Association of Government Accountants
Encyclopedia
The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) was founded on September 14, 1950. AGA serves Federal, State and local government
accounting professionals by providing education
, encouraging professional development
, providing Government Accounting certification
, and supporting standards and research
to advance government accountability
.
The Certified Government Financial Manager
(CGFM) certification, created in 1994, by the AGA, is a professional post-nominal title and a standard by which government
financial management professionals are measured. Its education
, experience
and ethics
requirements have served to elevate the most seasoned financial professionals. More than 14,000 individuals have received the designation.
Association of Government Accountants
AGA (Association of Government Accountants) is a non-profit professional association that serves government accountability professionals and administers the CGFM certification.
It is a leading professional organization promoting accountability in government and has over 15,000 members in 96 chapters throughout the United States. Its annual Professional Development Conference is attended by upwards of 2,000 professionals each year. It has a unique role in government accountability with membership from state, local and federal government entities. It is one of the six principal organizations along with the AAA (American Accounting Association
), AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
), IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors
), FEI (Financial Executives Institute), and IMA (Institute of Management Accountants
) that govern the accounting profession in the United States.It presents the annual Certifcate of Excellence in Accountability (CEAR) Awards to federal agecnies whose financial reporting has been outstanding.
AGA has played an instrumental role in developing accounting and auditing standards and in generating new concepts for the effective organization and administration of financial management functions, including the passage of the Inspector General Act of 1978 and the Chief Financial Officer's Act of 1990. AGA conducts independent research and analysis of all aspects of government financial management.
Today more than 14,000 individuals have received the designation. The CGFM is the first certification broad enough to cover the whole field of government financial management—federal, state and local. It measures a wide range of knowledge and skills that a professional needs to succeed in the federal government financial environment, or to meet the unique challenges faced by state and local government financial managers.
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
accounting professionals by providing education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, encouraging professional development
Professional development
Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning...
, providing Government Accounting certification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
, and supporting standards and research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
to advance government accountability
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
.
The Certified Government Financial Manager
Certified Government Financial Manager
A Certified Government Financial Manager is a professional certification issued by the Association of Government Accountants . It was created in 1994 to provide a professional standard of financial expertise and ethics in government and a standard by which government financial management...
(CGFM) certification, created in 1994, by the AGA, is a professional post-nominal title and a standard by which government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
financial management professionals are measured. Its education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, experience
Experience
Experience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event....
and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
requirements have served to elevate the most seasoned financial professionals. More than 14,000 individuals have received the designation.
Association of Government Accountants
AGA (Association of Government Accountants) is a non-profit professional association that serves government accountability professionals and administers the CGFM certification.
Mission
AGA serves government accountability professionals by providing quality education, fostering professional development and certification, and supporting standards and research to advance government accountability.It is a leading professional organization promoting accountability in government and has over 15,000 members in 96 chapters throughout the United States. Its annual Professional Development Conference is attended by upwards of 2,000 professionals each year. It has a unique role in government accountability with membership from state, local and federal government entities. It is one of the six principal organizations along with the AAA (American Accounting Association
American Accounting Association
The American Accounting Association is an "organization of persons interested in accounting education and research". It was formed in 1916. Its main publication, The Accounting Review, was first published in 1926. It is the principal professional association of accounting academics in the United...
), AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Founded in 1887, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the national professional organization of Certified Public Accountants in the United States, with more than 370,000 CPA members in 128 countries in business and industry, public practice, government, education, student...
), IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors
Institute of Internal Auditors
Established in 1941, The Institute of Internal Auditors is a guidance-setting body. Serving members in 165 countries, The IIA is the internal audit profession's global voice, chief advocate, recognized authority, and principal educator, with global headquarters in Altamonte Springs, Fla., United...
), FEI (Financial Executives Institute), and IMA (Institute of Management Accountants
Institute of Management Accountants
Institute of Management Accountants is a professional organization headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey more than 60,000 professionals worldwide...
) that govern the accounting profession in the United States.It presents the annual Certifcate of Excellence in Accountability (CEAR) Awards to federal agecnies whose financial reporting has been outstanding.
History
The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) was founded on September 14, 1950 as the Federal Government Accountants Association (FGAA) a group of federal accountants, led by Robert W. King. AGA has a long history of being the thought leader for the government accountability profession. Through education, research, publications, certification and conferences, AGA reaches thousands of professionals and provides more than 100,000 continuing professional education (CPE) hours annually. The association supports the careers and professional development of government finance professionals working in federal, state and local governments as well as the private sector and academia.AGA has played an instrumental role in developing accounting and auditing standards and in generating new concepts for the effective organization and administration of financial management functions, including the passage of the Inspector General Act of 1978 and the Chief Financial Officer's Act of 1990. AGA conducts independent research and analysis of all aspects of government financial management.
Certification
Since its inception in 1994, the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) has become the standard by which government financial management professionals are measured. Its education, experience and ethics requirements have served to elevate the most seasoned financial professionals.Today more than 14,000 individuals have received the designation. The CGFM is the first certification broad enough to cover the whole field of government financial management—federal, state and local. It measures a wide range of knowledge and skills that a professional needs to succeed in the federal government financial environment, or to meet the unique challenges faced by state and local government financial managers.