Washington!
From the National President:
Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, CPA, Reflects on a Year of "Taking
Accountability to the Next Level"
 "AGA—Taking Accountability to the Next
Level" was the theme I chose to support the development of
programs and activities for the 2003-2004 Program Year. This theme
clearly supported AGA's mission of "Advancing Government
Accountability." Specifically, AGA's mission is to "serve
government accountability professionals by providing quality education,
fostering professional development and certification, and supporting
standards and research to advance government accountability."
As the Program Year comes to a close, I’d like to share with
you some of AGA's accomplishments related to its mission, goals and
objectives.
Click here to read the entire article.
TOPICS is brought to you by AGA
Corporate
Partner
Management Concepts offers training for federal personnel who need to
build their knowledge of management accounting.
• Earn the professional development credits you
need
• Develop JFMIP Core Competencies
• Acquire critical reference tools
Management Concepts can address your federal accounting
challenges. Visit
us to find out more!
Denver Auditor’s Office Gives CGFM Applicants a Boost
 The list of
government agencies that formally recognize the specialized skills and
knowledge earned by CGFMs is growing.
Dennis Gallagher, elected City Auditor of the City and County of
Denver, has requested that "preferred skill status" be
granted to all job applicants who have earned the Certified Government
Financial Manager (CGFM) designation. The CGFM preference applies to
all accountant, auditor and other professional financial management
positions within the Auditor's Office of about 100 employees.
Not only did members of AGA’s Denver Chapter present detailed
information on what is involved in becoming a CGFM, but former State
Auditor Tom O’Brien spoke very highly of the credential as well,
Gallagher said.
"The training and expertise that is offered is what encouraged me
to go with it," Gallagher said. "I’m very interested in
accountability, and I think this additional knowledge and expertise
will help our people when it comes to being more accountable."
Click here to read the full story.
AGA's Financial Management Standards Board Issues Support
Letter
AGA's Financial Management
Standards Board (FMSB) supports the proposed
update of the Financial Audit Manual prepared by the U.S.
General Accounting Office
(GAO) and the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency
(PCIE) Audit
Committee.
The Exposure Draft primarily updates the Financial Audit
Manual to
incorporate provisions of Statement on Auditing Standards No. 99,
Consideration of Fraud
in a Financial Statement Audit.
"Controls to prevent fraud are crucial in ensuring confidence in
the
integrity and transparency of federal government financial
management, and it is vital
to make sure the guidance on these is up to date," wrote FMSB
Chair Craig
Murray in a June 14 letter to GAO and PCIA. "We applaud the
GAO and the PCIE for
developing this much-needed update to the Financial Audit
Manual."
Click here to read the entire letter.
TOPICS is brought to you by AGA
Corporate
Partner
BearingPoint, Inc, a
results-oriented management consulting firm, is seeking experienced
federal accounting professionals to join our Federal Healthcare
Consulting team. Qualified individuals will have six or more years of
professional experience with demonstrated experience in federal
government accounting and federal government financial statement
preparation. A bachelor's degree is required; a CPA and prior
experience with Oracle Federal Financials are both preferred.
Interested candidates should apply via the BearingPoint website at www.bearingpoint.com. Go to
the Careers section, select the Requisition ID option and enter
10520.
Certificate of Excellence Recipients
Announced!
AGA proudly announces the recipients of the
Certificate of Excellence in Accountability
Reporting
• Department of Education (1)
• Department of the Interior (4)
• Department of Labor (4)
• Department of State (3)
• Federal Aviation Administration (1)
• General Accounting Office (3)
• General Services Administration (1)
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (3)
• Patent and Trademark Office (2)
• Social Security Administration (6)
(The number in parenthesis indicates the
number of years, including this year, that the agency has received the
Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting.)
For Outstanding Fiscal Year 2003 Performance and
Accountability Reports
Congratulations! AGA presents the Certificate of
Excellence in Accountability Reporting to federal government
agencies whose Performance and Accountability Reports (PARs) achieve
the highest standards communicating results and demonstrating
accountability. The award hallmarks high-quality PARs that effectively
illustrate and assess program performance—both accomplishments
and shortfalls—and the cost of that performance.
The CEAR Program
helps raise the quality and usefulness of performance information
through promulgation of report guidelines, training workshops for
report preparers and program reviewers, an in-depth peer review of each
PAR, opportunities to serve as reviewers, and an annual comprehensive
compilation of commendable practices, examples of creativity and
practices in need of improvement. Eighteen federal agencies
participated in the FY 03 PAR evaluation.
Click
here for more information or contact Lisa Thatcher. Direct press
inquiries to Jennifer Curtin.
Producing an Excellent Performance and
Accountability Report
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
This popular training provides a clear understanding of how federal
agencies can improve Performance and Accountability Reports. The CEAR
Program's Review Guidelines, a comprehensive compilation of annually
updated federal financial and performance reporting standards,
regulations and authoritative guidance, serves as the basis for
instruction and is a valuable overview. Visit the AGA website for more
information.
SEA Program's Pilot
Phase Evaluations Completed
Evaluations of the 20 charter government SEA reports submitted
under the Pilot Phase are now successfully completed! This first cycle
of report evaluations served as a test run of the program's overall
process, review criteria and point system. AGA is now collecting
feedback from participating governments and reviewers, compiling
program results and closing out the Pilot Phase while preparing for the
Implementation Phase. Click here to read
more.
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