Highlights

Register Now for Free SEA Review Audio Conference
Learn how to be a Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) report reviewer by participating in an audio conference, set for 2 - 3:50 p.m. EDT, Friday, Dec. 7. Harold I. Steinberg, CGFM, CPA, AGA technical consultant, will discuss the 16 criteria suggested by GASB that are used to review an SEA report. Steinberg will share his insights and tips in making a report easier to review. If your entity is thinking about producing a performance report, becoming a reviewer is a great way to learn more about the reporting process and an opportunity to learn best practices from other governments.  Register here.

If you have questions about the SEA program, becoming a reviewer or the Dec. 7 audio conference, please contact Eveanna Barry, AGA's director of performance reporting.

Register five or more of your offices for any of the upcoming audio conferences and you will receive a 20 percent discount off the early registration fee offered by AGA. That's right, pay only $200 per site instead of $249. And remember, attendance is unlimited, and 2 CPE hours are available for each participant. You cannot find a more cost-effective way to provide training for your staff with little or no travel involved. Register now!

For questions regarding these programs, contact Raymond Harris, CGFM, director of chapter operations, at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 339. Questions regarding registration should be directed to Maria Lucas, meetings specialist, ext. 308.

Learn more about AGA training opportunities and events.

Anatomy of Fraud Topic of Dec. 12 Audio Conference
AGA, in conjunction with NASACT and ALGA, is pleased to announce its upcoming audio conference, Anatomy of Fraud: Case Examples of Greed, Collusion and Override of Controls. The audio conference, worth 2 CPE hours, is set for 2 – 3:50 p.m., EST, Dec. 12.

Included in this audio conference will be some remarkable work that uncovered major fraud in government, the private sector and not-for-profit
organizations. Hear from two of the top presenters and investigators of
fraud, David L. Cotton, CGFM, CFE, CPA, Chairman of Cotton & Co., and David R. Hancox, CGFM, CIA, Director in the Division of State Government
Accountability, Office of the New York State Comptroller.

Cost is $249 per site (unlimited attendance) if you register on or before Dec. 7, and $299 thereafter.

Register online or print the registration form and fax it to 703.684.6933

View the entire audio conference schedule.

Training Opportunities

Looking for a Job?

Interested in Being a Reviewer for the CEAR Program?
AGA will offer free training for those interesting in reviewing Performance and Accountability Reports (PARs) for federal agencies that participate in our Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) Program. The training is scheduled for 1:15 - 4 p.m. Dec. 17 at the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. Each year, federal agencies participating in the CEAR Program submit their PARs to AGA for review to improve financial and program accountability by streamlining reporting and improving the effectiveness of their reports. This training, which requires registration, also will incorporate techniques for reviewing the Pilot Program's Annual Financial Report and the Highlights document. AGA members Jonathan D. Breul, partner, IBM Global Business Services, and John Hummel, CGFM, CPA, partner and National Industry director, KPMG LLP, will provide instruction on how to review reports and discuss the revised OMB Circular A-136 that is used as a point of reference in preparing federal financial reports.

CEAR Deadlines for PAR Submissions
Is your agency participating in the CEAR Program this year? This year's process will be slightly different because two types of documents are being reviewed—the traditional Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) and the Pilot Program documents. If your agency is preparing a PAR, the document and CEAR application is due to AGA by Friday, Dec. 14. 

If your agency is participating in the Pilot Program, the Annual Financial Report (AFR) is due to AGA by Friday, Dec. 14, while the highlights document is due by Feb. 15, 2008. When submitting the AFR, also include the CEAR Program application. The cost to participate in the CEAR program remains the same as last year: $7,500 for CFO agencies and $5,000 for all ATDA Act agencies and agency components. Learn more information about the CEAR Program or contact Eveanna Barry.

From the National Office
Julie Cupp, CMP, Meetings Manager, marked her fifth anniversary with AGA on Nov. 25. During her tenure, Julie has revolutionized AGA's meeting registration process and helped to organize numerous events, including the Annual Performance Management Conference. Congratulations, Julie!

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 22, November 26, 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.

Join Us in Washington, D.C. for AGA’s Sixth Annual National Leadership Conference

Government financial managers are committed to accountability, efficiency and improving the business of government, but it’s easy to focus on one small part of the puzzle instead of the big picture.

Earn 14 CPE hours and learn how to make a real difference at AGA’s National Leadership Conference. This event is centered on the theme “Dynamic Leadership for Changing Times,” and few fields change as quickly as government financial management. Staying up to date on new regulations, while maintaining a clear vision of government transformation, can be accomplished through the best training.

The NLC features timely topics and an impressive lineup of speakers that will share best practices, leadership secrets and equip you with the knowledge you need to become more effective. Join us to hear from the top financial management leaders and industry experts, including:

• Douglas J. Bourgeois, Director, National Business Center, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Rear Admiral Steve Branham, Assistant Commandant for Resources and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Jay Carney, Washington Bureau Chief, Time magazine
• Lisa Casias, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Thomas N. Cooley, Chief Financial Officer and Director, Office of the Budget, Finance and Award Management, National Science Foundation
• Lisa D. Fiely, CPA, PMP, Deputy Chief Financial Officer; U.S. Department of Labor
• Daniel L. Fletcher, CPA, Director, Office of Financial Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Zack E. Gaddy, CGFM, Director, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, U.S. Department of Defense
• John J. Radford, CGFM, CIA, CFE, State Controller, State of Oregon
• Diana Jones Ritter, Commissioner, Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, State of New York
• David M. Walker, CPA, Comptroller General of the United States, U.S. Government Accountability Office

In addition to an outstanding technical program, the NLC offers unparalleled opportunities to network, exchange ideas, discover effective strategies, and perhaps find solutions to common problems.

Register Now & Save! Don’t miss this opportunity to recharge professionally, gain useful information and expand your network of colleagues. Register today!

• Register Online and Save
• Download Registration Form
• Visit the Website
• Become an Exhibitor

We Have a Dream Campaign Heats Up
Temperatures are falling outside, but the 2007–2008 We Have a Dream Member-Get-A-Member Campaign is starting to heat up. Stephanie Paschel is sizzling her way toward this year’s Top Recruiter prize with 28 new members so far. Colette Cormier is hot on her heels with 27 new recruits.

And now the heat is on for you to get involved and start recruiting new members. EVERY AGA member is challenged to recruit at least ONE new AGA member before the close of the membership year, April 30, 2008. Are you up to the challenge?

We have made it so easy to participate!

• Download a membership application.
• Print your name on the “Sponsor’s Name” line on the application to receive sponsor credit when your recruits join.
• Follow up with those individuals that you asked to join.

Find out all the details, including prize information. The 2007–2008 Recruitment Campaign runs through April 30, 2008. Now is the time to start cooking. And be sure to reach out to those early career members.

High-Quality CPEs, Cost Savings Make AGA's GFM Courses the Right Choice 
AGA’s Richmond Chapter shows that it’s no trick to do many things at once: provide high-quality CPE at a low cost while helping chapter members prepare for the CGFM Examinations.

In May, the chapter sponsored AGA’s Government Financial Management (GFM) Training Program, worth 48 CPE hours, providing the site for the courses and the attendees, while AGA provided the instructor and the materials. The GFM Program consists of three courses: Governmental Environment (8 CPE hours), Governmental Accounting, Financial Reporting and Budgeting (24 CPE hours) and Governmental Financial Management and Control (16 CPE hours). Read a description of the courses.

This year, Richmond joined chapters in Guam and Washington, D.C. in bringing all three classes in the series to their chapters. Richmond plans to sponsor the program again this coming May. In addition, AGA’s Baltimore, Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington D.C. Chapters are working to bring the GFM Program for its members next year.  In the past, Austin, Nashville, N. Utah, Portland, Baltimore, New York Capital, Maine, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin chapters have sponsored the entire program or one of the courses. Read entire article.

Take the CGFM Examinations Before the NLC
AGA is once again offering a great opportunity to take the CGFM Examinations and earn your CGFM before the Sixth Annual National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Washington D.C. Whether you've found it difficult to find time to complete the three exams or just need an extra reinforcement of the material, this is your chance to get it done!

To help you reach that goal, we are offering a two-day Intensive Review Course on Monday, Feb. 18 and Tuesday, Feb. 19 and an opportunity to take the CGFM Examinations Feb. 20–21. The cost of the course is only $249 for qualified participants, and it offers 18 CPE hours. Special Bonus: The CGFM Examinations are offered at no cost to course attendees.

This course is designed as a supplement to previous preparation for the CGFM Examinations, so this is a perfect opportunity for those individuals who have already attended GFM training courses or have been preparing by using the CGFM Study Guides. Enrollment is limited and popular exam time slots are reserved quickly, so don't delay.

More information and a registration form for this event are available on the AGA website. If you have any questions, please contact Crystal Vanison at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 316.

Additional Governments Sign On to Produce Citizen-Centric Reports
The state of Arizona, the city of Schenectady (NY), the state of Nevada, the city of Albany, NY, the state of West Virginia and the city of West Valley, UT, are the latest governments to join a growing list of state and local governments and federal agencies that are producing four-page Citizen-Centric Reports and answering the call for fiscal accountability and transparency.

The four-page annual "state of the government" reports are designed to be visually appealing, provide understandable information to citizens about the performance and financial condition of the government as well as demographics and future challenges while answering the question, “Are we better off today than we were last year?”

Democracy is all about engaging the citizenry in the operations of government. We believe the AGA Citizen-Centric Reporting model provides more useful and timely information to our citizens thereby engaging taxpayer participation. If your government is not producing a Citizen-Centric Report, please help convince them to do so. All the tools you need to start the process can be found on the AGA website.

Together we can help make government more transparent and ultimately more accountable to its citizens.

Free Research Reports Available from AGA!
The AGA Corporate Partner Advisory Group (CPAG) continues to produce research studies of great value to governments, industry and the entire AGA membership. The CPAG has 13 published studies and nine more in the works! Download the completed reports. Contact Susan Fritzlen for hard copies of any of the reports.

Improving Government Performance
Fourteen years after the passage of the Government Performance and Results Act, a new executive order formally creates a single point of accountability in each agency and government-wide for creating, tracking and reporting performance and results. Symbolically, this executive order signals that performance improvement continues to be important to the president. The next administration will inherit a performance improvement network of senior career executives, who are responsible for advocating improved performance and making results of agency programs publicly available. If the next administration is not committed to either performance improvement or transparency of results, it would have to proactively take actions to change course.  Click here to read the Executive Order.

Registration Now Open for PDC Golf Tournament
Step up to the tee and take your best shot. Plans are well under way for PDC 2008, set for July 27–30, in Atlanta, and worth 24 CPE hours. AGA has arranged social activities to encourage networking at every opportunity, and the golf tournament is no exception. Enjoy a day of early networking, fun and friendly competition on Saturday, July 26, at the Stone Mountain Golf Club–Lakemont Course. The course features impressive elevation changes and a brilliant design for any skill level. Along the front nine, enjoy incredible views of the world's largest exposed granite mountain along with the famous memorial carving featuring Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson on horseback. 

Fee is $35 per person. Includes greens fees, cart rental, range balls, park entrance fees, breakfast, lunch and transportation to and from the course. The tournament will include several contests and prizes.

Transportation and Schedule: Complimentary shuttle service will be provided. Buses depart from the Atlanta Marriott Marquis at 6 a.m. Breakfast will be served at the course. The tournament begins with an 8 a.m. shotgun start. Prizes will be awarded at the end of play, followed by a buffet lunch.

Join us for a day of networking, camaraderie and fun before the conference. Space is limited, so sign up early!

• Print Registration Form (PDF).

Montgomery Chapter Sets Record
The Montgomery Chapter hosted its fall training program on November 15 with record attendance of 305. Congratulations to Chapter President Cindy Reaser and the program chairman, Bob Childree.

Dr. Relmond Van Daniker, Executive Director of AGA (left) Dr. Lee Gurley, Head, Accounting & Finance Dept., Auburn Montgomery, signed an agreement between Auburn University Montgomery and AGA for the use of the CGFM Program in the curriculum of AUM. This agreement also provides for the students taking the CGFM Exams.

Pictured from left to right: Bob Childree, Comptroller, State of Alabama, Cindy Reaser, President, AGA Montgomery, Dr. Keren Deal, Assistant Professor, Auburn Montgomery, Dr. Jane Goodson, Dean, School of Business, Auburn Montgomery, Dr. Relmond Van Daniker, Executive Director, AGA, Dr. Lee Gurley, Head, Accounting & Finance Dept., Auburn Montgomery.

AGA Staff List

AGA Membership Application

CGFM Application

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Other AGA Links

CGFM Certification—Learn More

Register for AGA's Sixth Annual National Leadership Conference, Feb. 21–22, 2008, Washington, D.C.

Register for AGA's 57th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition, July 27–30, 2008, Atlanta, GA

Bring New AGA-Sponsored Training Courses to Your Organization

© Association of Government Accountants 2007

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