AGA TOPICS Newsletter

"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.

Accountability is a vital element of every phase of AGA’s Strategic Plan Framework. As AGA National President, I identified specific goals and objectives during the program year that would certainly "Take Accountability to the Next Level." 

The following are a few of those goals and objectives: 

• Ensure a strong education program.

• Promote advancement and awareness of AGA’s CGFM, CEAR and SEA Programs.

• Strengthen ties with other professional organizations.

• Expand outreach to government financial managers at all levels of government.

I am pleased to say that AGA met these goals and objectives and much more! AGA has made significant advancement in implementing its Long-Range Strategic Plan during the 2003-2004 Program Year and we look forward to future advancement and initiatives. We should be proud of the accomplishments and direction of our Association.

The Government Financial Management Training Program offers top-quality governmental education. Both the employee and employer benefit from this training, which enhances prestige and credibility, builds public confidence and provides quality assurance, thus advancing government accountability.

This year’s conferences included the very successful Second Annual National Leadership Conference, which was held February 19-20, 2004, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. The theme was “First Responders: Financial Leadership in an Era of Crisis.”  

In addition, this year’s Professional Development Conference & Exposition (PDC), set for June 27-30, 2004, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C., will offer education sessions from the best in the business. The theme for the PDC is “Technology: Powering the Accountability Age.”

In addition to these national endeavors, chapters across the country provided professional support, education and training to members while serving their communities through volunteer activities. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend and participate in some of those excellent chapter conferences and seminars.

The Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) Program, which recognizes the unique knowledge and skills of our certification holders, has become the mark of excellence in government financial management and is meeting public demands to make government more accountable. We continue to see increased recognition of the CGFM designation at all levels of government, whether federal, state or local.

AGA’s Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) Program has played a strong part in improving the quality of federal accountability reports. Our CEAR Program is becoming more well-known and well-respected every year, and it is evolving to help federal financial managers meet the new accelerated financial and performance reporting requirements.

Starting with fiscal year 2004, audits of agency financial statements and production of a Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) will have to be completed by November 15, which is just 45 days after the fiscal year-end. That’s three-and-a-half months sooner than previous years and quite a challenge for all federal government agencies.

AGA continues to assist agencies in accomplishing this monumental task.

The CEAR Program welcomed a record high of 18 Fiscal Year 2003 PARs for review in this year’s program. This outstanding participant rate demonstrates the growing commitment to excellence in performance and accountability reporting within federal agencies. 

Participants received the evaluation results about 12 weeks after submission, which gives agencies enough time to incorporate the review panel’s recommendations into their Fiscal Year 2004 PAR by the November 15, 2004, deadline. 

Linking budgets to performance is one tenet of President Bush's five-part management agenda, and AGA is bringing high-profile experts in government performance to the task of improving reports to meet the president’s goals. 

Last year, on September 12, 2003, AGA awarded seven Certificates of Excellence in Accountability Reporting.

AGA has completed another successful CEAR Program year and proudly announces that 10 federal government agencies will be recipients of CEAR for their outstanding Fiscal Year 2003 PARs.

AGA has completed the pilot year of a major accountability initiative at the state and local levels—the Certificate of Excellence in Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) Reporting Program. Like the CEAR Program for federal government agencies, this program will help state and local governments produce high-quality reports to give a comprehensive picture of how taxpayer dollars are spent. 

The purpose of the program is to encourage state and local governments to prepare and issue high-quality comprehensive reports on the government’s service efforts and accomplishments.

AGA is now collecting feedback from the 20 charter governments and reviewers, compiling program results and closing out the Pilot Phase. The Implementation Phase begins July 2004, where we do it all over again, but this time with 50 participating governments and reviewers on each team.

In addition, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the National Center for Civic Innovation is launching the Government Performance Reporting Demonstration Project. To encourage participation, approximately 30 governments will be awarded grants of about $30,000 to assist them in preparing annual reports using the Governmental Accounting Standards Board’s (GASB) Suggested Criteria for Reporting Performance Information. Governments that apply for the grants should also consider submitting their performance reports to AGA for evaluation under its SEA Program.

AGA continues to build relationships with other professional associations and private-sector organizations to expand AGA's influence in the government accountability profession. These relationships include the chief financial officers’ community, Urban Institute, GASB, National Association of Black Accountants, Council for Excellence in Government Performance Coalition, International Consortium of Government Financial Managers, National Electronic Commerce Coalition and more.

AGA’s most significant international accomplishment was realized this year with the development of an AGA-type organization in China. Members of AGA’s International Committee spent 10 days in Beijing, China, to consult with Ministry of Finance officials and staff in the first phase of forming the new group, tentatively called the Association of Government Financial Managers. The term accountant has been left out because, as is the case in the United States, the Association will serve other financial management disciplines in addition to accountants.

The AGA Corporate Partner Advisory Group brought industry and government executives together this year to exchange information, support professional development, improve communications and understanding, solve issues, and build partnership and trust, thereby enhancing AGA's focus on advancing government accountability.

What a year it’s been! I’d like to take a moment now to thank all the AGA members for your support in making this year exciting and successful! The demands on AGA's National President are quite challenging and rewarding. I am very honored and privileged to have served as AGA's 54^th National President for the 2003-2004 Program Year. I cannot overstate the warm welcome and assistance I received from chapter members across the country to make my visits and participation in their professional events both memorable and successful. Many thanks to AGA's National Executive Committee, boards and committees, and National Office staff for their genuine effort and commitment to serve our members and customers. More than ever, AGA is truly the premier Association for government accountability professionals.

It has truly been a magnificent AGA 2003-2004 Program Year as demonstrated by the successes of the programs and activities outlined above. AGA does so much more and the commitment of our outstanding AGA membership and all accountability professionals has certainly "Taken Accountability to the Next Level."