Highlights
CPE Opportunities
Don't Miss AGA's NLC:
Register Today!
Make plans to attend AGA's Third Annual National Leadership
Conference, Feb. 7–8, 2005 in Washington, D.C. AGA has assembled a dynamic
group of speakers who will appeal to federal, state and local government
financial managers.
Click here to
read more about the conference.
Click here to register online. Online registration closes
Friday, Feb. 4. Walk-in registrations are welcome.
Contact Julie Cupp at 800.AGA.7211 with questions.
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
Spotlight on AGA Corporate Partner Watkins, Meegan, Drury &
Company, LLC
Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Company, LLC is the 11th largest
certified public accounting and consulting firm in the D.C. metropolitan
area. With more than 180 accounting and technology professionals, located
in four regional offices, we have the resources and experience to provide
highly tailored solutions. Our Government Services Group specializes in
providing auditing, accounting, forensic accounting, information
technology and management consulting services to the federal government.
Watkins, Meegan offers services through the GSA Consolidated Schedule,
FABS Schedule and other contracting vehicles. For additional information,
visit us on the web at www.wmdco.com
Susan Miller
Director,Government Services Group
7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 500
Bethesda, MD 20814
PH: 301.654.7555
FX: 301.656.9115
smiller@wmdco.com
www.wmdco.com
Click here for the latest
information about the AGA Corporate Partner Program, including an update
on research projects that are under way.
Computer-Based Auditing Tools &
Techniques—A Special Supplement to the Summer 2005 Journal
Auditors everywhere rely on a variety of
computer-based tools and techniques to get their jobs done. The supplement
will be bagged and mailed along with the Summer 2005 Annual Technology
issue of the Journal of Government Financial Management. Click here for more information.
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Volume 44: Issue 2, January 31, 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 Seeks Director of Performance Reporting
The Association of Government Accountants
(AGA) is seeking an enthusiastic self-starter to fill its Director of
Performance Reporting position. AGA is dedicated to improving performance
and accountability of federal, state and local governments for the
benefit of the American people. Through the Certificate of Excellence in
Accountability Reporting (CEAR) Program and the Certificate of Excellence
in Service Efforts and Accomplishments Reporting (COE in SEA Reporting)
Program, AGA helps governments produce more effective performance
reports. Click here to read more about the position and
requirements.
Reward Yourself by Recruiting
You, as an AGA member, are the foundation of
this Association. From local to federal government, we are getting the
word out to financial professionals everywhere on the issues that matter
in financial management. AGA membership and member participation
continues to increase year after year, but we still need your help! We
are asking that you take a few minutes to pass along the benefits of AGA
and encourage others to join. We know your time is valuable, but in as
little as five minutes, you can help a colleague or friend achieve their
professional goals by sharing the AGA advantage.
Everyone who recruits at least one new AGA member will
be entered into a drawing to win dinner for two at an ultra exclusive
restaurant in Orlando during the 2005 PDC. We are giving three dinners
away! If for some reason you cannot make it to Orlando, and you win this
prize, we’ll send you to dinner at an exclusive restaurant in your
hometown. Contact Jessica Jones for more information.
AGA Membership: Did You Know?
AGA prides itself on being a complete resource for its members- past,
present and future. Along with the up-to-date information and resources
AGA provides to members currently working in or retired from a financial
management capacity, we offer educational scholarships to encourage those
interested in studying a financial management discipline.
Click here for more information.
Need CPE? Try CPE
Online or Join in for AGA's March 2 Audio Conference on Fraud
Looking for a convenient way to earn CPE hours?
Click here to find eight Journal CPE Online quizzes, which are each
worth 3 CPE hours. Read the Journal of Government Financial Management
and take the corresponding quizzes. It’s easy to earn a total of 24 CPE
hours at your own convenience.
Also, AGA and NASACT are offering convenient, inexpensive educational
opportunities in the form of audio conferences worth 2 CPE hours
throughout the year. AGA, in conjunction with NASACT and the National
Association of Local Government Auditors, is producing the audio
conference, “Key Reasons Why the Breakdown of Internal Controls
Contribute to Fraud,” set for 2–3:50 p.m. EST March 2. This audio
conference will describe how specific “soft control” failures contribute
to internal controls not working as intended. It will also focus on how
“strong controls” can sometimes leave the door open to fraudulent
activities. Included will be specific case examples and suggestions that
all accountability professionals can use to reduce future frauds. John
Hall, a private consultant and nationally known speaker, and David Hancox,
CGFM, a state audit director and nationally known speaker and author,
will join forces to describe their experiences in examining and lecturing
on internal controls and fraud for many years. For a cost of merely $249
per telephone line, your chapter, agency or firm can provide 2 CPE hours
to as many people as can fit in a room. Click here to register.
TOPICS is Brought to you by AGA Corporate Partner
Clifton Gunderson's D.C. office is looking for
experienced professionals to join our public sector practice. The ideal
candidate will have 5-plus years of public accounting or equivalent audit
experience along with your BA/BS in Accounting and CPA or CGFM . Duties
will include audits of Federal entities, State & Local audits (GASB), A-133
audits, and compliance auditing. To apply please e-mail Jennifer.Busse@cliftoncpa.com.</ span>
 CGFM Annual Renewal Time!
We are getting ready to send you an annual
renewal invoice for your CGFM certification and/or AGA membership.
If your address has recently changed, please be sure to update your
contact information with us and pay your dues in the “Members Only” section of AGA's website or by
calling 800.AGA.7211. Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about CGFM
renewal.
Studying for the CGFM Examinations?
Be sure to order one
of the Study Guides available for CGFM Exam 2 and 3 to help in your
preparation for the examinations. Click here to learn
more.
 PDC 2005 Registration Now Open
Join us in sunny Orlando for the government
financial management education event of the year! AGA invites you to
attend its 54th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition,
to be held July 10 – 13, 2005, in Orlando, FL.
PDC 2005 promises to be an excellent learning and
networking opportunity for government financial managers and
accountability professionals. Education sessions will provide technical
training, useful information on emerging trends, tools to help you become
more effective and lessons from the best in the business. Click here for
more information about the conference.
Click here to
register online today!
Develop Professional
Associations through Better Use of Examination-Based Qualification
By: Anthony F. Gioffre, JD, CGFM, CPA, a member of
AGA’s International Development Committee
Roles of professional
accounting associations in supporting economic development and reform
Professional accounting
associations perform vital roles in support of economic development and
reform. These associations serve the following purposes, among many
others.
- Identification of properly qualified professionals.
Professional associations adopt and enforce rigorous criteria for
accountants to qualify for, and maintain, membership.
- Communication of technical developments among
members. Professional associations promote the dissemination of
knowledge through training, conferences and publications.
- Advocacy. The positions of associations, and the
opinions of their leading members, can play an important role in
forming public opinion and public policy.
- In many countries outside the world’s most advanced
economies, professional accounting associations tend not to be
financially or intellectually self-sustainable. It is no surprise that
these associations do not entirely fulfill their public service
purposes. An important reason for these shortcomings is that the
qualification of the associations’ members is performed in a way that
is not consistent, rigorous, standardized and otherwise compliant with
international requirements. Click here to
read the entire article.
Public Sector
Financial Management Fellows Program Recruiting Inaugural Class for Summer
2005
The PSFM Fellows Program is a new opportunity for
the nation's best graduate students in public affairs and business
administration programs to spend summer 2005 working for public agencies
and associations across the country on financial management projects.
Interested candidates must apply by Feb. 18, 2005.
Click here to find out more.
 ORDER NOW!
A Primer on Internal Controls and Auditing: Crucial to Government and the
Economy
By: Wanda A. Wallace, Ph.D., CPA, CMA, CIA
Internal control has never been optional, and now an easy-to-read
resource directed to a wide audience is available to understand both what
is meant by "internal control" and how an “audit” is conducted. Click here to
order your copy.
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