AGA TOPICS Newsletter

CGFM Profile: William D. Brown, MBA, CGFM, CPA
By: David Kaschak, CGFM, CPA

William D. Brown, MBA. CGFM, CPA, who has more than 24 years of experience in some of New Jersey’s most challenging fiscal offices, recently earned his CGFM credential and encourages others to do the same. “If you are planning a career in government fiscal management, you need to earn this certification,” he said.

Career highlights include: his early experience in consolidating Burlington County’s hospitals, enabling that county to close the crumbling Evergreen Park Hospital and expand the Buttonwood Hall Hospital; his role as the initial fiscal manager in the state’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Rebate Program; the supervising analyst position in the Hospital Rate-Setting Unit during the state’s successful conversion from the All-Payer Hospital Reimbursement System to the current system; and his current fiscal leadership as business manager of the New Lisbon Development Center, home to 554 developmentally disabled men and women.

Brown, who is also a CPA and a member of AGA’s Trenton Chapter, earned his CGFM designation last May. He reflected on his decision to become a CGFM.

Q: What motivated you to earn your CGFM?
A: My credo has always been one of continued improvement, whether those efforts are directed at a specific government process or that of a personal skill or habit. The CGFM provides a formal recognition of those types of pursuits. 

Q: How long did it take you to complete all three examinations?
A: It took me about six months to complete all three exams.

Q: How did you study?
A: I purchased the self-study guides and studied during lunch breaks. I also took a few days off before each exam.

Q: Does your employer acknowledge your CGFM in any way?
A: Yes, I received e-mails and telephone calls of congratulations from the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services (DHS), her Deputy, the Director and Assistant Director of DHS Budget, the Assistant Commissioner and CFO of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, and the CEO of the New Lisbon Developmental Center.

Q: What advice would you give others?
A: If you are planning a career in government fiscal management you need to earn this certification. It is the only program broad enough to measure the knowledge needed by today’s professionals at the federal, state and local levels.