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AGA’S MISSION:
AGA fosters learning, certification, leadership and collaboration for
professionals and stakeholders committed to advancing government
accountability.
THEME: “SUPPORT”
December 2015
VOLUME XX ISSUE 4
December’s Luncheon Speaker
Gregory G. Fitch, Ph.D., was named executive director of the Alabama Commission on
Higher Education (ACHE) in July, 2006, having served as a state higher education exec-
utive officer (SHEEO) in two other states (Missouri and Idaho).
Dr. Fitch has served in chancellor and president roles in three com-
munity college systems and as the founding president of the Utah
College of Applied Technology – an institution established to pro-
mote economic development through the creation and support of a
qualified workforce.
He holds a Ph.D. in administration, curriculum and instruction
from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a M.A. in English from
Emporia State University and a B.A. in English with a minor in
sociology and education from Washburn University
in Topeka.
The Kansas City, Missouri native is a Vietnam War Veteran who initially began his ca-
reer after military service in public law enforcement in the greater Kansas City area. He
entered the field of education as a public school teacher and has taught classes ranging
from elementary to college level. THE
CA
PIT
AL
CIT
Y F
OC
US S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :
MONTHLY LUNCHEON SPEAKER
LUNCHEON INFORMATION
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
CGFM UPDATES
YP’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
TRAININGS
AWARDS UPDATES &
RECOGNIZATIOSN
MONTHLY CALENDAR/
CEC COMMITTEE DIRECTORY
CONNECT TO AGA
AGA Montgomery on: AGA National on:
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GovLoop AGA National Website: http://www.agacgfm.org/home.aspx
AGA Montgomery Website: http://montgomeryaga.org/index.php
Gregory G. Fitch, Ph.D.
December 10, 2015
January 14, 2016
February 11, 2016
P a g e 2
DECEMBER’S MONTHLY LUNCHEON
March 11, 2016
April 11-12, 2016
May 8, 2016
SCHEDULED CHAPTER MEETINGS
RSA Plaza
Thursday, December 10, 2015 12:00 PM - 1:15PM
RSA PLAZA
770 Washington Avenue
MONTGOMERY, AL 36130
We're looking forward to seeing you there! Cost:
$15.00
Guests are always welcome.
Parking is available in deck, please enter on Adams Avenue
Make your reservation by 12 noon, Friday, December 4th
Reservations to LaTika Stepp, Angela Ngichabe via
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
ATTENTION!
Members will be invoiced for the cost of the lunch for cancellations made
AFTER the close of business on Monday, December 7 (Including the failure to attend without cancellation notice.)
ENTRÉE
Fried Chicken Baked Tilapia
Macaroni and Cheese Steamed Cabbage
Green beans Purple hull peas
Salad
DESSERT Peach Cobbler
BEVERAGE
Tea Water Coffee
LUNCHEON MENU
MESSAGE FROM CHAPTER PRESIDENT
P a g e 3 V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
Nakia Tetter,
President
Greetings,
Montgomery AGA is swiftly approaching the halfway point of the 2015-2016 program year; thus far, it has been very
challenging as well as rewarding. However, thanks to the very dedicated CEC members and volunteers we have been
able to progress fairly smooth!
Montgomery Chapter CEC members and volunteers’ efforts and talents were on display during the planning and manag-
ing of a successful 28th Fall Professional Development Training several weeks ago. During this event we were enlighten
with very informative topics from great speakers. Attendees enjoyed presentations on Succession Planning; ID Theft:
Prevention and Detection; Managing Reputational Risk in the Public Sector; and other great topics. During this event, I
was able to sit back and observe Montgomery AGA emerging leaders do a wonderful job with various duties of the
agenda. It is great to know that Montgomery AGA future is looking very bright. A very special thanks to LaTaya Lu-
cas for working persistently while providing guidance in the planning and overseeing of the event!
Montgomery AGA Chapter Leadership is very busy planning for exciting and educational upcoming events. We have
monthly luncheons with various themes planned. December 10th, luncheon will be in conjunction with the Institute of
Internal Auditors (IIA) and it will be held at the RSA Plaza. Please visit our chapter website and register for this lunch-
eon at your earliest convenience. For information on this event and others, please log on to our chapter website and
newsletters.
Our Community Service Committee is doing great things in the name of Montgomery AGA; they are assisting those in
need with a very successful “Toys for Tots” drive, and an ongoing project for the Montgomery Area Food Bank. The
Community Service Committee will keep you informed with other upcoming projects. I really do believe in the old
principle, “It is more a joy to give than it is to receive.” Please give our Community Service Committee and all other
committees a word of appreciation for their efforts.
Encourage co-workers and friends to join and support Montgomery AGA. My motto is, “Support Montgomery AGA
because Montgomery AGA supports you!” Also visit Montgomery AGA social media pages: Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn and GovLoop.
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. Vince Lombardi
P a g e 4
Debra Auerbach stated the recession changed a lot of things. It changed the way people spend money, the way they save for retirement, the way they invest in stocks. It’s also changed the way companies recruit employees. Gone are the days when companies courted prospective employees, hiring managers offered generous starting bonuses and job seekers could choose from multiple offers.
According to The National Bureau of Economic Research, the recession ended in 2009. Since then, companies have been slowly emerging from survival mode and have begun more active hiring. Yet the job market has been forever changed, and job seekers have had to face a new reality.
So how does a job seeker succeed in the current job market? Here are six ways the job search has changed and the adapted tactics that can help in the job hunt.
1. Passive job searching is no longer an option Before the recession, it wasn’t uncommon for a skilled, qualified job seeker to be romanced by a prospec-tive employer. Recruiters would seek out candidates without the candidates having to do much in the way of aggressive follow-up. That’s rarely the case anymore. These days, job seekers need to act in order to find jobs and get the attention of employers. “This means job seekers must be active in their job search and set ‘alerts’ on major job boards/search engines so they are notified when an appropriate job match is posted,” says Daniel Newell, job development and marketing specialist for San Jose State University’s Career Center in San Jose, Calif. “This also means that job seekers should utilize several job-search strategies, such as job boards, job-search engines, classifieds, networking sites and social media, in addition to job fairs and hiring events.”
2. Fewer jobs mean more competition In the early 2000s, jobs were more plentiful, and if you didn’t get one job, chances are there’d be another one just like it. Yet nowadays, the odds are not in a job seeker’s favor. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when the recession began in December 2007, the number of unemployed people per job opening was 1.8. In June 2009, there were 6.1 unemployed people per job opening. While the number has since been trending downward and was at 4.2 as of November, you still need to find ways to stand out from the competition.
“The burden of proof has shifted to the job seeker to demonstrate value and fit,” says Roy Cohen, career coach and author of “The Wall Street Profes-sional’s Survival Guide.” “Job seekers need to be bolder and more energetic in this very challenging market. They need to show that they’re willing to go above and beyond and that they’ll work hard, tirelessly and take initiative to get the job done.” Cohen also says that job seekers need to be more solution-oriented. “It’s not enough to say, ‘Here I am.’ The emphasis is now on, ‘Here’s what I can do for you.”
3. Mistakes, even minor, are not tolerated Back in the “glory days” before the recession, mistakes made in application materials or during an interview weren’t ideal, but they weren’t necessarily automatic deal breakers, either. If a candidate misspelled a word on his résumé but otherwise had all the right qualifications, the employer might have let the error slide. In this job market, there’s no room for errors. “Nothing less is accepted or tolerated in a market where there are many more candidates than positions, and companies need to be sold on adding head count,” Cohen says.
To avoid making costly mistakes, proofread your résumé backward and forward, and then have someone else proof it again. Ensure you’re fully pre-pared for an interview by researching the company and practicing answering interview questions.
4. Social media are the new recruiting tool Before the recession, human-resources teams were more robust and better equipped to manage the hiring process. During the recession many companies downsized, leaving HR short-staffed and buried under piles of résumés. Recruiters have had to finds ways to recruit more efficiently, and social media have become a solution for hiring managers to find and screen candidates more quickly. That means job seekers need to have a social media presence, and a professional one at that.
“Social media has made a huge impact for job seekers,” says Lavie Margolin, career coach and author of “Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers.” “Employers are using social media to post job openings and look into candidate backgrounds via private Face-book pages. Job seekers have an opportunity to increase their visibility … via their LinkedIn page and possibly a blog that is industry-focused.”
5. Customization is critical It is no longer acceptable in this job market to use a “spray and pray” method of applying for jobs. Blanket emailing recruit-ers with the same résumé will increase the chances that your application gets tossed to the side. Newell says it’s important that job seekers create targeted résumés. “They must have a different résumé for each job they are applying for, and they must ensure that they effectively communicate their skills which relate to the job [for which] they are applying.” The same goes for cover letters.
6. Networking is more important than ever It’s becoming more and more of an advantage in today’s world to know someone within the company you’re applying to so your résumé gets in the right hands. While not everyone has automatic connections, there are other ways to build relationships. One way to do so is through networking. “My advice to today’s job seeker is to network,” Newell says. “Job seekers should join groups and attend so-cials through sites such as MeetUp and LinkedIn. Attending a casual social and being active in online and offline groups can open many doors to em-ployment.”
The job market may not look the same as it did five years ago, but that doesn’t mean you have to start from square one. It just means that by equipping yourself with the job-search tools needed in today’s world, you’ll be in a better position to get hired.
http://www.theworkbuzz.com/get-the-job/interviews/job-search-post-recession/
V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
AGA National Career Center
AGA encourages members to build their skills and advance their careers. They help by providing
helpful information. Tip for the month:
6 ways the job search has changed post-recession
P a g e 5 V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
Career opportunities/job announcements will be posted in the Classified/Career Opportunities section found under the quick links of the AGA Montgomery website.
Visit this section often for your next opportunity for career advancement.
Career Opportunities/Resources Committee Announcement for AGA JOB LISTING
Click Here
P a g e 6
V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
Diane Knight is a Senior Accountant in the Department of F inance, State Comptroller’s Office.
She is a graduate from Troy University and has achieved a Master’s in Business Administration and
a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting. Diane has earned professional certification designations of
Certified Governmental Financial Manager and Alabama Certified Payroll Specialist. Her current
position with the State is Supervisor in the Payroll Division and Assistant to the State Payroll Ad-
ministrator. Diane’s current duties include but are not limited to researching and interpreting internal
policies, procedure development, and ensuring that the State of Alabama’s payrolls are compliant
with Federal and State Regulations. Some of her projects include serving on the planning committee
for the State of Alabama’s eSTART time and attendance program and working on the STAARS
HRM configuration analysis planning, testing and implementation team. Prior to her state employ-
ment, Diane worked as an accountant with the Healthcare Authority for Baptist Health and began her
accounting career at Carr, Riggs, and Ingram, LLC accounting firm. She looks forward to working
with the State of Alabama as a state employee for many years to come and hopes to continue to grow
and make a difference for the stakeholders she serves.
CGFM SPOTLIGHT
Diane Knight
CGFM Study Group
Every Monday at 5:15 p.m.
CGFM "Refer a Friend" Promotion: Rules and Information
Share the benefits and value of CGFM with your friends, coworkers, colleagues, employers/employees
and earn $10 — per referral — off your 2016 CGFM renewal fee.
H E R E ’ S H O W I T W O R K S :
1. Encourage others to apply for the CGFM designation.
2. If an individual completes an online CGFM application by Dec. 31, 2015 and includes
your name in the “How Did You Learn About the CGFM?” field on the application,
you’ll receive a $10 credit off your 2016 CGFM
renewal fee.
3. You can receive additional $10 credits if additional individuals apply within this period
and include your name.
P a g e 7
AGA Collegiate Leadership Program
This program, sponsored by the Young Professionals Focus Group (YPFG), provides five full-time
college students with an opportunity to engage with and learn from leaders in government financial
management at AGA’s National Leadership Training (NLT), Feb. 23–24, 2016 in Washington.
The 2016 Program is now accepting applications through Dec. 7, 2015. Apply now
Participants of the Collegiate Leadership Program will:
Have an onsite mentor to guide them around the NLT event
Attend NLT sessions
Sit at reserved tables for an exclusive lunch with corporate partner members and government officials
Receive recognition at the event, including a certificate of participation and commemorative photo
Earn CPEs for sessions they attend
Complimentary e-membership in AGA for one year
Financial Systems Summit (FSS) Jan. 19 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. EST | Grand Hyatt Washington | 6 CPEs
FSS unites federal financial managers and private sector executives to discuss the near-term and fu-
ture prospects of federal financial management systems in a budget-constrained environment. The
summit will provide new insights into the burgeoning federal financial systems modernization strate-
gy over the coming decade—and beyond.
FSS offers live audience participation. Attendees will actively participate in conversation throughout
the day using their mobile device (both in person and virtual attendees). Summit speakers will post
questions and attendees can text their response allowing for real time conversation and engagement.
V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
Attend in Person Attend Virtually
Program Level: Intermediate
Prerequisite: This program is suitable for par ticipants who are at least mid -level within an organi-
zation; have knowledge, skills and ability commensurate with that level; and have operational and/or
supervisory responsibilities.
P a g e 8
V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
Sponsors
Rebecca Jackson
$10.00
Subway Gift Card
Beverlyn Dean
$20.00
Domino’s Gift Card
Jonathan West Phones & Tablets
Power Bank
Carla Williams
$15.00
Bass Pro Shop Gift Card
Unclaimed Gifts:
Claim gifts by emailing [email protected]
with contact information
by Dec. 15, 2015
Congratulations! AWARDS WINNERS
Patricia Evans Electronic Travel Kit
Roy Hale
Weather Radio
Ernestine Huffman
$50.00 Visa Gift Card
Sandi B. Taylor
Embassy Suite one night stay
P a g e 9
NATIONAL AGA EVENTS
V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
National Leadership Training (NLT) February 23-24, 2016 in Washington
This event is for developing and training government financial pro-
fessional to excel as leaders in today’s competitive market. Don’t
miss this opportunity to share best practices, find solutions to
shared challenges, network with your peers, and learn from the top
financial management leaders and industry experts.
NLT is offered virtual from home or office, so don’t miss out on
this important leadership training event. Virtual attendance offer
up to 14 hours of CPE.
CGFM INTENSIVE REVIEW COURSE AND EXAMS
Sign up for AGA’s CGFM Intensive Review Course which includes a great opportunity to review the course
material with a knowledgeable instructor and an opportunity to complete your CGFM!
The Intensive Review Course (IRC), offers up to 18 CPEs.
March 2-3, 2016
Alexandria, VA
Class Time: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Cost: $375.00 AGA Members
$425.00 Non-members
Special Bonus: The CGFM examinations are offered at no additional cost to course attendees– a $375.00 Saving!
The CGFM examination can be taken by appointment only at Pearson Professional
Testing Centers from March 4, 2016– July 31, 2016, using vouchers provided by AGA.
P a g e 1 0
V O L U M E X X I S S U E 4
$22 AICPA MEMBERSHIP
T h e C a p i t a l C i t y F o c u s
Financial Systems Summit Grand Hyatt Washington
January 19, 2016
UPCOMING EVENTS
Complimentary Webinar
1-2 p.m. CT
Topic: Optimizing Your Choice of Shared Service Models
December 3
Happy Holidays
From
AGA
Joint Luncheon with IIA RSA Plaza @ 12 Noon
December 10
P a g e 1 1
2015-2016 AGA CHAPTER
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President, Nakia Tetter, CGFM
State Military Dept.
(334) 271-7435
President-Elect, Marcus Johnson, CGFM
Dept. of Public Health
(334) 206-5559
Immediate Past President, LaTaya Lucas
Dept. of Corrections
(334) 353-5520
Secretary, Nicole Boswell
Dept. of Insurance
(334) 241-4182
Assistant Secretary
Angela Abernathy
Dept. of Education
(334) 353-9106
Assistant Secretary, Angela Ngichabe
Dept. of Finance
(334) 242-2216
Treasurer, Janice Duncan
Dept. of Transportation
(334) 241-8564
Financial Secretary, Kimwana Robinson
Medicaid Agency
(334) 242-2314
Board of Directors Link:
Click Here
How to Contact Us!
2015-2016 DIRECTORY
Application Due:
2016 Collegiate Leadership
Program
December 7
