Highlights
CPE
Opportunities
Looking for a Job?
CGFM Profile: Joseph Kouba
Joseph Kouba, who oversees funding of
more than $2 billion for U.S. embassies, has shared his experience in
studying for and passing the three CGFM Examinations. Click here to find study tips, benefits he’s enjoyed
from earning the CGFM, and more in his responses to AGA’s
questions.
Registration
Now Open for PDC 2006
Registration is now open for
AGA’s 55th Annual Professional Development Conference &
Exposition (PDC)! Register today and secure your place at the
government financial management education event of the year!
Register online
Print
registration form to send by fax/mail (Adobe PDF)
FMSB News AGA's Financial
Management
Standards Board had its second annual meeting in Norwalk , CT, with the
Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) on November 1. The
meeting was part of the regularly scheduled GASB meeting. Among
those attending were AGA National President Sam M. McCall, CGFM;
AGA’s Executive Director, Relmond Van Daniker; the Chair of the
FMSB, Russell W. Hinton, CGFM; and members of the FMSB. Click here to read more about the meeting.
Corporate Partner
Spotlight: TCBA— Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio &
Associates
TCBA—a small minority-owned and
managed accounting and consulting firm— does it all in government
financial management. Our support to government agencies covers the
overall financial cycle from financial systems requirements and design
and IV&V to pre-audit including account reconciliation and internal
control reviews to post-audit including assistance in implementing
recommended operational improvements.
We began 20 years ago—the large number
of agencies that continue to request our services reflects the
client-focus and consistently high quality of TCBA’s support.
Richard Willett, CGFM
Senior Principal
1101 15th St. NW
Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20005
PH: 202.778.3434
dwillett@tcba.com
www.tcba.com
Chapter News
The NLC Chapter Hotel Scholarship
deadline is fast approaching. RSVPs for a representative from each
chapter must be received by December 9. E-mail for more information.
New AGA Research Report: Get Your Free Copy!
Trends and Techniques is an
annual report on emerging issues in information technology and
financial management. The study covers compliance management, business
process management, project portfolio management, RFID and wireless
communications. The report analyzes each topical area and discusses its
implications for functional management.
The report is the product of a research
project sponsored by CSC’s Federal Consulting Practice. Andrew C.
West, CSC Partner for Functional Management Solutions, led this effort.
He was aided by Carlo D. Smith, Ph.D., Deborah J. Detwiler, CPA, and
Paul Kaman. Click here to download the report.
AGA Advertising
Opportunities!
Advertise in AGA's electronic
newsletters—TOPICS and AGA Today! Get maximum
exposure and build your brand. Click here for all the
information you need to run your ad! Or you can contact
AGA's Director of Communications, Marie
Force.
|
Volume 44: Issue 22, November 28, 2005
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.
AGA and Government
Executive Magazine Invite You to a Complimentary Leadership Breakfast
on Wednesday, December 7, 2005.
This is the first in a new series of breakfast
meetings—Meet the Financial Management Policy-Makers.
Relmond Van Daniker, Executive Director of
AGA, and Tim Clark, Editor and President of Government
Executive, will moderate a discussion with Dr. Linda
Combs, Controller, U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
This event will be Dr. Combs' first public appearance after
the
November 15 close of federal fiscal year 2005. We will hear Dr. Combs'
initial overview of the process and preliminary results of the
financial reports submitted to OMB. There will be time for Q&A
after the discussion.
Federal Chief Financial Officers, Inspectors General and
representatives from OMB and the U.S. Government Accountability Office
will participate. There will also be participation from AGA Corporate
Partners.
Space is limited, so register today! Complimentary registration
applies to government professionals.
Government Leaders, please click here for a registration
form.
AGA Corporate Partners, please click here for a registration
form.
For more information, please contact Susan
Fritzlen at sfritzlen@agacgfm.org.
Event Details:
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
The National Press Club
Ballroom, 13th Floor
529 14th Street NW
Washington, DC
Metro Stop: Metro Center
Register Now for Dec. 7 Identity Theft Audio
Conference
AGA, in conjunction with NASACT and N.A.L.G.A., will host an
audio conference on identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes
in the U.S. It can affect anyone, at any age, and in any ethnic or
economic group. The crime has many facets and can be perpetrated in a
variety of ways. Speakers are Kathy Buller, Chief Counsel to the
Inspector General, U.S. Social Security Administration; Naomi
Lefkovitz, Attorney, Federal Trade Commission; and Alice Robinson-Bond,
Deputy Attorney General, State of Ohio. The session runs from 2 –
3:50 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and offers 2 CPE hours. Click here for information!
NASACT, in conjunction with AGA and
N.A.L.G.A., is offering a new audio conference on Nov. 30, on
Payroll—What You Need to Know for Year-End. Click here to find
out more.
AGA NLC Registration Brochure Now
Available Online
Make plans now to attend AGA’s National
Leadership Conference (NLC) to be held February 2 – 3, 2006, in
Washington, D.C.
The Conference Brochure is now available
online. Click here for a sneak preview of the
brochure in PDF format.
As a government finance professional, you
perform an important public service in often difficult circumstances.
The demands made of you are many, the resources available to you often
few, and we are all witnessing the rapid multiplication of rules which
goes hand-in-hand with ever-increasing workloads.
In these circumstances, it pays to seek out
the best training available—training that exposes you to top
leaders in the field, teaches you the ins and outs of the newest
regulations and trends and provides you with unparalleled opportunities
to exchange ideas with your colleagues.
AGA’s National Leadership Conference
provides this and more. The NLC will bring together the biggest
thinkers from all levels of government, as well as from the private
sector and academia. Earn 14 CPE hours at dynamic, comprehensive
sessions, share best practices, view exhibits of the latest
technological advancements and meet your peers in the field.
All this and more awaits you at NLC
2006—register today!
TOPICS is Brought to you by AGA
Corporate Partner
 Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Company is currently
seeking experienced professionals for its rapidly growing Government
Services Group. Watkins Meegan provides accounting, consulting, and
technology solutions to the federal government. Successful
candidates will have 2 - 6 years experience, BS in accounting or
related field required; CPA, CIA, CISA, CGFM a plus. Click here to e-mail your resume.
Why Recruit New
AGA Members?
You joined AGA for a myriad of reasons:to
keep
up-to-date on news and developments in the profession, to gain access
to a variety of inexpensive continuing professional education
offerings, to move forward in your career, to build a personal network.
Whatever your initial reason for joining, you now know that you are
part of a tremendous national network of professionals working to
advance government accountability. We need your help to ensure that the
AGA network remains strong and continues to grow to reach all
accountability professionals! Click here to find out what you can do to help!
AGA's First Performance
Management Conference A Big Success
Click here and
here to read full
coverage of last week's PMC in Portland, OR. Watch the AGA website for
details about next year's conference!
AGA Hurricane Relief
Effort
Tops $17,500!
Click here to find out how you can donate
and to view the list of contributors!
TOPICS is Brought to you by the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
When you choose to join the DHS
Financial Management Community, you become a part of an agency that
plays a critical role in making a difference in the securing our
homeland. DHS is currently offering extraordinary opportunities for
financial management professionals within the Department of Homeland
Security Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Apply today at www.usajobs.gov, see job
announcement DHSHQYR06-958. For more information about current or
future opportunities, contact john.mcnamara@dhs.gov.
FY 05 Performance & Accountability
Reports Due to AGA's CEAR Program by December 15
The CEAR Program has been a major factor
in improving the quality of the federal agencies' PARs. Reviewers with
diverse backgrounds exercise an unusual level of thoroughness and
recommend numerous opportunities for improvement for what is an
extensive and comprehensive document. The recommendations can typically
run several pages-even for agencies to which the Certificate of
Excellence is awarded.
Thus the program is a win-win situation. The
agencies receive information with which they can continuously improve
their PARs. The reviewers obtain an opportunity to perform an in-depth
analysis of other agencies' PARs and learn how to make their own
agency's reports better. And the readers of the PARs have the assurance
that the agencies have prepared highly informative, highly readable,
complete documents. Contact Julie
Bryant, CGFM, for more information.
CEAR Program Reviewer's
Training
Reviewing and Improving Performance Reports
Tuesday, November 29, 2005, 1 - 3:30p.m.
U.S. Department of Education
First Floor Auditorium
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C.
EVENT LEADERS: John Hummel, CGFM,
Partner and Director, Federal Assurance Practice, KPMG LLP; Chair, CEAR
Board;
Harold I. Steinberg, CGFM, Technical Director, CEAR and SEA
Programs, AGA; and
Barry White, Director of Government Performance Projects,
Council for Excellence in Government and CEAR Board member.
This intermediate-level training provides information and
tools
to review and identify ways to improve federal agency Performance and
Accountability Reports (PARs). You will leave with a clear
understanding of how to help federal agencies improve their reports.
OMB's Circular A-136 has changed-join us to be one of the first to know
what these changes are!
The training will cover:
- The CEAR Guidelines, how to
review a PAR and determine opportunities for improvement. Including:
- Essential sections - MD&A, performance
section and financial section
- Cost effectiveness measures and trend data
- Importance of integration and creativity
- Balancing comprehensiveness with length
- AGA's CEAR Program and how it will be
conducted
- The reviewer's role in the program
You will leave with a clear
understanding of how to help federal agencies improve their performance
reports. Contact Julie Bryant,
CGFM, for more information.
SEA Reviewer
Training
AUDIO CONFERENCE
Wednesday, December 7, 2005, 1 – 5 p.m., 4 CPE
hours
If it's your job to explain how government funds have been
managed to ensure funding continues, this reviewer training is for you!
Funding for government projects is not automatic. If you have to
provide written justification for why funding should continue, you
should attend this conference, which will teach you an effective way to
explain how government funds have been managed. Contact Julie Bryant, CGFM, for
more information.
TOPICS is Brought to you by the
State of Michigan, Department of Management and Budget
The State of Michigan,
Department of Management and Budget is filling the position of Chief
Financial Officer. This position is located in Lansing, Michigan and
has an annual salary of $74K to $113K. Click here for additional information and instructions on how
to apply.
The Last Free Lunch: A Panel Presentation and Public
Forum Addressing the Nation’s Deepening Fiscal Crisis
December 1, 2005 in Portland, OR
Featuring David M. Walker, Comptroller
General of the United States, U.S. Government Accountability Office,
accompanied by Charles Kolb,
President of the Committee for Economic Development, Ridge Multop,
Senior Legislative Representative, AARP, and Robert Bixby, Executive Director of The
Concord Coalition. AGA National President-Elect Jeffrey Hart, CGFM,
will participate at the event.
The Last Free
Lunch is one of a series of public events being led by
GAO’s David Walker and underwritten by The Concord
Coalition. Citizens at a Portland forum will discuss the worsening
fiscal condition of the nation, what it portends for their future, and
what they should do to mitigate its impacts. This event is the first
West coast appearance by an honored, balanced panel of experts who are
on a mission to raise awareness and promote dialogue on this important
subject.
Specifics on the Event:
Thursday, December 1
11:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
The Last Free Lunch: A Panel Presentation and Public Forum
University Place
Portland State University
310 S.W. Lincoln Street
Portland, OR 97201
Limited seats are still
available
on a first-come, first-served basis. To register or for more
information on the program, George K Beard at 503.772.0222, or via
e-mail at george.beard@governmentwise.com.
Call for Journal
Article
Reviewers
AGA needs your help in maintaining the high quality of
its
quarterly Journal of Government Financial Management! If you'd
like to serve as an article reviewer, please contact Marie Force, editor, and include your
subject areas of interest.
N.A.L.G.A. Plans Annual
Conference
The National Association of Local Government Auditors will
host
its 18th Annual Conference on May 22-23, 2006 in San Jose, CA. Click here to find out more.
20th ICGFM
International
Conference on
New Developments in Governmental Financial Management: Examining
Achievements and Exploring Opportunities
May 8-12, 2006
Miami, Florida – USA
Join your financial management colleagues for a stimulating
week of discussions on challenges and achievements in improving
governance and in establishing a sound foundation for sustainable
development.
In the first three days international experts, government
leaders, and program managers will examine achievements and present
best practices and lessons learned in a wide array of financial
management activities. They will also explore emerging issues and
technology and consider the opportunities they present. During the
final two days we will focus more specifically on policies, standards
and practices related to budgeting and accounting. Throughout the week,
discussion sessions will invite you to share your own experiences.
Location: We are returning to the newly
renovated conference hotel Biscayne Bay Marriott located in a
picturesque location convenient to many restaurants, and shuttle
service to shops and South Beach. We’ve negotiated a room rate of
$137 (plus taxes) per night—the same excellent rate as we had
last year.
Registration: We are pleased to be able to
maintain the same low rates. Forms will be mailed in coming months.
If you need a special letter of invitation in order to obtain a
visa, send a message to: ICGFM@yahoo.com so that we may put
you on the list. Please provide your name and title, e-mail and street
addresses, and phone and facsimile numbers. |
