The Kansas City Courier

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1 Sponsored by Kansas City Chapter AGA INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Training News 2 Membership News 3 Community Service Toys for Tots 4 Off the Wire 5 CGFM Happenings 6 Treasurer s Report 7 The Kansas City Courier PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Second 2 None December, 2012 Chapter Executive Committee-Program Year President s Message We should be very proud as a chapter of the services we are providing to the governmental accounting community in the Kansas City area. We are one of the premier providers of governmental accounting education in the Kansas City area, offering leadership, financial and accounting training. The Kansas City Chapter provides 23 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours per year. This is in addition to opportunities provided by the National Office. Two facts are worth noting in the area of Chapter sponsored education: Our spring and fall seminars are the best value for our Chapter members to earn CPE. (Value is the conjunction of high quality and low price.) Our training costs our members $10.63 per CPE. We are providing an educational opportunity to both members and non-members. At the Fall Seminar, over 32 percent of our attendees were non-members of AGA. We have been making a difference in the Kansas City accounting community for over 60 years. Remember also that we are involved in community service projects, encouraging local governments to prepare the Citizen Centric Report (CCR) and encouraging CGFM certification. Mark the dates Don t forget to visit us at: December 19, 2012 January 16, 2013 February 20, 2013 March 20, 2013 April 17, 2013 Monthly Meeting/Toys for Tots Collection Monthly Meeting Monthly Meeting monthly Meeting Chapter Spring Seminar Or join us on facebook: agakc Hope you have Happy Holidays. Mike Melloy KC Chapter President Michael.Melloy@gsa.gov

2 Page 2 Training News Meeting & Luncheon Information-Wednesday, December 19, 2012 The Kansas City Chapter of the AGA is proud to offer its monthly professional development luncheon at Figlio Italian Restaurant (on the Country Club Plaza). Lunch for the December meeting will be a choice of Chicken Parmigiana, Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp, or Ziti with Meat Sauce. Please remember to provide your lunch choice to Connie Smith when you make your reservation. As conveyed in last month s newsletter, a decision was made to increase the prices of the monthly luncheons to cover the meal costs. With the monthly costs being held at the same amounts for well over 10 years, the CEC determined the Chapter could no longer afford to bear the costs of the overruns. The new amounts will be $20.00 for members and $25.00 for non-members. In addition, the Chapter still believes the value of the luncheons and the costs associated with providing quality speakers and continuing education remains a great deal. The increase will be made effective with this month s luncheon. Honored Speaker: Bill Miller, County Auditor, Johnson County Kansas Time: Wednesday, December 19, :30-1:00 Subject: Location: Cost: Reservations: Is Leadership on Your Radar Screen? (1 CPE) Figlio Italian Restaurant (on the Country Club Plaza) 209 W. 46th Terrace, Kansas City, MO $20.00 Members $25.00 Non-Members Please call Connie Smith or constance.smith@kcc.usda.gov. before 4:00 PM Wednesday, December 12th. Audio Conferences December 12, 2012 Just Ethics! 2 CPE Hours February 6, 2013 The Role of Internal Controls in Reducing Improper Payments 2 CPE Hours For more information on how to register, please see the national AGA Website at Make sure you check the website for upcoming conferences providing additional CPEs and networking opportunities.

3 Page 3 Membership News AGA members form a diverse group of individuals from students to entry level employees to senior executives and elected officials working for local and state governments, school districts and retirement systems, colleges and universities, federal agencies and public accounting firms. With 90 chapters, there are numerous ways for you to become involved with other government financial management professionals. Whatever your role in government financial management, AGA offers a membership package tailored to meet your professional needs and interests. AGA Member Types Full Government Member $90/year This class of membership requires three or more years of government experience, involving the professional performance of financial management activities in an operational, administrative and/or supervisory capacity. This class is also available to individuals with similar experience outside the government who are engaged in educational activities having the same objectives as the Association, or who have made a contribution to the improvement of government financial management. Private Sector Member $150/year This class of membership is available to individuals working for commercial activities/ventures that are actively engaged in and support AGA¹s purpose and objectives. Early Career Member $45/year This class of membership is for those who work in private or public sector jobs with less than three years of professional experience. Student Member $30/year This class of membership is available to college/university students. Retired $30/year This class of membership is available to those members who have retired. Call the AGA Customer Satisfaction Center at 800.AGA.7211 to find out more about our retired membership category. Please contact Alisha Dolt at alisha.dolt@oig.usda.gov with any questions about membership.

4 Page 4 Community Service Toys for Tots Community Service Please consider bringing an unwrapped toy for a boy or girl to the December luncheon. The toys will be donated to the Toys for Tots organization. If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Healy at healy.nancy@epa.gov or Kimberlynn Outman at kimberlynn.outman@kcc.usda.gov. MISSION: The mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to assist the U.S. Marine Corps in providing a tangible sign of hope to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas. This assistance includes supporting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program by raising funds to provide toys to supplement the collections of local Toys for Tots campaigns, to provide promotional and support material and to defray the costs of conducting annual Toys for Tots campaigns. Other Foundation support includes providing administrative, advisory, financial, logistic and promotional support to local Toys for Tots Coordinators; managing funds raised and monies donated based on the use of Toys for Tots name or logo; providing other support the Marine Corps, as a federal agency, cannot provide; and conducting public education and information programs about Toys for Tots that call the general public to action in support of this patriotic community action program. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill

5 Page 5 Off the Wire What Does Passion Have to Do With Performance? William D. Miller, CGFM, CIA, Senior Vice President for Regional Services-Section II Everything! My purpose here is to explain the role of passion in successful accomplishment of one s goals. So, let s start with a question. Do you view your work as a job or as a platform? If it is just a job, your performance will reflect that the job is something to do between Sunday and Saturday. If it is a platform, your performance will reflect a drive to achieve success and make a difference in the chosen profession. Leadership comes from the latter. You can t achieve the high levels in your profession without the drive and ambition to be the best in it PASSION! I am in the audit profession and my passion is to make a difference for the taxpayer and to assist organizations in managing programs economically and efficiently. Every audit I do addresses the public constituency in some way. My recommendations drive toward organizational excellence. As an auditor, I am cognizant of the impression of my office held by those I audit, and I try to work with them in understanding the passion to make a difference. All of my audit recommendations are doable over some time span in the organization s life-line. But let s look at AGA. If you want to see a prime example of passion in the workplace, you only have to sit in on one National Executive Committee meeting. This Committee manages the organization along the strategic plan and provides governance as the executive arm of the National Board of Directors. The Executive Director of AGA reports to the NEC. The Committee is composed of volunteers who were either appointed or elected into their positions. Recognizing this is a volunteer organization outside the general employment of each individual speaks highly of the passion to lead and make a difference. Every NEC member is a leader in their own profession and has reaped the benefits of having managed government programs or private sector programs to completion. The excitement generated in the discussions of organizational needs demonstrates that all have the drive and ambition to make AGA the best professional organization possible. Where did these leaders come from? How do they manage the time? How do they fit the role in with their day to day employment? ---Passion. Look at your own organization. Do you have goals to achieve higher levels? If the answer is yes, how do you achieve those goals? Contrary to some popular beliefs, rising up in a profession is not a political game that some are better at than others. Employees with passion toward their work stand out automatically. It becomes obvious to management as they evaluate the workforce and see the energizer bunnies that do the extras to advance. Such things as advanced education, community and professional service (such as AGA), and self-study in the chosen field are examples of these extras. So, does passion have a place in your goal achievement? Of course it does, and it may be the extra edge needed to move up!

6 Page 6 CGFM Happenings The Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM ) The Value of CGFM Toward the Future-Why It Pays to Get Certified The challenge facing today's government financial managers is to keep up with the changing times. New innovations, new regulations and new methods of implementation require staying abreast of the latest developments. AGA presents a dynamic program of educational events every year that will expand your knowledge and sharpen your skills. The field of government financial management will be far different tomorrow from what it is today. Having a broad knowledge and a recognized professional designation will be the way to distinguish yourself from the crowd. There's no time like the present for joining the thousands of other leaders in government financial management who already have discovered the unique value and benefit of the CGFM designation. Professional recognition through certification or other designation provides a distinct advantage in the job market. Certification can attest to professional competence in a specialized field of accounting and auditing." Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Edition One of the key findings of AGA s 2010 Compensation Survey is that those who had earned a CGFM designation reported a higher average salary than those who do not hold this certification: $105,815 compared to $78,905, a difference of 34 percent. When compared to the average salary of individuals with no designations $68,416 the average salary of CGFMs was 55 percent higher. For more information about becoming a CGFM or information pertaining to retaining your current CGFM certification, go to the AGA s website at

7 Page 7 Treasurer's Report AGA Kansas City Chapter Statement of Receipts and Disbursements For Month Ending October 31, 2012 Bank Account Balance October 31, 2012: Primary Share Acct $ 12, Signature Checking 7, Total Bank Balance $ 19, Beginning Book Balance: Book Balance September 30, 2012 $ 16, Receipts: Interest Income: Savings 1.21 Total Interest $ 1.21 Other Receipts: Fall Seminar Registrations 4, Chapter Recruitment Scholarship Requested for FY September Luncheon - Payment Total Other Receipts $ 4, Total Receipts $ 4, Disbursements: Credit Card fees - September Fall Seminar Supplies Managed Web Business, LLC (Chapter Website) - October Speaker Gifts Total Disbursements $ Net fund from Transactions/(Loss) for period $ 3, Ending Book Balance October 31, 2012 $ 19, Less Petty Cash (100.00) Fall Seminar Payment to JCCC (3,645.52) Credit Card fees - October (200.56) Adjusted Balance $ 15,896.35

8 Page 8 Chapter Executive Committee Program Year Position Name Work Phone Address President Michael Melloy michael.melloy@gsa.gov President Elect Barry Owens Barry.j.owens@us.pwc.com Past President Oscar Williams oscar.williams2@va.gov Secretary Carrie Miller carrie.miller@kcc.usda.gov Treasurer Sean Rathman Sean.rathman@kcc.usda.gov Awards Michelle Holland michelle.holland@jocogov.org By-Laws / Procedures / Historian / Property Mark Brandt mark.brandt@gsa.gov CGFM Vacant Chapter Recognition Barry Owens Barry.j.owens@us.pwc.com Accountability Outreach Harry E. Heflin hheflin49@aol.com Communications Newsletter Howard Petrie howard.petrie@kcmo.org Community Service Co-Chairs Nancy Healy Kimberlynn Outman healy.nancy@epa.gov kimberlynn.outman@kcc.usda.gov Early Career Leeanna Wilder wilder.leeanna@epa.gov Professional Development-Seminar Coordinator Leeanna Wilder Rhonda Lucas wilder.leeanna@epa.gov Rhonda.lucas@usda.gov Liaison for other Professional Organizations Oscar Williams oscar.williams2@va.gov Membership Alisha Dolt ALISHA.DOLT@oig.usda.gov Program and Technical Laura Logan laura.logan@kcc.usda.gov Connie Smith constance.smith@kcc.usda.gov Publicity/Website Chuck Koelsch chuck.koelsch@ocio.usda.gov Website Steven E. Bell SteveB019@aol.com