Josephine Villanueva
Josephine “Josie” Villanueva, AGA Guam Chapter President-Elect and Certification Director, has been a member of AGA for over 10 years. We would like to nominate her for the Volunteer of the Year award. Josie previously served as the chapter Treasurer and Community Service Chair and Co-Chair. In addition to accepting the President- Elect position, Josie welcomed and stepped in to be the Certification Director as well. Josie has infused energy in the promotion of the CGFM to our members to include our young students from the University of Guam (UOG), Guam Community College (GCC), and our neighboring islands from the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. Under her direction, she had made great strides in creating a committee that is always available and willing to help.
She is generous with her time and talents. Josie always extends her assistance on activities established by other committees. For instance, she always made herself available to speak as guest speakers to the accounting associations at UOG and GCC on the benefits of being an AGA member and the value of earning the CGFM. This year alone, she presented to almost 100 students in five different presentations. As a former adjunct instructor, Josie recruited two of her former young professional students to co-directors in our chapter’s committees. She reached out to them individually and shared her experience and the value and rewarding fulfillment of being an active AGA member.
When Josie planned the free training as part of the CGFM Month activities, she took the initiative to visit the accounting association of the CNMI while on a personal trip. She spoke to accountability professionals, working in both the private and public sectors, about being a member of the AGA Guam chapter and the value of CGFM. The half day training was well received with several CNMI officials in attendance. She was also able to secure a guest speaker from the CNMI, their former Public Auditor, to be one of the speakers. This free training was well-attended with over 110 participants. Josie has opened the door between the Guam and CNMI on future efforts to extend AGA activities and educational opportunities to them. We are hopeful and excited for this prospect for potential members to network and earn their continuing education credits.
Josie is very committed in the promotion of the CGFM. As the committee director, she started hosting the “CGFM Virtual Study Group" sessions. Members meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:00 AM - 5:00 PM to find the time to focus, establish a routine, and start the day with a study session. This further built great rapport and encouraged members to pursue their designation. Josie took the initiative and led the successful transition of our virtual meetings to the IO Conference. She collaborated and led the meetings with other committee directors for the transition, test, and use of the platform. Under her leadership and continuous encouragement, four members have earned their CGFMs.
Josie has also shown great commitment and dedication in the chapter’s mentoring program. She is in regular communication with her mentee and would take time to meet her outside of work for coffee or lunch (as her own expense) to maintain regular communication. She also worked hard in the recruitment of new AGA members. Specifically, she would take the time to personally call potential members (ranging from students, young professionals, and seasoned professionals) to join AGA. Accordingly, she was able to help recruit about 10 members. Her motivation and drive to continually find ways build relationships helped in the promotion of the association’s mission and value.
Josie’s initiatives and encouraging interaction with other has provided a very positive impact on our chapter to include building a bridge to connect with CNMI officials, increasing the capacity of the certification program, upscaling the chapter for a more efficient meeting/learning environment platform, recruiting additional members, and always being available to provide assistance. She is a true asset for our chapter and we are very proud to have Josie be part of the AGA Guam Chapter.
JOISE’S BIO
Josephine “Josie” Guico Villanueva is a hands-on finance officer known for deliberate and focused approached with 20 years of diverse work experience in all facets of accounting, human resources, and administrative functions. Her work experience has evolved from private, non-profit, federal, and local government sectors. She is currently the Director of Finance and Administration for the Guam Visitors Bureau.
She is differentiated by her colleagues and mentors as a fixer upper. Her financial management expertise is combined with strong business acumen, viewing the organizations through a macro perspective, proactively understanding complex issues, innovatively take action by implementing financial discipline that drive sound financial results.
Ms. Villanueva also continues to assist the Archdiocese of Agana as its part-time Archdiocesan Finance Officer for almost 5 years now. She also worked at Moral Welfare & Recreation- Joint Region Marianas as Finance Operations Manager. She was also the former Financial Controller of Guam Regional Medical City, Triple J Auto Group and Finance and Administration Manager of Tristar Terminals Guam, Inc.
As passionate as she is in perpetual learning and mentoring students and young professionals, she also worked as Adjunct Faculty in Accounting and Finance at Guam Community College and the University of Guam.
Graduate of Master’s in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, she also holds various professional certification such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Certified Specialist in Accounting and Finance (CSAF) for healthcare, and a SHRM Certified Professional.
Part of her weekly routine and “me time” is she enjoyed gardening or visiting the golf driving range to hit some golf balls.