Frank Greathouse Distinguished Leadership Award

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The Frank Greathouse Distinguished Leadership Award honors a government employee who has demonstrated sustained, exceptional leadership and notable contributions to government financial management. This award recognizes those who not only advance the field through their work but also inspire others through commitment, mentorship, and dedication to public service.

About the Award

One crystal award is presented annually
Recognizes government employees for outstanding leadership in the field of financial management
Celebrates efforts that promote growth, development, and leadership in the profession
Nominees must have been employed in government service at the time the recognized work was performed
AGA membership is not required

About Frank Greathouse

Frank L. Greathouse was a pioneering figure in government auditing and financial management. After a successful public accounting career, he joined Tennessee Comptroller Bill Snodgrass’s team in 1973, serving as director of state audit. He played a central role in improving government auditing practices and was a founding force behind the Nashville AGA Chapter.

Greathouse’s influence reached national levels: he helped establish the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and served as chair of the GASB Advisory Council and the GFOA’s Task Force on Financial Reporting. He also held leadership roles in NSAA, GFOA, and the Financial Accounting Foundation Board of Trustees. His legacy is defined by excellence, ethics, and leadership that continues to shape the profession.

Nominees should exemplify:

Sustained leadership in public financial management
Contributions that led to measurable improvements in government systems, policies, or reporting
Dedication to mentoring others and developing the next generation of leaders
A strong record of ethical conduct and professional excellence
Advancement of innovative practices in government finance or auditing

Nominations for the 2026 Frank Greathouse Distinguished Leadership Award will open in spring 2026.

Latest Award Winner

Stephen Kunze

Former Deputy CFO

U.S. Department of Commerce

With over 38 years of service in public administration, Steve Kunze has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to integrity, innovation and excellence, as seen by guiding Commerce to achieving clean audit opinions every year under his leadership. Passionate about developing the next generation in the financial management workforce, Steve co-chaired the federal Chief Financial Officers Council Workforce of Tomorrow working group. Steve led the working group’s 10-year Workforce Modernization Strategy, which reviewed hundreds of studies and worked with 32 external organizations to develop strategies and skill plans to prepare the future government workforce. A long-time AGA member, Steve has been a frequent participant of AGA education events at the national and local levels.

Teresa Hunter

Former CFO

IRS

Teresa Hunter’s exceptional leadership, visionary approach to financial modernization and commitment to government excellence make her a distinguished and deserving candidate for this prestigious award. Her modernization efforts as the IRS CFO resulted in thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars saved, allowing critical resources to be reinvested in higher-value work. At the same time, Teresa oversaw a multibillion-dollar budget and managed over $4 trillion in revenue collected each year. Teresa’s impact continues to shape a more agile, effective and trusted CFO organization at the IRS, marked by collaboration, integrity and accountability at every level.