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AGA Sets Theme for First Performance Reporting Conference
"Service Efforts & Accomplishments Reporting: The Cornerstone for Building Trust and Enhancing Management" is the theme for AGA's First National Performance Reporting Conference at the Portland Marriott Downtown in Portland, OR, on Nov. 14-15. Watch the AGA website and TOPICS where information will be posted as it becomes available. For more information about the conference, contact Julie Bryant, CGFM.




AGA Awards First-Ever SEA Certificates

Recognizing exceptional Accountability Reports, the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) has awarded the first-ever “Certificate of Excellence in Service Efforts and Accomplishments” (SEA), after in-depth evaluation of performance reports submitted by more than 20 governments and government agencies.

Certificates were awarded to the City of Bellevue, Washington; the City of Charlotte, North Carolina; the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Seattle, WA.




Spotlight on AGA Corporate Partner MIL Corporation
Established in 1980, the MIL Corporation continues to successfully provide innovative, financial, technical and business solutions to federal government customers.  Dedicated to excellence, service and support, our experienced professionals are providing a number of Federal entities enterprise-wide solutions for communications and networking; implementation of large-scale COTS packages such as CGI-AMS FFS and MomentumTM, Gelco’s Travel Manager (web), and Zegato TM travel systems. MIL also provides clients expertise in strategic planning, analysis, design and development, e-commerce, implementation and management services.  MIL is currently supporting agency customer client-server mainframe packages at more than a dozen Federal entities, providing accounting services, financial system development and maintenance, travel system implementation, BPR, training, web-based reporting, help desk services, operations and technical support, compliance testing, internal controls, and IV&V.
For more information, visit www.milcorp.com.

Gail Bergantino
Sr. Marketing Mgr.
4000 Mitchellville Rd.,
Suite A210
Bowie, MD 20716
PH: 301.809.1318
FX: 301.805.8505
gbergantino@milcorp.com

Click here for the latest information about the AGA Corporate Partner Program, including an update on research projects that are under way.

Volume 44: Issue 7, April 11, 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.


Annual Membership Renewals Were Due March 31: Renew Online Today!
Annual membership renewals were due to be paid by March 31, 2005. If you have not submitted payment please do so promptly to avoid a lapse in your member benefits.

To expedite your renewal, you have the option of renewing online via the password protected members only section of the AGA website (www.agacgfm.org). Once on the AGA homepage click on ‘Members Only’ on the left menu. Login using your membership ID number and password (your first initial followed by your last name—no spaces), then click on the ‘Billing’ button at the top right hand corner of the screen. Your renewal fees will automatically appear (this will include your CGFM renewal if applicable). Input your credit card information and hit ‘Submit.’ The transaction will automatically process via our secure server and the updated renewal information will be automatically updated in AGA’s in-house membership system!

While you are logged into the members only site, be sure to review your contact information and make any updates as necessary.

If you have any questions, please contact the AGA Customer Satisfaction Center at 800.AGA.7211 or via e-mail at agamembers@agacgfm.org.


Register Today for AGA's PDC—the Government Financial Management Education Event of the Year

Join us in sunny Orlando for the 54th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition, to be held July 10 – 13, 2005, at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center. PDC 2005 promises to be an excellent learning and networking opportunity for government financial managers and accountability professionals. Education sessions will provide technical training, emerging trend snapshots and lessons from the best in the business.

With the theme “Leadership > Preparing Tomorrow’s Accountability Professionals” the PDC will bring together more than 1,800 professionals from federal, state and local government, as well as private sector leaders, to discuss critical government financial management issues. The conference offers unparalleled opportunities to make valuable professional contacts, discuss challenges, discover creative solutions and access the latest tools you need to become more effective. For a complete list of speakers and session titles, click here.

Click here to download a copy of the PDC Registration Brochure.

Take the CGFM Examinations at the PDC
New this year—AGA is offering a unique opportunity to take the CGFM Examinations and earn your CGFM right at the PDC in July. To help you reach that goal, we are offering a special two-day Intensive Review Course on Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8 and an opportunity to take CGFM Examinations on July 9 – 10. More good news: the Intensive Review Course is only $175 for qualified participants and the CGFM Examinations are offered at no cost. You cannot afford to miss this opportunity!

Pre-registration is required. This is a special limited enrollment offer for those individuals who have already been studying for the CGFM Exams and need extra reinforcement of the material. Participants must attend the Intensive Review Course to take the CGFM Exams at no cost. Participants must have satisfied the education and experience requirements for the CGFM prior to registering for this event. For more information please contact Katya Silver at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 313.

Eight States Declare March as 'CGFM Month'
Thanks to the initiative and dedication of AGA regional and chapter leaders, eight states have declared March as Certified Government Financial Manager month. Governors signed proclamations in Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Click here to read more about CGFM Month.

Audio Conference Planned for May 11: Yellow Book Update—What You Need to Know
AGA, NASACT and NALGA invite you to attend this audio conference on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 from 2 – 3:50 p.m. EST. Speakers will be Jeanette M. Franzel, CGFM, director, Auditing Standards and Corporate Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Marcia B. Buchanan, CGFM, assistant director for Auditing Standards, GAO; and Sam McCall, CGFM, City Auditor, City of Tallahassee, FL, and AGA National President-Elect. Two CPE hours in the area of accounting and auditing will be offered. The cost is $249 per site (UNLIMITED ATTENDANCE) if you register on or before Friday, May 6, 2005, and $299 thereafter. Click here to register. If you have questions regarding registration, please contact Julie Cupp at 800.AGA.7211. Questions regarding the program should be directed to Raymond Harris, CGFM, at rharris@agacgfm.org.

Members Recruiting New Members Explodes in March!
The member-get-a-member challenge heated up in March with a slew of members recruiting new members. Nancy Zmyslinski, CGFM, of the Greater Columbus Chapter currently holds the Top Recruiter position with 24 new recruits. Several other members have entered the competition since early March: Randall Griffin of the New York Capital Chapter with 11 recruits, Patricia Barton of the New Mexico Chapter with 9 recruits, John Yerkey of the Greater Columbus Chapter with 7 recruits, Allison Edmisten of the Inland Empire of CA Chapter with 6 recruits, Cindy Reaser of the Montgomery (AL) Chapter with 6 recruits and Stephanie Paschel of the Cleveland Chapter with 5 recruits.

Click here to see the Top Recruiters and click here to see a listing of all AGA new member recruiters. Click here to view the listing of those members who have earned AGA Dollars. The member-get-a-member campaign runs through April 30, 2005.

What are AGA Dollars and how do they work? Once you have recruited two new members, you start earning 5 AGA Dollars for each new member that joins. Recruit 2 members, earn 10 AGA Dollars, recruit 20 members, earn 100 AGA Dollars and so on…AGA dollars can be used for a variety of AGA products, such as national conference registrations, AGA merchandise—even toward your membership dues! But wait, there’s more prizes…the three members who recruit the most new members each receive a complimentary AGA meeting registration! Same goes for one chapter from each chapter size group that achieves the highest overall growth.

Remember, recruitment is a round-the-clock job and we are all walking spokespersons for AGA! Lets all spring into action and recruit new members! Click here for a copy of AGA’s membership application and start recruiting new members today!

AGA Membership: Did You Know Membership Pays for Itself?
Did you know that through your AGA membership you can save as much as $200 on AGA conference and meeting registrations? By attending the Professional Development Conference or other AGA events, you will have more than paid for your membership in registration savings alone! The savings don’t stop there—most AGA chapters also offer discounted meetings, education sessions and events to AGA members. Start saving today by registering for the 54th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Orlando, FL.

Deadlines Near for Chapter Newsletter, Website Contests
It is time once again for the annual Chapter Newsletter Editor and Website contests. Newsletter submissions are due April 15, 2005. Click here for more details. The judging for the chapter website award begins on Monday, April 25. Click here to view the website judging criteria.

Click here to view the current listing of chapter website URL addresses and groups (please review this information and contact Jenn Curtin if any changes need to be made).

From the National Office
Rica Muhammad has been promoted to the position of Membership and Conference Services Specialist, taking over the position from Catena Sanders, who left AGA in March. In her new role, Rica is responsible for membership processing and customer service. She will also assist the conferences staff. Congratulations to Rica!

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.

 


 

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