The Baltimore Ledger

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1 A s s o c i a t i o n o f G o v e r n m e n t A c c o u n t a n t s B a l t i m o r e C h a p t e r O c t o b e r , C h a p t e r U p d a t e M a r c h / A p r i l , I s s u e 6 A s s o c i a t i o n o f G o v e r n m e n t A c c o u n t a n t s B a l t i m o r e C h a p t e r w w w. a g a b a l t i m o r e. o r g Inside This Issue President s Message 2 March Training Information 4 March Speaker Bios 5 Chapter Kudos 10 TSP Rates Upcoming Training 13 CEC Meeting Minutes 14 Audio Conference Schedule 15 Welcome New Members 16 CGFM Corner 18 Board Member Directory 21 Upcoming Events March is CGFM Month. Visit our CGFM corner to learn about the certification and its benefits! March Training March 18, 2015 Rolling Road Golf Club April Training April 15, 2015 Rolling Road Golf Club Page 1 March/April 2015

2 Dear Members President s Message March is here and spring is hopefully coming! We have had too many cold, snowy and icy days in Baltimore and I will welcome some warm weather. March brings not only warmer weather and longer days, but also many exciting events and things to celebration within our chapter. March is CGFM month. This is an opportunity for our organization to celebrate and promote the CGFM designation. Each year we request a proclamation from the State of Maryland for recognition. March is also the start of our annual membership renewals. We would love to see you renew before your membership expires. Lastly, March is our Early Careers Training Luncheon. This gives our members who are early on in their careers the opportunity to network and have training geared toward them for a change. Let s celebrate our young members and welcome them to our training event this month! The March training will be at the Rolling Road Golf Club on March 18th. We have two very interesting and different speakers so you will not want to miss this one. I am looking forward to many other events this spring, especially the annual fraud and ethics training in May. We have many excellent speakers lined up for this event as well. You will see a flyer coming out very soon with registration information. Be sure to check out the early bird discount. The Community Service Committee has planned a Habitat for Humanity Community Partners project opportunity for June. Please be on the lookout for more information. We need at least 5 volunteers to join our build team. This is a new community outreach opportunity we are trying and hoping for a successful turnout. I m sure you have seen the nominations by now for the Baltimore Chapter Officers. Our President- Elect, Kelly Stankus, has been busy lining up committee directors for next year. If you are interested or may know of someone who is interested, please give her a call. We love having new members joining the Chapter Executive Committee. Everyone brings something different and we are always looking for new ideas. Kelly s contact information is on the back page of this newsletter. Thank you for your membership. I also want to thank all of the tireless volunteers who lead our chapter. They make this association great! It s great to be an Accountant! Until next time, Kristina Poist Page 2 March/April 2015

3 Join AGA on LinkedIn Like AGA on Facebook Follow AGA on Twitter AGA Membership Just One Click Away AGA CGFM AGA National AICPA AGA D.C. MACPA AGA Northern Virginia ISACA AGA Montgomery/PG GASB AGA Mid-Atlantic Region ASMC Page 3 March/April 2015

4 March Training Information Register Online Wednesday, March 18, :00pm - 3:00 pm Rolling Road Golf Club 814 Hilltop Avenue, Catonsville MD CPEs Topic 100-year Green Bonds Speaker: John Madrid and Gene Malasy Careers in Government Accounting and Consulting Speaker: Jack Reagan Cost $35 Members $65 Non-Members Reservations: **Sorry No Refunds for Cancellations** Map of Rolling Road Golf Club Page 4 March/April 2015

5 March Speakers Jack Reagan, CPA, Jack Reagan is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 26 years of experience in the audit and evaluation of Federal, state and local government financial statements, internal controls, accounting and financial management systems and operations. Mr. Reagan has overseen numerous projects demonstrating his extensive knowledge of accounting, financial management, auditing and budget, to include developing and revising operating policies and procedures for government agencies and designing or evaluating financial reporting internal controls. In addition, he has assisted in efforts aimed at helping the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to receive a clean audit opinion. Further, he worked closely with District of Columbia (DC) financial management to improve internal controls over financial reporting to affect the sunset of the Financial Control Board appointed by the U.S. Congress to oversee DC s financial condition. Mr. Reagan has extensive experience and special expertise in government financial management to include reporting, accounting, budgeting and grants management. Page 5 March/April 2015

6 March Speakers John Madrid, CPA, MBA CPA, MBA John Madrid, CPA, MBA is the Controller for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water). Mr. Madrid manages the accounting team and has improved operations and maximized profits through achievements in financial management, budgeting and forecasting, reducing costs and expenses, and implementing internal controls. Prior to joining DC Water, Mr. Madrid worked for American Express as a Finance Manager. There he managed a team to implement test phases of an innovative data warehouse system application responsible for financial reporting and analysis. Previously, he worked for Inter-American Development Bank, where he rose to the rank of Chief, Capital & Institutional Banking Section. Prior to this, he held various positions in finance and accounting with British Telecom/Mitel, Inc., United Technologies, Xerox Corporation, and Chemical Bank (now JPM Chase). John Madrid holds a Bachelor in Business Administration, Finance from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also earned a Master of Science in Accounting from Nova Southeastern University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Page 6 March/April 2015

7 ANNUAL ETHICS AND FRAUD TRAINING 8 CPEs (including 4 for Ethics) Thursday, May 14, :45 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Maritime Institute of Technology 692 Maritime Blvd. Building #3 Lower Level Linthicum Heights, MD FEATURED SPEAKERS AND TOPICS Greg Conderacci, MACPA, Business Learning Institute (Ethics for People Who Don t Like Suprises: Why We Don t See It Coming Until It s Too Darn Late) William Miller, National President of AGA (Environment for Fraud) Eveka Rodriguez, Grant Thornton (The Impact of Technology and a Struggling Economy on Fraud Risks) Isabel M. Cummings (Accidental Leadership and Top Ten Cases) Erwin Burtnick, Ret. Md. State Prosecutor (Public Corruption) PRICING Price includes lunch buffet, continental breakfast, and two snack breaks AGA Members*: $130 if paid by April 24, 2015 $160 after April 24 th * IIA CFE ISACA ASMC Members receive the member rates. Non-Members: $160 if paid by April 24, 2015 $200 after April 24 th REGISTRATION Cash, check or credit card are accepted at the door. Please send an to agabaltwebmaster@yahoo.com (State name of attendee/member or non-member/employer) You may also pay using a credit card at DON T MISS OUT ON THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL Page 7 March/April 2015

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9 Join AGA Baltimore on June 6th for a day of volunteering at Habitat for Humanity. To participate, RSVP to Lori Lee no later than Friday, May 8th. Page 9 March/April 2015

10 Chapter Kudos Jacob MacDonald receiving a chapter award in recognition of all of the hard work done by the Early Careers team! Page 10 March/April 2015

11 Join the AGA Baltimore Chapter in Raising Money for ALS Dear Friends and Family, We will be participating in the Packard Center's 7th Annual Fiesta 5K & Fun Run on May 2, To really make a difference, we need people like you on our team to help raise funds for Robert Packard Center for ALS Research. The money we raise will go to Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins. The Center is working hard every day to unlock the mysteries of this disease by understanding the causes of ALS, investigating effective treatments for it, and finding a cure. The Center needs your help and we would truly appreciate your support. Please do anything you can to participate by joining our team, registering as an individual or making a donation on our behalf. Thank you very much for working with us on this important project. Your support really means a lot to us. See you at the Packard Center's Fiesta 5K and Fun Run! If you are interested in participating or wish to make a donation and have questions, please contact Lori Lee at lori.lee@ssa.gov or (410) DONATE JOIN OUR TEAM Page 11 March/April 2015

12 CPE Training Events Government Performance Summit 2015 The Performance Institute and AGA are proud to present the 2015 Government Performance Summit at the Marriott Metro Center Hotel in Washington, DC on May 4-5, The focus of the 2015 Summit is Putting Performance to Work and addresses the needs of professionals in all levels of government and the private sector who use performance information in critical organizational process such as budgeting, resource allocation, employee motivation, contracting, and improving services. Continuing Profession Education. All general sessions and selected popular breakout sessions are available via live stream for a total of 14 CPEs PDT 2015 July Nashville, TN 24 CPE Hours Available Offering up to 24 CPE hours, PDT brings together the top officials in federal, state and local government, as well as from academia and the private sector, for three-and-a-half days of valuable training and networking. CGFM Have you been waiting for updated study guides to take the CGFM examinations? If you are interested, please contact Kristen Schnatterly, CGFM Chair, at (410) , or kristen.schnatterly@ssa.gov For the requirements to maintain your CGFM certificate click here TSP rates as of March 2nd Close L Income L L L L G Fund F Fund C Fund S Fund I Fund Page 12 March/April 2015

13 2015 Calendar of Events Date Location Topic/Speaker CPE'S Early Careers Meeting Topic Year Green Bonds 3/18/2015 Rolling Speaker: John Madrid and Gene Malasy, DC Water & Wednesday Club Road Golf Sewer Authority Topic: TBD Speaker: Annual Awards Meeting 4/15/15 Wednesday Rolling Road Golf Club Topic: TBD Speaker: Van Brooks, Safe Alternative Foundation for Education, Inc. Member Cost Non- Member Cost 2 $25 $35 1 $10 $20 Annual Ethics and Fraud Training Topic - Ethics For People Who Don't Like Surprises: 4 Why We Don't See It Coming Until It's Too Darn Late Speaker - Greg Conderacci, MACPA - BLI Topic - Environment for Fraud 1 5/14/15 Maritime Speaker - William Miller, National President of AGA $160 $200 Thursday Institute Topic - The Impact of Technology and a Struggling 1 Economy on Fraud Risks Speaker - Eveka Rodriguez, Grant Thornton Topic - Accidental Leadership and Ten Top Cases 1 Speaker - Isabel M. Cumming, Washington Mass Transit Authority Topic 1 Speaker (A) - Luncheon Meeting Time (1) Registration and Cheese/Veggie Tray 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. (2) Lunch Served 11:45-1:00 p.m., Training to follow Luncheon Meeting Times: (1) Registration and Social Period 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (2) Lunch Served 12:00-1:00 p.m. (3) Training Session begins 1:00 p.m. Did You Know? You can apply for CGFM certification before you meet the experience requirements. Certification candidates must have at least two years of professional-level experience in government financial management prior to designation as a CGFM, but the experience requirement does not have to be satisfied at the time of application. The experience requirement is not necessary to sit for the examinations; however, documentation of professional experience must be filed before the designation can be granted and the certificate is issued. Page 13 March/April 2015

14 January Chapter Executive Committee Meeting Minutes Date: January 14, 2015 Time 1:30-2:30pm Location: Social Security Administration Call to Order Approval of prior meeting minutes Committee Updates Accountability If you did not report 4 th quarter points, please send them to Milt for inclusion in the next quarter, which is due at the end of March. Awards Kristina will be providing a few awards at the January meeting tomorrow. CGFM The committee is working to secure a CGFM month proclamation from Baltimore City. Community Service The committee is working to set up a date for volunteering with habitat for humanity in late May/early June. Kristina will send out an to all members to see if there is interest in this activity. Early Careers The committee has arranged a presentation with Loyola s Beta Alpha Psi on 2/12/15. A Grant Thornton audit partner will speak and the committee is looking for an AGA member to speak as well. They will also have a happy hour for the Loyola students one day after the presentation. Editorial The newsletter will come out in early February. Please welcome Andy Matts to the committee. Education and Programs Joann provided an updated schedule prior to the meeting for our review. She is going to start making the flyer for the fraud meeting to send out. Meetings The meeting for January is tomorrow. It is a Joint meeting with ASMC at Dave and Buster s from 12 to 4. There are 27 people registered for the meeting. Membership You will be receiving an /notice to update your AGA membership for the new year. Please renew membership by 5/1. Sponsorship Three of the five invoiced sponsors have paid. We are seeking a new committee leader for next year. Webmaster The website has been updated with the most recent newsletter and the calendar has been updated as well. New Business The Tax Exempt status must be renewed every 5 years. The State of Maryland needed our Articles of Incorporation, which were r recently provided to them to finish the renewal process. Page 14 March/April 2015

15 AGA WEB CONFERENCES Looking for a way to stretch your training budget? AGA Web Conferences make earning CPE hours easy and affordable. This cost-effective educational tool is only $289 per phone line and attendance is unlimited. Web conferences feature experts on a variety of government financial management and performance topics. Further, the last 20 minutes of each program is devoted to call-in questions, which provides interaction between the listeners and speakers. The web conferences are held on Wednesdays from 2 3:50 p.m. ET. March 4th Internal Control Challenges over Grants and Benefits Programs Every year, nearly $600 billion flows from the federal government to states and localities via grants. A recent AGA study examined efforts currently underway to improve internal controls relative to grants and benefits programs. This web conference will discuss these initiatives, which are designed to prevent improper payments, assess grantee risk, and measure program performance. Federal agencies are improving controls and providing tools for the state, local, and non-profit agencies that administer federally-funded programs. AGA N AGA NATIONAL WEB CONFERENCEC ONFERENCE SCHEDULE Mar. 4 Internal Control Challenges over Grants and Benefits Programs Mar. 18 Put Internal Control Principles into Place Apr. 15 Performance Management Apr. 29 Fraud Prevention Page 15 March/April 2015

16 Welcome New Chapter Members The AGA Baltimore Chapter would like to welcome 12 new members that have joined the program year. We look forward to showing you what this chapter has to offer in the upcoming months. Please feel free to contact any of the board of directors, contact information located on the last page of this newsletter, if you have any questions or wish to get involved further in this very active chapter. Mr. Antonio Denicolis, Dept of Veterans Affairs Mrs. Briana Long, Social Security Administration Ms. Janet M. Faust, US Army Corps of Engineers Ms. Gwendolyn K. Montgomery, KPMG LLP Mr. Christopher Featherstone, GAO Mr. Marlon D. Rock, Dept of Homeland Security/CIS Mrs. Janet N. Jagdhane, GSA Special Services Ms. Tiffani Niccole Bryant, T. Rowe Price Ms. Lashunya C. James, St. Michael's Incorporated Mr. Afonagnon Amen Azondekon, CGFM, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Mr. Brian K. Karpe, Social Security Administration Mr. Allan J. Kim, Grant Thornton Page 16 March/April 2015

17 Accounting News From the National President This year started off with a blast to the top. In January, we held our annual Federal Financial Systems Summit and it was very well received by the attendees. We had more than 400 participate in person; and provided a live-streaming option, of which more than 300 took advantage. This is one of the member service and member values we have been working on, to make AGA even more accessible to its members. This technology brings AGA right to our members who cannot travel to the events we hold. I am proud of our staff and the innovation that is going on in this part of our organization. We can do more as we make the necessary investment to modernize and acquire the tools needed to maximize the potential of this delivery mode. Members may ask, What am I getting for my money? AGA is an intricate organization based on member representation and national management and initiative. Both are intertwined to make AGA the premier organization it has become over the years. The backgrounds of our members allow the organization to be representative of every level of government and to interchange ideas, problems and needs throughout the government. This unique collaboration of skills and knowledge allows AGA to be a player on the government scene. AGA has been able to conduct 36 research projects to address key questions and issues in government. The value to the member is knowing their organization is relevant, respected and able to help improve government through its programs. The organization is highly respected on the national scene; members can take pride in their contribution, helping build AGA to the level it has attained. Our national training events cannot happen without the support and attendance by our members. The chapter events I have attended have been equally impressive and directed toward the needs of their respective members. The members receive exceptional value for their dollar through our training events. AGA awards 100,000 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) each year. CPE is required for anyone who is certified and suggested for those who are not yet certified. AGA offers registration discounts to members for our training events, offers 14 hours free CPE per year, and provides $650 cumulative savings for the major national training events. These programs are truly impressive and all told provide more than a 500% return on investment for your AGA member dollars. AGA s Certified Government Financial Management program has more than 9,000 individuals and provides a comprehensive training program for candidates. Three exams provide extensive coverage of government financial management at all levels and prepare the candidate for a career in public service. A major member value deals with personal interaction and relationships. I have said in previous articles that the nexus between AGA and the members current employment is the opportunity for leadership. There are many opportunities at the chapter and several layers of National leadership for members to participate in. This opportunity is terrific for the member. Taking on leadership at the chapter level prepares the member for higher levels within AGA and gives a perspective that transfers to their immediate job. The people the member works with outside their organization, and within AGA, they may never have met. Read more at... Page 17 March/April 2015

18 CGFM Corner Did You Know? You can apply for CGFM certification before you meet the experience requirements. Certification candidates must have at least two years of professional-level experience in government financial management prior to designation as a CGFM, but the experience requirement does not have to be satisfied at the time of application. The experience requirement is not necessary to sit for the examinations; however, documentation of professional experience must be filed before the designation can be granted and the certificate is issued. CGFM Quiz What are the current requirements of the GASB regarding service efforts and accomplishments (SEA) reporting? The GASB requires SEA reporting for compliance with GAAP. The GASB requires SEA reporting, but only as part of the comprehensive annual financial report. The GASB requires SEA reporting to be in a separate report. The GASB has issued no formal standards requiring SEA reporting. Answer: d. The GASB has issued a concepts statement regarding SEA reporting. Concepts statements do not establish formal reporting requirements. Instead, concepts statements are intended to guide the GASB in developing reporting standards and to help users understand the thinking underlying the standards. As yet, the GASB has issued no formal standards requiring SEA reporting. Page 18 March/April 2015

19 T HANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Chante Brady for more information. Page 19 March/April 2015

20 Requests for Newsletter Submissions or Suggestions Do you have any submissions or suggestions for the newsletter? Do you have an article you would like to see in print? Have you traveled to any interesting places? Suggestions If so, Andy Matts or Katie Benson. Page 20 March/April 2015

21 AGA Board Members Officers: President Kristina Poist SSA, (410) President-Elect Kelly Stankus, CPA, CGFM SSA-OIG, (410) Secretary Lori Lee, CPA SSA-OIG (410) Treasurer John McLain, CISA, CDFM Earnst & Young, (410) Immediate Past President, Johnny Ramsey,CPA,CGFM KPMG (202) Activities Milton Wolinski, CPA, MPA, CGFM, CFE* City of Baltimore, (410) Awards Mark Silvestri, CGFM* SSA, (410) CGFM Kristen Schnatterly, CGFM* SSA-OIG, (410) Communications Moyo Oluyinka (410) Community Service Susan DeLabio* SSA, (410) Lori Lee, CPA SSA-OIG (410) Early Careers Directors and Board Members: k Accountability walt.fennell@us.pwc.com Afonagnon Azondekon, CGFM Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (410) Editorial afonagnon.azondekon@marylland.gov *Director Jamila Webb, CPA, CGFM* Grant Thornton, (703) jamila.webb@us.gt.com Geoffrey Luiz, CPA Grant Thornton, (443) Geoffrey.Luiz@gt.com Jacob MacDonald Grant Thornton (703) Jacob.macdonald@us.gt.com Allan Kim Grant Thornton (804) Allan.kim.us.gt.com Aleks Ivanovski Grant Thornton (703) alexfrc@yahoo.com Katie Benson SSA (410) katie.benson@ssa.gov Patricia Mooney SSA (410) patricia.mooney@ssa.gov Tasha Brown, CGFM< CPA< CFE Grant Thornton (202) Tasha.Brown@us.gt.com Thank you to all of our volunteers and board members. The Baltimore chapter s success would not be possible without your dedication. Education and Programs JoAnn White Burnett, CPA* City of Baltimore, (410) joann.white-burnett@baltimorecity.gov Paul Geraty KPMG, (202) pgeraty@kpmg.com Meetings Briana Long SSA (410) briana.long@ssa.gov Garima Khanna SSA (410) garima.khanna@ssa.gov (Brian Karpe SSA-OIG (410) brian.karpe@ssa.gov Membership Berhanu A. Wurseno, CGFM Baltimore City Health department (717) wursenod@yahoo.com Jonny Ramsey, CPA, CGFM KPMG (202) jeramsey@kpmg.com Webmaster James Switzer Grant Thornton (703) james.switzer@us.gt.com Masoud Najmabadi* Grant Thornton, (703) masoud.najmabadi@us.gt.com Tamekia Davis Grant Thornton (703) tamekia.davis@us.gt.com By-Laws & Procedures Steven Schaeffer, Attorney, MS, CPA, CGFM * SSA, (410) steven.schaeffer@ssa.gov Sponsorship Chante Brady, CGFM, CPA Kearney & Company (571) chante.brady@kearneyco.com Page 21 March/April 2015