Highlights

Oct. 15: AGA Research on Performance-Based Management Reporting
New speaker added: Frank Wood, MBA, Deputy Chief, Office of Performance Management and Decision Support, U.S.
Coast Guard. Last week to register early!

Nov. 12: Understanding the Importance of Soft Controls in Improving Operations

AGA Announces Four New Courses
Four new AGA-sponsored courses are designed to help financial managers and auditors add value to government performance. The courses are presented in cooperation with The Auditor Roles in Performance Measurement Project Team of The Institute of Internal Auditors, which developed the courses under a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. These courses can be customized to an organization’s needs, to immerse participants in high-value audit skills and provide additional ways to apply them. The four courses include:
 
A New Service Model: Auditor Roles in Government Performance Measurement
 
Assessing the Reliability and Relevance of Performance Information
 
Assessing the Quality of Performance Information and Performance Reports
 
Auditing Performance Management Systems

Read more details about these and other AGA-sponsored training courses, or contact AGA Director of Education Joe Jozefczyk at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 307.

This Week on the AGA Blog
Monday: Jesse W. Hughes, Ph.D., CGFM, CPA, CIA, on "Does the Matching Concept Apply to Accounting in the Public Sector?"

Wednesday: Jeffrey Steinhoff, CGFM, CPA, CFE, on "A True Financial Markets Meltdown or Simply an Accounting Problem?"

Friday: Mark Abrahamson, State of New York, on "Hands Free? Or Security Free? You Decide."

AGA Needs You on the Blog! Come share your opinions with the AGA community! We are now booking for October. Contact Marie Force to book your day on the AGA Blog.

Training Opportunities

Looking for a Job?

CEAR Reviewers Needed
It is that time again to sign up to be a reviewer for our Certificate of
Excellence in Accountability Review Program. Are you interested in
learning more about the federal Performance and Accountability and the
Pilot Program Reports? Would you like to learn some of the best
practices that award winning reports have successfully utilized? CEAR
reviewer is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 at the U.S.
Department of Education. To learn more about being a reviewer,
contact Lynn Hoffman.

Member News
Mel Bund, 86, a lifetime member of AGA, passed away Sept. 16 after a brief illness. He worked for the U.S. Customs Service and was a longtime member of AGA’s Houston Chapter. He is survived by his widow Pearl Bund, and his daughters Marcia Rabb and her husband Bob, and Cindy Lerner. Donations can be made to the American Diabetes Association.

Teresa McKay, CGFM, CPA, a member of AGA’s Northern Virginia Chapter, has assumed duties as the director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), and is responsible or overseeing 12,000 civilian employees and military personnel at 13 locations throughout the U.S., Europe and the Pacific. McKay was the DFAS principal deputy director prior to being named director. “The DFAS team takes its responsibilities seriously,” McKay said. “We provide the warfighter excellence in accounting and finance services and perform our mission at best value for the Department of Defense and the American taxpayer.”

AGA Past National President Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, CPA, CFE, CGFO, a member of AGA’s New Orleans Chapter, has taken office as the 2008–2009 president of the New Orleans chapter of the Society of Louisiana CPAs. He will serve a one-year term as president of the local chapter. He is a manager with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.

From the National Office
AGA is pleased to welcome John Bunnell, CGFM, CDFM-A, as manager of its Citizen-Centric Reporting Program.  
 
John joins the staff after spending two-months as a “retired guy.” He started his work life in 1969 at the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office), then moved to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and then back to DoD’s Office of the Comptroller. His responsibilities with the DoD ranged from military banking to writing financial management regulations. From 1980 to 2000 he was on the adjunct faculty at Northern Virginia Community College (Accounting). John retired from federal service in 2002. 
 
Immediately after retirement he joined the full-time staff at the American Society of Military Comptrollers, where he served as director of its Certified Defense Financial Manager Program (CDFM) until his second retirement this past summer. The “A” in John’s certification stands for “with Acquisition Specialty.”
 
John said, “AGA’s Citizen-Centric Reporting Program is already taking root in the governmental community and now it’s my job to grow that program.” Because John is a longtime AGA member and has interacted with the AGA staff throughout the years, he said his new position doesn’t feel new. “It’s not really like a new job—it’s joining friends I’ve known for years.”
 
John’s military service was with the U.S. Marine Corps and he lives in Alexandria, VA, with his youngest daughter (who recently graduated from George Mason University). He has three daughters and one grandson, all of whom live in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
 
Welcome John! He can be reached at jbunnell@agacgfm.org

Volume 48: Issue 18, October 6, 2008

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
Samuel T. Mok, CGFM, CIA, CICA
September marked the second month for me as the National President of AGA. I must confess that I did not work very hard for AGA in August. Instead, I took the month off from work and went to China with my wife, where we attended the Olympic Opening Ceremony, toured several cities and spent a week with our son and his family in Shanghai. Although I had a great time in Asia, I was very glad to be back home when my plane landed at Dulles.

During the month of September, I chaired my first National Executive Committee meeting. The meeting went well, and we accomplished quite a bit. One of the most important issues on our agenda was a discussion regarding the nomination process for the AGA national officers. Specifically, a motion to amend the nominating process to exclude senior National Office staff from participation was introduced on behalf of a several AGA members who had served in national officer positions in the past. This new proposal also states that staff members would not be allowed to solicit candidates. Read more.

Early Registration for AGA's Performance Management Conference Ends Tomorrow
If you’ve already registered for AGA's PMC, set for Oct. 27–28 at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel, we look forward to seeing you! You’ve made a smart investment in yourself and your organization. But if you have not yet registered, do so today.

Advance registration discounts ($395 for AGA members and $450 for nonmembers) apply to all registrations received before Tuesday, Oct. 7. After this date, fees will increase to $445 for AGA members and $495 for nonmembers.

• Register online and save
• Print registration form (PDF)

If you can attend the PMC for only one day, contact Jennifer Varua for more details.

The reservation deadline for the Renaissance Seattle is also October 7. Reserve your room to today to take advantage of the discounted ($152) rate. To make reservations, please call the hotel at 800.546.9184 or and mention the “AGA PMC” to receive the discounted rate.

AGA’s PMC offers 14 CPE hours and is packed with informative sessions, timely topics and knowledgeable speakers—this is one event you won’t want to miss!

Join federal, state and local government leaders to share successful practices and learn about management strategies that can be implemented in your agency. This year’s topics include:

• Activity-Based Costing and Performance Management
• Auditors Working with Management to Advance Performance Management
• Citizen Engagement from Community to State: Issues, Challenges and Lessons Learned from Vancouver, WA, King County, WA, and Washington State
• Essential Ingredients for Successful Performance Management
• Federal Government Performance Update
• GASB Update
• Improving Government Transparency Through Citizen-Centric Reporting
• Lessons Learned for the Next Administration
• National Opportunities in Benchmarking
• Performance Based Management Reporting—Integrating Financial and Performance Information
• Rev Up Your Work Force: The Value of Employee Engagement
• Sustaining a Performance Measurement System
• Transforming Budgeting Process to Deliver Citizen Value
• We’ve Come a Long Way Baby! Forty Years of Performance Management and Reporting

Learn from Top-Notch Speakers and Industry Experts
Hear from leaders in federal, state and local government, the private sector and academia who are on the forefront of performance management and government financial management, including:

• Robert Attmore, CGFM, Chair, Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
• Scott B. Bassett, MBA, Performance Measurement Program Manager, Audit Services, Department of Transportation, State of Oregon
• Bob Gardner, Chief Financial Officer, NASA Dryden Research Center, NASA
• Harry P. Hatry, Principal Research Associate, Urban Institute
• Sid Kaplan, CGFM, Performance Improvement Officer, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State
• Noel Landuyt, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Organizational Excellence, University of Texas at Austin
• Anindita Mitra, AICP, President, Community Indicators Consortium
• Tom O'Brien, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
• Paul Posner, Professor and Director, Master's in Public Administration Program, George Mason University; Former Director of Federal Budget & Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. Government Accountability Office
• John J. Radford, CGFM, CIA, CFE, State Comptroller, State of Oregon; Member, AGA National Executive Committee
• Ron Sims, County Executive, King County, Washington
• Brian Sonntag, State Auditor, State of Washington
• Rebekah Stephens, Planning and Performance Coordinator, Nashville and Davidson County, TN
• Marlene Walker, ABC Project Manager, Office of Planning and Policy Analysis, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Frank Wood, MBA, Deputy Office Chief, Office of Performance Management and Decision Support, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Gerald Young, Senior Management Associate, International City/County Management Association
  

Visit our website to view the complete agenda and list of speakers. We look forward to seeing you in the Emerald City!

The workshop takes place at the Renaissance Seattle on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008, from 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. The registration fee is $50. Visit our website for more information.

For detailed award information visit our site.

AGA's Second Government Finance Case Challenge
The best undergraduate accounting/financial management/business students in the country are invited to compete in AGA’s Second Government Finance Case Challenge for undergraduate college students, which runs Oct. 20–31. Student teams will collaboratively analyze and offer a written response to a case centered on how a U.S. city government implements a performance management system. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 17, 2008.

All members of the two highest-scoring teams will receive a scholarship to attend AGA's National Leadership Conference, set for Feb. 19–20, 2009, in Washington, D.C. Teams will present their solutions before a panel of federal/state/local government leaders, corporate partners and CFOs on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009. The winning team will be announced at the awards luncheon on Feb. 20, 2009. 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 challenge students' moral reasoning, raise their 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 800.AGA.7211, ext. 340, with questions.

Alaska Chapter Organizes Forum on Search and Rescue After Loss of Public Official
AGA’s Alaska Capital Chapter is taking on an issue that has deeply touched many in Southeast Alaska: losing someone to the rigors of Alaska’s weather and terrain.

“Alaska is unique in lots of ways,” said Alaska Capital Chapter President, Ruth Danner. “Our towns and villages are surrounded by lush forests, rugged mountains and frigid water. There are no roads in to many places. This means that every time we go out, whether on business or for recreation, there is always a small chance that something will happen and we will not return as expected.”

Danner is correct. Since May 25 of this year the Alaska State Troopers have been involved in 19 search and rescue incidents in Northern Southeast Alaska; seven lost or overdue hikers, four injured hikers requiring assistance, three overdue hunters, three boating-related searches with two men missing and presumed dead, one aircraft fatality with two men deceased, and one missing aircraft not found with two men missing and presumed dead. It was this last one that caught Danner by surprise. It was someone she knew well. Read more.

AGA's CPAG Releases New Research Report on XBRL
AGA has long supported the use of XBRL to potentially improve the transparency and analysis in government financial reporting. Accordingly, AGA decided to implement a research project, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, to study the benefits of developing and using an XBRL-taxonomy to tag data in a state’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or CAFR. It was decided that the project should focus on one state pilot, with the intent that the results would prove to be helpful to other states contemplating a similar effort. Read the report, XBRL and Public Sector Financial Reporting.
 
In other research news, a new project has begun: Procuring the Right Audit Oversight Tool to Meet Your Needs. This applied research project will address the range of potential audit engagements and describe how they can be utilized to meet different requirements. The final product will be a procurement guide to assist agencies in determining the best type of audit or oversight tool to meet their requirements. The guide will provide clarity to federal program and procurement officials as to what the terms audit and adherence to Government Auditing Standards mean and how audits differ from non-audit services to help better inform the procurement process for audit services. The guide will also describe restrictions on the type of organizations that can provide audit services under Government Auditing Standards. The sponsor is Kearney and Co., and the researcher is AGA Past National President Jeffrey C. Steinhoff, CGFM, CPA, CFE. 

Public Forum on XBRL Set For Oct. 16
Interactive data means greater accuracy, integrity and reduced cost in government reporting. Attend the XBRL Public Sector Symposium, Washington, D.C., on Oct. 16, 2008. Government employee discounts are offered.

Learn how structured data improves municipal securities processing, grants reporting, standardizing government reporting and agency collaboration. Hear from:

• Steven O. App, CGFM, Deputy Director and CFO, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
• Kim R. Wallin, CPA, CMA, CFM, Controller, State of Nevada
• Mary Simpkins, Office of Municipal Securities, and David Blaszkowsky, Office of Interactive Disclosure, Securities and Exchange Commission
• Ernesto Lanza, Municipal Securities Regulatory Board
• H. Wes Bills, Nevada Department of Agriculture

AGA Executive Director Relmond Van Daniker, DBA, CPA, will moderate a session on municipal reporting in XBRL format.

Click here to find out more and to register.

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.

AGA Staff List

AGA Membership Application

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Audio Conferences

Training Opportunities

Other AGA Links

CGFM Certification—Learn More

AGA’s Second Government Finance Case Challenge for Students,
Oct. 20—31, 2008

Register for AGA's Fourth Annual Performance Management Conference, Oct. 27–28, 2008, Seattle, WA

Bring New AGA-Sponsored Training Courses to Your Organization

(C) Association of Government Accountants 2008

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