AGA TOPICS Newsletter

CGFM Profile: Teresa Barth, CGFM

Teresa Barth had 25 years of banking experience behind her, but it wasn’t enough to understand the particulars of working in a government environment.

College courses, a few temporary positions and conversations with a U.S. Department of State budget analyst, who carpooled with Barth, were about the extent of her exposure to the world of government financial management.

When Barth’s employer announced that the bank would move its financial functions to Chicago, she decided to take a different path. She began the new phase of her career as a senior consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton seven years ago, and now works with the General Services Administration, preparing their monthly income and expense statements.

Right away, though, she decided to take classes to broaden her understanding. Her supervisor suggested that she join a professional association, so she chose AGA. Then, when she read about the topics covered by the three CGFM preparatory courses, “it seemed to be geared toward what I needed to know,” she recalled.

The courses cover a total of six days and are worth 48 CPE hours. Her original goal was not to get certified, necessarily, but to learn more about federal financial management. With the support of her employer, however, she decided to take the next step and sit for the three examinations needed to earn the CGFM.

“Certifications are important because it tells your supervisors and your clients that you’ve got the experience,” said Barth. “It tells the client that you went and took these tests and you know the information.”

Her original plan was to first take all three classes and then take the three examinations all at once. “I was taking the second class and it dawned on me that that was not the best way, so I took the Governmental Environment exam.” That exam goes with the first course, which she took in 1999. (“I took the procrastinator’s route,” she said.) When she took the second class, Governmental Accounting, Financial Reporting and Budgeting, the new state and local financial reporting standard, GASB 34, was not in effect. So, when she was ready to take the second exam, she bought AGA’s new study guide and used it to refresh her memory of the course and learn the new material. By contrast, she took the third examination, Governmental Financial Management and Control, soon after taking the course, and she earned the CGFM early this year.

It may have been a long road to the CGFM, but it’s been a worthwhile trip. AGA Corporate Partner Booz Allen Hamilton pays for Barth’s AGA membership every year, and the firm paid for the three courses and her exam fees. Booz Allen backs up its support of certifications with more than just money. Barth’s accomplishment was recognized with a team appreciation award. She has also given presentations to her team about AGA and the testing process, and she spoke at AGA’s Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Washington, D.C. last summer.

Barth is just about to start another assignment with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — “It’s going to give me an opportunity to say I’ve got these extra skills and I’d like to put them to use.”