Highlights

Entire 2009–2010 Audio Conference Schedule

AGA Hosts Two FREE* ARRA Seminars
Take advantage of a unique opportunity to hear selected federal and state government officials discuss various implementation issues surrounding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. All attendees will receive lunch and be awarded 4 CPE hours at the conclusion of the session.

Aug. 17, Kansas City, MO | Register now

Sept. 1, Boston, MA | Register now

*Free for government employees.

This Week on the AGA Blog

Monday: Joseph J. DioGuardi, CPA, former Congressman and the leader of Truth In Government, on "Time to Bring Truth in Budgeting and Accounting to Washington"

Wednesday: Helena Sims,
Director of Intergovernmental Relations, AGA, on "Broadening Communication on the Recovery Act"

Friday: Evie Barry, Director of Performance Reporting, AGA, on "This and That in Performance Reporting"

AGA Needs You on the Blog! Come share your opinions with the AGA community! Contact Marie Force to book your day on the AGA Blog.

Training Opportunities

Looking for a Job

Connect to the World of Financial Management by Sharing the Magic of Membership
The 2009–2010 “Share the Magic” Member-Get-A-Member Campaign offers you the opportunity to win great prizes just for sharing the value of your AGA membership with your friends and colleagues and persuading them to join. The campaign runs from May 1 – April 30, 2010 and encourages current members to recruit new members. Since you already know the benefits of being an AGA member and have contacts in the industry, this is a great way to increase AGA's membership, which in turn expands your own professional network and allows AGA to better meet your needs. Prizes are awarded to show our appreciation of your support of AGA and your efforts to help the Association grow. For more information on the “Share the Magic” campaign rules and prizes go to the recruitment section of the AGA website. Do you have a helpful tip that will help other AGA members in their own outreach efforts? If so, please e-mail Rodneikka Scott.

Volume 49: Issue 14, August 3, 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
Greetings from Mississippi! This is my first article to you as your National President. Over this next year, I look forward to working alongside you, our members, and our national staff. A year from now when we gather at the PDC in Orlando, I hope we can all look back as I say “thank you” for the best year of my life and as I hand over a better AGA and the presidency to Lisa Casias, AGA’s National President-Elect.

First, let me give a big hearty “Thank You” to our immediate Past National President, Sam Mok, CGFM, for a successful year. It has been privilege and honor to serve under his leadership. Also, I must give a HUGE “Thank You” to the technical and host committees as well as the National Office staff for their roles in the PDC in New Orleans—what a tremendous SUCCESS! You have set the bar high for the PDC 2010 in Orlando!

I have chosen “Think Big! Act Courageously! Make a Difference!” as my presidential theme for this year, and I believe it comes at a critical time in our nation’s history as we tackle our uncertain economy. The many individuals who make up AGA’s membership have and will continue to have an extraordinary impact on our country’s future. AGA is the thought leader for Advancing Government Accountability. We must think big regarding what we can accomplish; we must act courageously to champion the cause of accountability, transparency, performance management, integrity and trustworthiness; and, we must guide our efforts to make a difference in the lives of the citizens who rely upon our respective governments through effective government financial management. Read more.

Register by Aug. 14 to Save for Fraud Conference
Join AGA at its Fourth Annual Internal Control & Fraud Conference, set for Sept. 16–17 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. And if you register by Aug. 14, you can save $100 off the registration price.

Hear from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, Neil Barofsky, Special Inspector General, Troubled Asset Relief Program, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Earl E. Devaney, Chairman, Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, and other leaders in government, academia and private industry. Earn 14 CPE hours learning about the latest discovery techniques and lessons learned from various schemes; how poor internal controls can lead to fraud, waste and abuse; and how different levels of government are cooperating to improve services to citizens. The conference will also cover various aspects of the Recovery Act from an internal control and fraud perspective.

Sessions include:

• The Role of the Recovery, Accountability and Transparency Board in Safeguarding Federal Investments from Fraud
• Combating Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid: A National and State Perspective
• Partners in Crime Fighting—IGs and State Auditors
• Fraud and Oversight Issues Related to Recovery Act Grant Funding: What You Need to Know
• The Empire Strikes Back—The Federal Government’s Attack on Cyber Crime
• Saving Millions from Improper Payments through Business Activity Monitoring (BAM)
• Virtual Instincts

Register online

Print registration form

Hotel and travel information

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact Ada Phillips.

TOPICS is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner Graduate School
Prevention and Detection of Fraud

Learn the nature, causes and types of white-collar crimes and your professional responsibilities for designing audit procedures to detect them. Discover the role of internal controls in preventing fraud, and more.

August 19-21 in Washington, DC

September 16-18 in Atlanta, GA

Register online, or call (888) 744-GRAD.

AGA Releases Report to Our Members
AGA’s 2008-2009 Citizen-Centric Report to Our Members is available online. This succinct, four-page report describes the progress of our Association over the 2009 program year, and the challenges AGA faces in meeting the needs of our members.

Successes include:

• Free training events on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
• Six new chapters
• Seven radio shows on WFED AM 1500.
• A new Certificate of Excellence Awards program for Citizen-Centric Reports
• Record number of performance reports received from state and local governments

Let us know what you think. We need your feedback to ensure that future reports are even more useful. Send comments to Susan Fritzlen.

To meet our responsibility to provide full accountability to our members and other stakeholders, AGA’s audited financial statements are also available online.

AGA's Third Government Finance Case Challenge
The best undergraduate accounting/financial management/business students in the country are invited to compete in AGA's Third Government Finance Case Challenge for undergraduate college students, which runs Oct. 5–20. Student teams will collaboratively construct and design a citizen centric report for a local city government. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 2, 2009.

All members of the two highest-scoring teams will receive a scholarship to attend AGA's National Leadership Conference, set for February 2010, in Washington, D.C. Teams will present their solutions before a panel of federal/state/local government leaders, corporate partners and CFOs. The winning team will be announced on the final day of the conference. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winning team, and each student participant will receive a free one-year membership to AGA.

The experience promises to raise the students' awareness of the importance of government accountability and open doors to a future career in government.

We need your assistance to make this program a success. If you or your chapter has a connection with a local college or university, please consider contacting the institution to introduce this competition. Learn more. Contact Jennifer Curtin at 410.430.1785.

AGA Advertising Opportunities!
Advertise in AGA's electronic newsletters—TOPICS and AGA Today! Get maximum exposure and build your brand. Find out what's available in an upcoming issue. Click here for all the information you need to run your ad. Or, you can contact April Pardoe.

AGA Staff List

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Audio Conferences

Training Opportunities

Other AGA Links

CGFM Certification—Learn More

Register for AGA's Fourth Annual Internal Control & Fraud Conference, Sept. 16–17, 2009, Washington, D.C.

Register for AGA's Fifth Annual Performance Management Conference, Nov. 5–6, 2009, Seattle, WA

Bring New AGA-Sponsored Training Courses to Your Organization

© Association of Government Accountants 2009

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