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
🐱🐱
=^..^=

In Memoriam – David James Mellem

In Memoriam
David James Mellem
June 25, 1945 – July 26, 2019

David J. Mellem, age 74, passed away July 26, 2019. He was born June 25, 1945 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Dave graduated from UW-Eau Claire, after which he took a job as an auditor for the Federal Government, working on programs at or associated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS). This job required a move to Madison where he met and married Laurie J. Baukol in her hometown of Webster, South Dakota on May
17, 1986. Dave retired in March of 2018 after reaching the 50 year milestone
with HHS. Dave was a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the
Association of Government Accountants. Dave was a lifelong fan of the game
of golf, playing whenever he had a chance and watching all the major
tournaments and enjoyed watching classic movies from the 40s and 50s.

 

November Audio Conference – Wednesday November 20, 2019

Welcome Members &
Non-Members
To the New 2019-2020
Program Year!

Wednesday, November 20
Audio Conference

November 20 | 1–2:50 pm | 2 CPEs

TOPIC: Building a Culture of Ethical Excellence

SPEAKER: Dr. Lyall Swim

REGISTRATION: 12:45 pm – Webinar 1:00 pm

COST: Attendance is free to the first 30 people who register. A wait list will be created if more than 30 people sign up.

PLACE: Department of Administration, 101 East Wilson Street, Madison, WI (room number sent with confirmation)

Register below or e-mail ([email protected]) by 1 pm on Monday, November 18, 2019.

Note: The AGA Chapter signs up for a single-site group webinar license. We  can only award CPE for on-site attendance.

An ethical crisis happens in an organization, and the normal response is to create additional rules to handle the breach and ensure that that breach doesn’t happen again. But is this the right response? Or by creating more policy – more prescription – do we actually set ourselves up for an even more catastrophic ethical breach the next time?

So if policy or prescriptive rule making isn’t the answer; what is? This webinar will look at four key actions organizations can take to build a culture of ethical excellence and develop the individual and organizational ethical muscle needed to create trust with key stakeholders.

Key Take-aways

Learn about the downsides of a compliance or prescriptive approach to ethical behavior. Gain understanding around a framework that enables you to build ethical muscle and move away from a compliance-only approach.

Learning objectives:

During the webinar you will learn the fundamentals of four tools you can use to create a more holistic approach to building a culture of ethical excellence:

1. Conducting 3 Factors audit;

2. Constructing a values hierarchy;

3. Assessing obligations; and

4. Identifying organization’s catastrophic risks.

Register On-Line:

AGA Membership Status(required)

42nd Accounting and Financial Management Conference

2019 ANNUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM

42nd ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

CPE CREDITS 7 HOURS

Wednesday, May 8, 2019
University of Wisconsin Union South
1308 West Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53715
(608) 890-3000

The Association of Government Accountants
Advancing Government Accountability

7:30 a.m. Registration — 8:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. Conference

Objective: The intended audience is financial managers, controllers, treasurers, auditors, IT personnel, and accountability professionals whose responsibilities involve governmental accountability and financial management. This conference is designed to enhance understanding of some of the problems encountered today in the public sector, inform of public policies and emerging issues, and provide managerial techniques to affect positive changes. The 42nd Annual Accounting and Financial Management Conference continues the Association of Government Accountant’s commitment to a planned program of professional education and development for public sector financial managers.

Format: Lecture, Question & Answer

Level: Update/Overview

CPE Credits: 7 hours

Fee:

  • AGA Member $40
  • Non-Member $80
  • Retired AGA Member $30

Registration Closed April 23, 2019

Note: Fees include breakfast rolls, fruit, and beverage, lasagna buffet luncheon with salad and dessert, and afternoon refreshments.

No refunds or cancellations will be accepted after April 23, 2019.  Substitutions are permitted.

Register below or mail printed registration form (42nd Annual Symposium Brochure – May 8, 2019) to Association of Government Accountants, PO Box 1454, Madison, WI 53701-1454

*** Space is Limited to 185 People ***

Registration Contact: Sherri Voigt at 608-576-5473 or [email protected]

For Symposium content questions and specific dietary requests, contact: Mary Laufenberg at 608-438-9375 or [email protected]

Membership

If you are not currently a member and you would like to join AGA to take advantage of the member rate for this training, visit the National AGA web site and include a copy of your membership application with your registration to help speed our processing. http://www.agacgfm.org/Membership.aspx

Remember, membership benefits include not only a reduced price for this training, but also national publications, discounts on other chapter and national training events, and a free luncheon meeting from the chapter at the time of joining.

Membership dues are as follows:

  • Government—$100/year—available to individuals with three or more years of government experience.
  • Private Sector—$160/year —available to sole proprietors and individuals working for private companies, corporations, or partnerships.
  • Young Professional—$45/year— available to individuals with less than three years of any experience.
  • Student—FREE electronic membership—available to full-time college/university students that are not gainfully employed.

Please note that these are the dues charged by AGA national, and that the Southern Wisconsin Chapter does not charge any additional chapter dues.

Ethics Webinar – Wednesday, April 10, 2019

April 10 | 1–2:50 p.m. | 2 CPE

TOPIC: Ethics

SPEAKER: Nathan Mueller, Fraud & Ethics Awareness Speaker, Co-author of Lessons From An $8 Million Fraud

REGISTRATION: 1:30 p.m. – Webinar 2:00 p.m.

COST:  Attendance is free to the first 35 people who register. A wait list will be created if more than 35 people sign up.

PLACE: State Education Building, General Executive Facility 3 (GEF 3)
125 South Webster Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703-3474
Rm P41 (ground floor).

Register below or by e-mail ([email protected]) by 1 pm on Monday, April 8, 2019.

Note: The AGA Chapter signs up for a single-site group webinar license. We can only award CPE for on-site attendance.

Membership Status(required)

This is a real-life example of fraud and the lessons that can be learned about the importance of controls, segregation of duties, system controls, processing controls, physical safeguards, controls in a time of change and the reality of the fraud triangle. In this webinar, we will cover a number of strategies to prevent fraud including fraud awareness training, ethics training, forensic analytics, internal control framework testing, goal setting, core values, fear of failure, transparency, and positive organizational behavior and how those would have affected this fraud.

Speaker

Nathan Mueller
Fraud & Ethics Awareness Speaker, Co-author of Lessons From An $8 Million Fraud

Learning objectives:

Participants will be able to identify:

  • What was missing at ING that allowed the Fraud?
  • Lack of segregation of duties (Check Retrieval)
  • Lessons learned on prevention
  • Importance of controls
  • Physical safeguards (Checks, inventory)

 

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
🐱
=^..^=

March Luncheon Meeting – Thursday March 28, 2019

Welcome Members/Non-Members

Thursday, March 28
Lunch Meeting

TOPIC:  Ice Age Trail Joint Partnership—Funding and Operations

SPEAKERS: 

Amy Lord – Outreach & Education Manager, Ice Age Trail Alliance

Kevin Thusius – Director of Land Conservation, Ice Age Trail Alliance

REGISTRATION:  11:30 a.m. LUNCH: 11:45 a.m.

COST:  $6 for Members, $12 for Non-Members, CGFMs can attend for free!

PLACE: Vintage Brewing Co, 674 South Whitney Way, Madison, WI 53711

MENU:  Meals served with sides as noted and beverage (soda, coffee, and tea)

  •  Cheeseburger with fries
  •  Cup of Turkey Chili with a House Salad (please note dressing choice)
  •  Cup of Turkey Chili with 1/2 Turkey Panini sandwich
  •  House Salad with 1/2 Turkey Panini sandwich (please note dressing choice)
  • Cheese Flatbread

RESERVATIONS:  Register below or contact Sherri Voigt by 9:00 a.m. Monday, March 25, 2019 with your name, membership status, and meal choice at (608) 576-6473 or by email at [email protected]

Membership Status(required)

CGFM?(required)

New Member - First Luncheon?(required)

Meal Choice (indicate dressing choice in comments)(required)