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Highlights

PMC Registration Deadline Extended to September 7!
Haven’t registered for the PMC yet? Take advantage of the registration deadline extension and join us for AGA’s Third Annual National Performance Management Conference (PMC) to sharpen your performance reporting techniques. Don’t miss this once a year opportunity to network with industry experts, learn from speakers honored with AGA’s Certificate of Achievement in SEA Reporting and earn 14 CPE hours.

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View Current Agenda

Speakers include:

Robert H. Attmore, CGFM, CPA, Chairman, Governmental Accounting Standards Board
Frank Fairbanks, City Manager, City of Phoenix, AZ
Michael Lawson, Director, Center for Performance Management, International City/County Management Association
Rep. Mark Miloscia, State Representative, House of Representatives, State of Washington
D. Clark Partridge, CGFM, State Comptroller, Department of Administration, General Accounting Office, State of Arizona
David R. Smith, County Manager, Maricopa County, AZ
Jonathan Walters, Staff Correspondent, Governing Magazine, Author, Measuring Up 2.0

Don’t miss the opportunity to bring invaluable performance management strategies back to your government entity. We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix!

Making the Transition to Management Focus of Next Audio Conference
AGA, in conjunction with the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT), and the Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA), is pleased to announce a new audio conference addressing how to make the transition from individual contributor to leader. This audio conference, set for 2 – 3:50 p.m. EDT Sept. 20 and worth 2 CPE hours, will explore what tools and techniques new leaders need to succeed. To discuss this important personal development challenge is an industry expert: Robert A. Carnegie, MBA, founder of R. Carnegie and Associates, Inc. Cost is $249 per site (unlimited attendance) if you register on or before Friday, Sept. 14, 2007 and $299 thereafter.

Training Opportunities

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Hotel Now Accepting Reservations for PDC 2008
Why wait? Reserve your room today for AGA’s 57th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition to be held July 27-30, 2008 in Atlanta.

The conference will take place at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, located at 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303. This newly renovated hotel is conveniently located in the heart of downtown, just a few blocks from restaurants, nightlife and many area attractions, including the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome.

Room rate is $129 (plus tax) for single and double occupancy. Rates are guaranteed until July 6, 2008, or until the block is sold out. We encourage you to make your hotel reservations early, for the best price and availability.

To make a reservation, please call the hotel directly at 888.829.1396 and mention you are attending the “AGA PDC” to ensure you receive the discounted rate. A credit card is required to guarantee the reservation.
Or, for your convenience, you may also reserve a room online.

Information about the agenda, speakers, technical sessions, registration and travel discounts will be available later this year. Stay tuned to the website for more information.

We look forward to seeing you!

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 Force Pardoe.

Volume 47: Issue 16, September 4, 2007

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.

There’s Still Time to Register for AGA’s National Internal Control & Fraud Conference
Earn 14 CPE hours, enhance your existing skills and gain a deeper understanding of fraud, ethics, risk management and internal controls by attending AGA’s Second National Internal Control & Fraud Conference, to be held September 10 - 11, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Under the theme, "Combating Fraud & Minimizing Risk: Strategies for Success," this event focuses on management's responsibility for ensuring a good system of internal controls and the role of accountability professionals in minimizing the risk of fraud, waste and abuse. Create your own curriculum from a fantastic offering of technical education sessions including:

After the Storm: Lessons From Katrina
Data Mining Revisited: Continuous Auditing Initiatives, Analytic Techniques and Lessons Learned
Enterprise Risk Management & COSO
Ethical Decision-Making
Fraud Responsibilities Under the New Yellow Book
How Poor Internal Controls Can Lead to Fraud
How to Use Internal Controls Initiatives to Improve Program Operations
Improving the Accuracy and Integrity of Federal Payments
Internal Controls—Long-Term Challenges
Management Override of Controls
Personal Information and Fraud—Managing the Privacy Risk
Perspectives on Public Transparency—Will New Disclosures Raise the Stakes?
Prosecuting Fraud: Cooperation Between the Investigator and Prosecutor Community
Strengthening Controls to Mitigate Risk & Eliminate Improper Payments
Tone at the Top

The conference features an impressive lineup of speakers and informative sessions. Visit our website for the complete agenda.

Don’t miss this opportunity to earn valuable CPE hours and network with colleagues and friends—register today!

The Internal Control & Fraud Conference Program is Now Available Online!
Why wait? The final program is here and ready for printing. View the program to check out the complete list of speakers, education sessions, networking events, or find the rooms where each session will be held.

This event will be bigger and better than ever! We have dynamic speakers, timely topics and ample opportunities to network and meet new friends. Registered attendees will receive the program on site. For those of you who want a sneak peek before arriving in Atlanta may do so here.

AGA Members Make Mark on GAO as First Participants in Executive Exchange Program
A new executive exchange program that brought a Big Four accounting firm together with a federal oversight agency is reaping benefits, not only for KPMG and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), but for anyone working on federal financial audits.

Hannah Padilla and Derek Thomas, members of AGA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter and KPMG senior managers with CFO Act audit experience, were the first to participate in GAO’s exchange program. The program was included in the GAO Human Capital Reform Act of 2004 and allows GAO to bring in private-sector professionals to work on special projects for three months to two years. Read more.

Enhance your financial management intern and developmental programs.
The Graduate School, USDA provides professional training and educational services to financial managers. If your agency has a professional development program for financial management staff, we can help you ensure a richer developmental experience with our extensive curriculum of basic, intermediate and advanced courses. We also offer customized development services to help you design a new program that meets your unique requirements. For more information, call (888) 744-GRAD or visit www.grad.usda.gov.

Maine City Embraces AGA Initiative to Boost Understanding of Finances
Each year, Saco, Maine, publishes voluminous 100-plus page reports on its finances, including an operating budget, performance measurement report, and comprehensive annual financial report.

But few of the city’s 18,000 residents read these statements, and knowledge of Saco’s finances is limited despite the rivers of ink devoted to them, said finance director Lisa Parker, a member of AGA's Maine Chapter.

“Realistically, the average citizen is not going to read hundreds and hundreds of pages of reports,” Parker said.

To make the financial information more accessible, the town helped develop one of the first prototypes of a four-page “citizen-centric” report that summarizes the information in all three financial reports and directs residents to the town’s website, where they can “drill down and learn more about the stuff they’re interested in,” Parker said. Read the entire article. —Andrew Ackerman, The Bond Buyer.

School is Back in Session—Let's Promote the New Government Finance Case Challenge
A new school year has just begun and we need your chapter's help to promote AGA's new Government Finance Case Challenge to colleges and universities across the country.

Are you still in touch with your alma mater?
Is your chapter trying to make connections with faculty, staff and students at a local university?

Use this case challenge as a way to open doors! Plus, if you assist AGA, your chapter is eligible to receive chapter recognition points. How Can Your Chapter Help?

Contact your local university and speak with faculty from the accounting, business or public administration departments. Make a phone pitch, send them an e-mail or ask if you can post information about the challenge on the department bulletin board, classrooms or on their website.
Find chapter volunteers to act as mentors to the student teams that decide to participate in this challenge.

Key Perks to Mention to Potential Student Teams:

Free to participate
Eligible to win cash prizes
May be invited to present their case response to a panel of judges at AGA's National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
Free one-year membership to AGA
Networking opportunities with employers
Resume booster

If you have any questions about this program, contact Jennifer Curtin at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 340.

The MIL Corporation is seeking mid to senior level Budget Execution Consultants. Ideal candidate will have knowledge of appropriation law, budget execution experience, and a degree in Finance or Accounting, master's degree preferred. Experience with PeopleSoft/Oracle, or other budget formulation tool(s) is desired. For more information, visit www.milcorp.com and to apply, email resumes to jmortson@milcorp.com.

Plan To Retire Soon?
Did you know that AGA has a special class of membership just for you? Yes, as a retired member you can retain all of your AGA benefits at just a fraction of the cost! Stay connected with your friends in the government financial community as a retiree and help shape the future of the industry by retaining your AGA membership. As a retiree, your years of experience are not only an asset to the Association, but to the field as a whole. For more information contact our Customer Satisfaction Center or call toll free at 800.AGA.7211.

Member News
The AGA National Office extends its congratulations to several Nashville Chapter members who recently earned their CGFM—Amy Abbott, David Lannom, Cynthia Singleton and Elizabeth Wood. Singleton and Wood were among 24 other individuals from around the country who completed their CGFM Examinations before the PDC in Nashville: Raul Anaya, Joey Barnard, Kirk Boyer, Colleen Calvin, Angelisa Chadwick, Dianne Copeland, Vijay Deshpande, Tracy Farris, Daniel Felten, James Goss, Jeffrey Hart, William Hughes, H. Sandra Kuban, Robert Lagana, Sharon Marchant, William Riedell, Christy Tennant, Harry Maurice Thompson, Mark Anthony Treece, William Vasquez, Edward Wellmann and Milissa Young-Loiselle. The National Office is proud to recognize these individuals for their hard work.

Walter J. Kucharski, a member of AGA's Richmond Chapter, has been named a recipient of the Outstanding CPA in Government Award, given by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Kucharski, auditor of public accounts for the Commonwealth of Virginia, helped maintain Moody's AAA rating, which has resulted in millions of dollars of taxpayer savings in interest payments for public spending initiatives. Holding the commonwealth's departments accountable for their financial statements, he has ensured that sound government spending is the norm, and he has contributed to Virginia's consistent ranking as a top state for business, according to the AICPA. Kucharski recently received AGA's William R. Snodgrass Distinguished Leadership Award.

Georgie Ortiz, CGFM, CPA, a member of AGA's Albuquerque Chapter, was promoted to Partner with Meyners & Company LLC.

Bill Raymer, a member of AGA's New York Capital Chapter, has earned his CGFM.

Congressman Tom Davis and Mayor Adrian Fenty Speaking at Oracle Federal Forum on Oct. 11
Oracle invites you to attend their Federal Forum at the Ronald Reagan Building on October 11. This complimentary one-day conference explores how technology and applications can help agencies gain operational efficiencies, ensure regulatory compliance and improve constituent services. Featured speakers include Congressman Tom Davis (VA) and Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. Find out more online or call 800.820.5592, ext. 4590.

AGA Staff List

AGA Membership Application

CGFM Application

Audio Conferences

Training Opportunities