President’s Message – March 2020

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

Happy CGFM Month to everyone! The Certified Government Financial Manager certification is now celebrating its 26th year. March is CGFM month, and we have proclamations from the Governor of Wisconsin and the City of Madison Mayor.

The chapter is offering two “audio conference” sessions through AGA National. March 25 is a session on Cybersecurity-Mitigating Threats and Hacks. This is an ongoing issue for government and individuals alike. April 8 is a session on Ethics. This topic area is of such importance that the chapter offers it for free to all government accountability professionals.

AGA National also has a free webinar on March 18 from 12-1:50 CT, for 2 CPE. This time, it is being opened up to both members and nonmembers! Register on-line at AGA Annual Women’s Leadership Webinar.

The Annual Spring Symposium is in the final planning stages…brochures will be available soon. For the quickest notice of this, or any other training, consider subscribing at our website https://aga-wis.org/?page_id=30 . (Note: This would only send notices as something changes on the site and the e-mail information is not used for any other reason.)

The chapter is exploring some new webinar capabilities for next fall so CPE can be awarded from the comfort of your own desk. Stay tuned… And if you have any topic or speaker suggestions, we are always looking! Contact me or Education Chair Mary Laufenberg any time. The goal is to be able to increase CPE offerings in the next program year to assist CGFMs and CPAs with their continuing education requirements.

Sherri

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P.S. It is renewal season…Membership and CGFM renewals are due by March 31

President’s Message – January 2020

Sherri Voigt, CGFM CPA

We have two training opportunities in January. I look forward to seeing you out there…

The annual tax update is always interesting; feel free to share with friends and family.

We are in the final planning stages for the May Symposium. There are only a couple time slots left to fill. If you have any ideas of topics or speakers, please feel free to send the “tips” to Education Chair Mary Laufenberg at [email protected]. Even if it is just a partial idea, she can often locate a speaker to handle the subject area.

Sherri
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President’s Message – November 2019

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

Hello All!

We have had an extended break in our program offerings, but we are back in
motion. The Chapter will host 5 webinars this year, in addition to some lunch
meetings and the annual Symposium. I look forward to seeing you at an
upcoming session!

I am sad to share the news that David Mellem, long-time chapter board member, passed away this summer. We have included his obituary and re-run the article published when he retired from federal service in this newsletter. David was committed to government accountability and service throughout his 50 year career. He was a mentor to many of us currently serving in chapter leadership roles. He will be greatly missed.

As we have been planning the agenda for the annual Symposium, a speaker
reached out to us noting that David had contacted him. His service inspiration will live on in our memories.

Sherri
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President’s Message – March 2019

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

We are winding down the second half of the program year with a busy schedule. Please consider one of our upcoming CPE opportunities.

  • The March lunch meeting will feature the Ice Age Trail Alliance and their trail funding partnerships with state and local government. **This is also our celebration of March is Certified Government Financial Manager month; CGFMs can attend for free!
  • April 10 is an ethics webinar. This is free to the first 35 people who register. Many certifications require annual ethics training and we strive to provide this.
  • May 8 is the Annual Spring Symposium at UW-Madison Union South. The schedule is finalized and registrations are open!

We will be collecting items for the Salvation Army at the March and April training events. See page 9 of the newsletter for more information on items they are looking for. A reminder will be included in the registration confirmation e-mails.

March is CGFM Month! We received signed proclamations from Governor Evers and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. This year celebrates the 25th anniversary of the certification program.

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA
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President’s Message – February 2019

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

Our February lunch meeting is set for February 28 and features an overview of
the recent water rate increases in the City of Madison. Coming up soon, there is a free members-only webinar through AGA National on March 14. This is a great chance to grab 1 CPE on a leadership topic. Register at:
https://www.agacgfm.org/Webinars/2018-2019-Webinars/Leadership-(1).aspx.

I would like to take a moment to welcome our newest chapter members, those
who have joined this program year. A warm AGA welcome to Patricia McDermott, City of Madison, Ron Aumann, City of Marshfield, Alicia Miller, WI Dept of Financial Institutions, Sylvia Kmiec, UW Madison, Rodney Dole, UW System Administration, and Nickolaus Schuster, WI Public Service Commission.

We are in the final stages of getting the May 8 Annual Symposium schedule
finalized. We plan to send out the final brochure by the end of February.
**save the date**

Next month is March…and that means it is CGFM Month!!! All Certified
Government Financial Manager credential holders can attend the lunch meeting for free. We have a signed proclamation from the City of Madison and are working on the Governor’s proclamation. The CGFM program is celebrating 25 years this year.

Sherri

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President’s Message – January 2019

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

Welcome to winter!

We have two training events coming up. January 24 is the Annual Tax Update Luncheon. On February 6 we are hosting the AGA national webinar on GASB updates.

We are in the final stages of getting the May 8 Annual Symposium schedule finalized. We plan to send out the final brochure at the beginning of February. **save the date**

As always, if you have any topic or speaker suggestions, feel free to send them to Education Chair Mary Laufenberg.

Sherri

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President’s Message – November 2018

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

Welcome to winter!

We have two training events coming up. November 28 is an AGA national webinar with a unique presentation of ethics and ow to blind spots can lead to trouble. On December 5 we are hosting the AGA national webinar on internal controls and A123.

Tax season is just around the corner…in January we have the annual tax update lunch meeting. Last year, we got an overview of the proposed changes to tax laws. This year we can learn how the implementation will be handled

The planning is full speed ahead for the May 8 Annual Symposium. Many speakers are confirmed and the agenda is shaping up well. **save the date**

As always, if you have any topic or speaker suggestions, feel free to send them to Education Chair Mary Laufenberg.

Sherri
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President’s Message – November 2018

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

Welcome to 2019…Well, the AGA Chapter Program Year 2019 anyhow!

We have reviewed the Symposium evaluations and used the topic areas rated high to seek out topics for this year. We are recruiting speakers for May 8, 2019 and are always willing to check out new suggestions. Any topic or speaker idea you have can be sent to education chair Mary Laufenberg to research further. (Drop her a note at: [email protected].)

This month’s newsletter features some photos and information about the Chapter Recognition Award earned last program year. For those who didn’t know, the chapter reports out on activities done during the year in 8 separate categories: Chapter Leadership Planning & Participation, Education and Professional Development, Certification, Communications, Membership, Accountability, Community Service, and Awards. This information goes to the National AGA Office as well as to our regional and sectional leadership. It is used to monitor chapter activity.

On another note, I would like to thank all the CGFMs who participated in the job analysis survey recently. This is a critical part of maintaining the professionalism and relevance of the Certified Government Financial Manager certification exams. As the AGA National Chair for the Professional Certification Board, I am honored to be part of the job analysis review and exam content update this year.

I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming chapter event!

Sherri  

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President’s Message – April/May 2018

Sherri Voigt, CGFM, CPA

Hello AGA Members and other readers.

As we approach the end of the program year, I want to thank everyone who has attended a training session (or is registered for one of the upcoming events). We will be sending out a member survey soon to look at what types of training events and content best suit your needs. We will start planning the new program year in June.

We have just two sessions left for the year: The May 9 Symposium and a June 13 webinar on leadership (with an ethics in government focus). Please visit our website to register. Time is running out for the 7 CPE Symposium; April 24 is the deadline!

At the March 28 Cybersecurity webinar, we did a mini celebration of “March is CGFM Month” and had the signed proclamations on hand from Governor Walker and Mayor Soglin. Thank you to those in attendance for being willing to stand for a group photo.

Sherri
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