The Seattle Chapter received its charter from the then Federal Government Accountants Association (FGAA) in 1957. Its first president was F. Ray Bandy from the Government Accountability Office, and membership consisted of 41 federal employees primarily from the Army Audit Agency and the Government Accountability Office, the two primary federal civil audit agencies in existence at that time. When membership was opened to state and local accountants and auditors, the Chapter’s membership rose substantially. Today, the Seattle chapter is comprised of nearly 100 members from all levels of Government and private industry from the Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Everett, Kirkland and surrounding areas. Many of our members hold multiple certifications including the CGFM, CPA, and CFE.
In 1975, Floyd R. Seuss, from the Washington State Auditor’s Office, became the first non-federal president of the Seattle Chapter. Two years later John W. Noah, became the second State Auditor to serve as chapter president. Since its inception, the Seattle chapter has had a number of Presidents, including A. Oliver Holm (VA), Carl E. Weber (GAO), Francis X. Marshall (DOT), and Marvin A. Weiss, (HUD), each of whom have served two terms and Richard (Rick) Osborn, (State Auditor’s Office & Sound Transit) who has served three times.
Over the years, the Chapter has provided a variety of luncheon meeting speakers, but for the past several years has sponsored meeting topics and speakers which primarily provide continuing professional education credit. For a number of years, the Chapter sponsored an annual symposium held at various hotels in the Greater Seattle area. In the spring of 1999, the Chapter began jointly sponsoring an annual conference with the Washington Society of CPAs.
In addition to its CPE program, the chapter annually sponsors toy and food drive events in connection with our December and January events.
Our Board Philosophy
We will be a board that works together to build and sustain a healthy chapter, and we will serve our members with competence and dedication. As board members, we are representatives of AGA, our chapter’s members, the government, and the public we serve. We are dedicated to performing our duties with integrity and professionalism, even when it is neither easy nor convenient.
We agree to treat every member of AGA with the respect due them and will work diligently to provide our chapter members with an organization that meets their professional career goals.
We believe teamwork can accomplish more than any individual can alone, so we will continue to support our chairpersons by serving on committees that match our interests and skills.
We support initiative and creativity to keep our membership engaged and informed as we guide the chapter membership through professional training and events.
We believe the success of our chapter is based on involvement and the motivation of our members to take an active part in AGA’s programs and opportunities. We further believe in the importance of sharing information about the goals of AGA through chapter communications, education, and outreach.