President s Message. Sue Graham UPCOMING EVENTS

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1 President s Message January 2012 Volume 35, Number 5 Shirley Henry, CGFM, CPA AGA Nashville Chapter President UPCOMING EVENTS CEC Meeting 1/30/12 Chapter Meeting 2/2/12 AGA National Leadership Conference 2/16/12-2/17/12 Volunteer at Nashville Rescue Mission 2/29/12 Sue Graham Greetings Fellow AGA Members and Prospective Members: Happy New Year!! I hope 2012 has gotten off to a great start for everyone. I hope you were able to attend the January chapter meeting where we heard from Prentice Morgan, Legislative Systems Analyst with the Comptroller s Office. Mr. Morgan provided valuable information regarding Internet security. Thanks to everyone for their support of the Community Service Committee projects in The committee continues to provide great opportunities for each chapter member to serve those in need with your time, your talents, and your resources. Please watch for their announcements and contribute what you can to these worthwhile projects in I would like to share the following quote from Helen Keller with you - Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. The Education Committee will have more audio conferences coming up in 2012 so watch for the announcements. For members, the audio conferences are a great way to get 2 hours of free CPE on a variety of topics. For nonmembers, the cost is only $20 so it is still a good deal. Remember that the Membership Committee has a new member recruitment campaign that started in December and will be continuing through April. The committee will award prizes of $100 and $50 for new member recruitments for the period. You also earn member activity points for recruiting new members and a free lunch for each two new members that you sponsor. For our February chapter meeting, which will be a joint meeting with the local Certified Fraud Examiners Chapter, we look forward to hearing from Jeremy Finley with the Channel 4 I-Team. Also, February is Early Career Month, and we plan to recognize all of our Early Career members at the chapter meeting so if you are an Early Career member, please make a special effort to attend the February meeting. Please watch for the reservation announcement and invite friends and colleagues that you think might be interested in joining AGA to come to the February meeting. I look forward to greeting you and your guests at the meeting. If I can assist you in any way with your AGA membership or your interest in becoming an AGA member, please don t hesitate to contact me. Your Chapter Leadership Team is shown on the last page of the newsletter. Please feel free to contact any of us with questions or concerns. If there is anything we can do to improve your membership experience or to encourage you to become a member, please let us know. Shirley Henry, CGFM, CPA, President AGA Nashville Chapter (615) Shirley.Henry@cot.tn.gov 1

2 February Luncheon Speaker Jeremy Finley Chief Investigative Reporter Channel 4 I-Team Jeremy Finley specializes in investigations into corruption, criminal activity, and waste of taxpayer money. He is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). Jeremy is known for his ability to catch people acting badly on hidden camera. The Nashville Scene wrote that Jeremy is no stranger to blockbuster expose s. With the aid of the I-Team's producers and photographers, he s uncovered everything from a secret smoking room in Legislative Plaza for lawmakers, who themselves voted to ban smoking in state buildings, to a highly paid elected official relaxing at his house in his bathrobe while claiming to be at a meeting -- a story the Nashville Scene called a devastatingly effective expose... a piece that has already become part of Nashville's political folklore. Jeremy s investigations have also prompted a district attorney investigation and the subsequent resignation of an elected official found skipping out on work, revealed the sudden acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles two years before the company s recall, and disclosed the payout of more than $1 million to victims of a nationwide company targeting the uninsured and sick. Jeremy also received one of the highest honors in investigative journalism in 2010: the IRE certificate for breaking news investigations. He received the honor for his stories exposing mistakes made by government agencies during the flood that swamped downtown Nashville. He was also named an IRE finalist that same year for the investigation that resulted in the $1 million payout. Jeremy is reminded daily of what s important in life, thanks to the women who run his life, including his wife and two daughters. When they allow him to do so, he s a sluggish long-distance runner and obsessive reader. His sole male companion in his home is Charlie, the family s adopted greyhound. He s won some other nice awards, and his wife even lets his Emmys sit out on a bookshelf, but most are up in the attic in a box. Jeremy is a proud graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and has a Master s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. 2

3 Welcome New and Returning Members!! Tisa Beard, Metro Nashville Public Schools Gary Pope, Metro Nashville Public Schools Glenda Gregory, Metro Nashville Public Schools Gwendolyn Shanks, Metro Nashville Public Schools Bobbye Burge, Metro Nashville Public Schools Returning Member Sharon Crowell, TN Department of Audit Returning Member Dawn Thomack, CGFM, City of Clarksville Franklin Luppe, III, Franklin J. Luppe, CPA, PLLC AGA Chapter Recognition Program AGA s mission is to serve professionals in the government financial management community by providing quality education, fostering professional development and certification, and supporting standards and research to advance government accountability. The Chapter Recognition Program is designed to support, encourage, and promote the accomplishment of AGA s mission and to provide flexible, noncompetitive guidelines for a well-rounded chapter. The program recognizes a chapter s performance in relation to a standard or benchmark linked to AGA s mission. The program is divided into eight sections, which each have related goals for which the chapter can earn credits. The program for this chapter year started in June 2011 and will go through May 2012, and the chapter submits quarterly reports to the National Office. Our goal is for the Nashville Chapter to achieve the Platinum Chapter Designation, which is the highest level of recognition in the Chapter Recognition Program. Chapter Recognition Program As of End of Second Quarter (June December 2011) Section Credits Chapter Leadership, Planning and Participation 2,975 Education and Professional Development 2,800 Certification 1,650 Communications 3,927 Membership 2,300 Accountability 750 Community Service 2,400 Awards - Total accumulated credits 16,802 3

4 January Luncheon Pictures Shirley and Britt with Speaker Prentice Morgan Mr. Morgan discusses information security Accounting for the receipts Shirley, Commissioner Hunter, and Eugene Attention: We Need Your Current Address To ensure that you are kept up to date on all the exciting happenings of the chapter, please take a few moments to sign-up for our Google group. If you are already a subscriber but have recently changed your address, please join using your current address. Long time subscribers may also need to rejoin if they were receiving forwards from the old state.tn.us account as those s will no longer be forwarded. Comptroller employees need to sign-up with the address. To join go to and enter your current address. You will receive an message from Google asking you to verify the new address. Please click the Join Group link in this to complete your subscription. 4

5 Dennis Dycus Receives Lifetime Achievement Award In December, Dennis F. Dycus, CGFM, CPA, CFE, Director of the Division of Municipal Audit, in the Comptroller s Office, was awarded the highest honor given by the American Society for Public Administration s Tennessee Chapter. The chapter s Hoy Stephenson Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes retired Tennessee administrators who, during their lifetimes, have made contributions of profound impact to public administration. Dycus plans to retire at the end of June, capping a 39-year career with state government. Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said, It is very fitting that Dennis has been chosen for this award. He has provided excellent public service to the citizens of Tennessee for nearly four decades. I am proud that he has been a member of our department. Dennis is a past president of the Nashville Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants and president emeritus of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of American Certified Fraud Examiners. We extend our warmest congratulations to Dennis on his receipt of this award. Come join us on Facebook! Early Careers now has a Facebook group. The group name is Nashville AGA - Early Careers. All members, including members who are not Early Careers members, are encouraged to join the group. Calling All Early Career Members!! Please make a special effort to attend the AGA Chapter Meeting on February 2. February is Early Careers Month, and we want to recognize all of our Early Career Members at that meeting. Job Opportunities From the Editor Luncheon/CEC Minutes From time to time departments forward job opportunities to the Website Committee which are posted for members convenience. If you are interested in new job offerings or know someone who is, go to this link for detailed information: We truly enjoy reading articles submitted by our members. Please share your thoughts and ideas or interesting news with us by submitting your article to me at Penny.Austin@cot.tn.gov no later than February 3 for the next edition of our newsletter. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks and start writing! To read the minutes from the most recent CEC meeting and from the January Chapter Luncheon, please visit the chapter website. The luncheon minutes will be presented for approval at the next business meeting scheduled for February 2, etings.html 5

6 Help Transform Careers and Lives by Sponsoring A Member Today You depend on AGA, and we count on you, too! Sharing the benefits of AGA helps grow careers and AGA s network of financial management professionals. Nominate your colleagues for AGA membership. The Ready, Set, Grow Member-Get-A-Member Campaign is the new AGA membership recruitment and rewards program running from May 1, 2011 until April 30, The campaign challenges AGA members to encourage their colleagues, friends and other interested individuals to join AGA during the program year. Current members are the best source for new members who could benefit from all AGA has to offer. Each member who sponsors a new member is eligible for special recognition and rewards. Here s your chance to get someone new involved in the personal and professional benefits of your Association. How the campaign works: Download a membership application. You can also order applications by calling the Customer Satisfaction Center at 800.AGA.7211 and/or e- mailing agamembers@agacgfm.org. Tell your peers and co-workers about AGA. Simply encourage them to fill out AGA s membership application or complete the application online. Be sure to include your name as the sponsor on the application. You will be eligible to receive a sponsor pin when your first referral joins AGA. After six of your referrals join AGA (prior to Dec. 31, 2011) you earn free dues during the membership year. The Ready, Set, Grow Member-Get-A-Member Campaign ends April 30, The grand prize recipient will be announced shortly thereafter. Campaign Incentives Everyone Wins! Recruit ONE or more members, receive a Sponsors Only lapel pin. Sponsor a Member Before April 30 Recruit a member before April 30, 2012 and be entered into a fishbowl drawing to win an ipad. Sponsoring Six or More Recruit SIX members by Dec. 31, 2011 and receive next year s membership dues renewal FREE. Sponsoring 10 or More Recruit 10 or more members by March 31, 2012 and be placed into a drawing for a $200 American Express Gift Card. After 10, each new member sponsored gives you another chance at the drawing. Recruit 10 members, get one chance at the drawing, recruit 16 members, get seven chances, and so on. The more members recruited, the more chances to win. 6

7 Spotlight on Early Career/Tomorrow s Professionals New Members An AGA national meeting registration will be awarded to the AGA member who recruits the most new Early Career members during the campaign. Spotlight on Chapters A recruitment stimulus in the form of a $100 American Express Gift Card will be raffled to chapters that have at least five members who have actively sponsored new members into AGA during the program year. There will be two drawings for members sponsored from May 1 Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 April 30. The gift cards must be used toward chapter recruitment and retention programming. Sponsor Achievement Awards and Recognition Recruiter of the Year (one winner) The member who recruits the most new members from May 1, 2011 through April 30, 2012 will be presented with the Recruiter of the Year distinction and receive a complimentary registration to the 61st Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition in San Diego and two tickets to Sea World San Diego. Top Sponsor (two winners) The next two members who recruit the most new members from May 1, 2011 through April 30, 2012 will each be presented with the Top Sponsor distinction along with a complimentary registration to the 61st Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition in San Diego. Chapter Overall Growth (six winning chapters) The six chapters achieving the highest overall growth percentage in their chapter size grouping for the membership year will each win a complimentary AGA national meeting registration. Chapters decide who receives the registration. Each chapter president and membership chair will be presented with an achievement plaque as well. Only you can best communicate to your colleagues what AGA does for you, your professional development and your career. Help AGA Grow and Thrive. Start Recruiting Today. Rules/Eligibility All AGA members in good standing are eligible to participate in the Ready, Set, Grow Member-Get- A-Member Campaign. The campaign period includes all new members joining AGA from May 1, 2011 through April 30, 2012 AGA s membership year. The new member being sponsored must include the name of their sponsor on the membership application to participate. All federal, state and local laws apply. Void where prohibited. Please feel free to contact the Membership Committee Co-Chairs with any questions: Valerie Oliver (Valerie.Oliver@tn.gov) Eugene Hampton, II, CGFM, (Eugene.Hampton@cot.tn.gov) 7

8 Committee News The Membership Committee is pleased to announce a great lineup of retention and recruitment incentives for existing members, new members, and guests for the AGA year! Local Prizes!!!! Membership Existing Members Earn a point for every guest you bring to the chapter meeting (3-point maximum) Recruit two new members and receive a lunch voucher for a free lunch ($11 value) Earn 3 points for every new member that you sponsor (unlimited points) Earn 30 points throughout the AGA year from such things as meeting attendance, educational events, community service participation, and sponsorship of new members AND pay your dues by March 31, 2012, and the Nashville Chapter will pay $45 towards a full (not a student or early career) membership for the next year. That means you get half of your dues back, so start earning points early! Recruitment Incentives The current campaign will run from December April The top recruiter will take home $100, and any member that recruits at least one member will be entered into a drawing for $50. New Members Receive a lunch voucher for a free lunch ($11 value) with paid membership. Start earning incentives and points by bringing guests to the luncheons and recruiting new members. Guests Receive a free lunch for being a first time guest at a chapter meeting. Join and start receiving all other AGA membership benefits. Please feel free to contact the Membership Committee Co-Chairs with any questions: Valerie Oliver (Valerie.Oliver@tn.gov) Eugene Hampton, II, CGFM, (Eugene.Hampton@cot.tn.gov) CGFM CGFM Exam Scholarships were awarded at the January Nashville Chapter AGA Luncheon. Winners of the CGFM Exam Scholarships were: Laura Isbell, CPA, CFE, Division of State Audit - All Three Exams - $327 Archie Arroyo, MBA, Bureau of TennCare - One Exam - $109 Ashley Garrison, Division of State Audit One Exam - $109 Pamela Marks, Metro Nashville Finance Department One Exam - $109 Kay Ulmer, CPA, Health Services Administration - $109 Congratulations to all the scholarship winners! We look forward to announcing that each of these members has passed the CGFM Exam. Awards National Award Nominations AGA is now accepting nominations for 13 National Awards that recognize the leaders advancing our profession and setting the standards of excellence: Robert W. King Memorial Award Einhorn-Gary Award Frank Greathouse Distinguished Leadership Award Achievement of the Year Award Educator Award Cornelius E. Tierney/Ernst & Young Research Award Chapter Education Award Chapter Service Award Community Service Award International Achievement Award Chapter CGFM Award Emerging Leader Award of Excellence Regional Coordinator Award 8

9 Awards (Cont.) These awards will be presented during AGA s 61st Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition in San Diego, CA, from July 29-August 1, In many cases, individuals do not have to be members of AGA to be eligible. Award nominations need to be submitted to Jeff.Hughes@tn.gov no later than March 30th. Apply for 2012 National Academic Scholarships Are you or a family member pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies in disciplines such as accounting, auditing, budgeting, economics, finance, information technology, public administration, etc.? If so, consider applying for an AGA National Academic Each year, AGA National awards: *Up to four $3,000 full-time merit scholarships to AGA members and their family members *Up to two $1,000 part-time merit scholarships to AGA members and their family members *One $3,000 community service scholarship For more information about the National Awards or National Scholarships you can visit wards/ Local Scholarship Opportunities Our scholarship application is posted on the website. Remember that this year high school seniors can apply (this goes for both scholarships) and applications are to be submitted electronically. For more information on our scholarships you can visit s.html Community Service The community service event for the Nashville Rescue Mission has been scheduled for February 29, 2012, at 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM in the Men s Kitchen. All those interested in volunteering to serve dinner to Nashville s homeless should contact Alla Cox at Alla.Cox@cot.tn.gov or at Persons interested can also make a monetary donation to the Nashville Rescue Mission. 9

10 Presentation to A Kid s Place During the month of October the Nashville Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants collected donations for A Kid s Place Child Advocacy Center. The local chapter matched the donations up to $500, and raised a total of $1,235. A Kid s Place serves the children of Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, and Maury counties. Jeff Hughes, a member of AGA, presented Barbara Brewer, Director of A Kid s Place, with the check at their open house on December 8th. 10

11 CEC Member Spotlight Jerry Durham Two-Year Director, CGFM Chair I was born in Centerville in I am a baby boomer. I can remember living without air conditioning and TV. However, I also remember a time before HIV and international terrorists. I have told some of you about my first handheld calculator. It came from Sears, and I carried it with me to college. It would only add, subtract, multiply, and divide, but it was rechargeable. It cost $80! From the time I was four years old until I left for college, I lived in Hohenwald, which means Land of High Forests in German. For the record, Hohenwald is not pronounced Hole-in-the-Wall! My family was not wealthy, but we had everything we needed. My father was a teacher and preacher, and my mother was a stay-at-home mom for most of the years I was growing up. Hohenwald was a good place to grow up. We played every conceivable game and sport known to man, and when we got bored, we invented new games like shooting each other with BB guns and swinging on grape vines like Tarzan. I especially enjoyed exploring the back roads of Lewis County on my Honda 65. I played all the school sports - football, basketball, and baseball. My 15 seconds of fame came when I tied a basketball game with a last shot, was fouled, and then won the game with a free throw with only six seconds left on the clock. My teammates carried me off the floor on their shoulders. We finally beat Perry County! By some quirk of fate, I was overlooked by the college basketball scouts and, therefore, never made it to the NBA. My acting debut came in the senior play, Jeepers Creepers. You will instantly recognize this as one of the classics. I am still waiting for my call from Hollywood. I decided to attend Freed-Hardeman University. I began in a pre-med curriculum only to discover that chemistry and I did not have much chemistry. After two years, I transferred to the University of Tennessee at Martin and began to study accounting. I graduated with a degree in business administration/accounting in I hired on with County Audit in 1977 then left to work in an accounting firm in In 1989, I returned to work with County Audit and the rest, as they say, is history. I have worked for County Audit for 27 years, somewhere in that same time period, I passed the CPA, CGFM, and CFE exams. While at UT Martin, I met the woman who later became my wife. Sandra and I have been married for almost 35 years. We have three children, Dixie, Dara, and Devin. (A word of advice to those who are planning to have children, do not give your children names that begin with the same first letter.) Dixie is attending graduate school at David Lipscomb University; Dara is an RN at Vanderbilt Children s Hospital; and Devin served in the Navy for five years and is now in college studying electrical engineering. My faith in Jesus has always played a dominant role in my life. I started speaking in church when I was about 14 years old. By age 18, I was speaking each Sunday for different small churches in our community. I have continued to preach and teach in churches of Christ for 34 years. Over the last fifteen years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to go on several mission trips. I have been Moscow; Guyana, South America; Zambia, in Africa; Belize and Germany as well as points in between. These trips have opened my eyes and changed my life. If you twist my arm, I will show you my pictures and tell you a story or two. When I am not working for County Audit or participating in church activities, I enjoy reading, jogging, and traveling. 11

12 AGA Nashville Chapter Leadership Directory Officers President Shirley Henry, CGFM, CPA (615) President-elect Ray Register (615) Immediate Past President Melvin Jones, Jr., CGFM (615) Secretary Mary Anne Queen, CGFM, CFE (615) Treasurer Kayla Shewcraft, CPA (615) One-Year Directors Keevia Battle, CPA Finance Chair (615) Hank Clay (615) Cynthia Setters Meetings and Attendance Co-Chair (615) Corey Tester Education Co-Chair (615) Rhonda Williams Education Co-Chair (615) Two-Year Directors Jerry Durham, CGFM, CPA, CFE CGFM Chair (615) David Lannom, Jr., CGFM (615) Valerie Oliver, CPA Membership Co-Chair (615) Scarlet Sneed, CGFM, CPA, CFE Meetings and Attendance Co-Chair (615) Britt Wood, CGFM, CPA, CFE, CISA, ACDA Program Co-Chair (615) Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs Nathan Abbott, CISA, CFE Webmaster Co-Chair (615) Penny Austin, CGFM, CPA, CISA Newsletter Editor (615) Gerry Boaz, CGFM, CPA Corporate Sponsorship Chair (615) Ellen Dunkin Early Careers Chair (615) Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs Tammy Fruscione, CGFM Community Service Chair (615) Karen Hale, MAOM, CGFM Accountability Outreach Coordinator Public Relations Chair (615) Eugene Hampton II, CGFM, CPA Membership Co-Chair (615) Jeff Hughes, MBA, CFE Awards Chair (931) Hellens Tamimi, CPA, CFE Program Co-Chair (615) Dan Willis, CGFM, CPA, CISA Webmaster Co-Chair (615) Chapter Address: AGA Nashville Chapter PO Box Nashville, TN Visit the Nashville Chapter website at 12