Professional Development.

The purpose of the Training and Education Corner (now called Professional Development) has always been to inform the ASMC membership of good professional development opportunities. This column will continue to do that, but in a slightly different manner just for this issue. There are some superb opportunities that have gone begging; I'd like to bring them to your attention now.

I have also included an excellent article by Mr. Jim Witty, who did a rotational assignment with industry and found that great learning took place. And The Institute of Internal Auditors has announced a new government auditor designation. So read on, friends!

I would first call your attention to an item that surfaced in our recently inaugurated series of chapter visits. Each year ASMC offers its members fifteen continuing education grants of $1000 each. This year ASMC will offer twenty-five such grants to its members. The grants can be used for almost any form of continuing professional development related to Defense financial management--and the grants do not have to be repaid! You can even apply for two consecutive years.

With a deal like this, you would think that the applications from our approximately 17,000 members would be pouring in. But last year ASMC received only thirteen applications.

I have been going from chapter to chapter telling all the members I meet about these grants and being greeted with surprised looks in return. So get on the stick and get your applications ready. The mission of ASMC is the professional development of its members, so don't be afraid to ask.

How, do you apply? This and many other answers are only a click away on your ASMC Web site. If you haven't checked through the Web site, you're indeed missing another great professional development opportunity. The address is www.asmconline.org. You will find there all the information you need to apply for an education grant.

And there's also information on how to join ASMC, start and run an ASMC chapter, apply and study for the Certified Defense Financial Manager examination, register for the next PDI-and much more.

If you pursue the certification side of the Web site, you will find easy links to all of the documents and reference tools you need to operate as a financial manager in the Department of Defense. The documents include the following:

* Defense Financial Management Regulations

* Defense Budget

* National Budget

* Fiscal law and legislative references

* OMB circulars

* GAO Yellow Book (Auditing Standards in the Federal Government)

* GAO Red Book (Principles of Federal Appropriation Law)

* Links to many of the Defense institutions for training and education

Again, this is a professional development opportunity that you can use every day in your work. Bookmark it now-it will be well worth your time.

Our second topic, Education with Industry, is discussed in the following short article I received from Mr. Jim Witty.

EWI in Financial Management--A Civilian's Perspective

EWI? What the heck is EWI? Not another acronym to learn. Four years ago I asked myself that same question. What's EWI? I found it meant Education with Industry So, being the curious type, I wanted to learn more about it.

I discovered EWI is sponsored by Air University and managed by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) at Wright-Patterson AEB, Ohio in cooperation with many major participating industrial companies such as Delphi, General Dynamics, General Electric, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman Corporation.

EWI is a unique educational program designed to provide Air Force civilians and officers on-the-job education, experience, and exposure to private industry in approximately eleven functional areas not available through formal courses of instruction at over forty different corporations throughout the country. [Editor's Note: Other Services have similar programs; contact your professional development proponency office for information.]

By functional areas I mean things like financial, contracting, and logistics, to name a few. EWI programs are essentially management development programs designed to improve the management qualities and technical and/or professional leadership abilities of participating students.

In essence, the student becomes a company employee experiencing the same responsibilities, opportunities, and frustrations that company management encounters. It is in these surroundings that the EWI payoff is realized. In learning by doing, a better understanding of corporate industry and the government relationship is achieved.

Some of the objectives of the program are to:

* Gain a general knowledge of the company's management organizational structure and responsibilities for resource management.

* Learn how the company establishes goals and objectives at various levels of the organization and how plans are developed to accomplish these objectives.

* Understand how the company establishes standards to measure performance, how it identifies deviations and other problems, and how solutions are implemented and monitored.

* Assimilate management decision techniques and procedures, including analytical techniques used to perform trend analysis and performance measurement.

* Become familiar with the application of various management information systems that support the operation of the company and the relationship of the various systems.

* Acquire knowledge of data management techniques and procedures, including potential capabilities to interface with other organizations.

* Comprehend the human resources programs formulated by management to include lessons learned, incorporation of future programs, training, etc.

In 1999 twenty-nine civilians (GS12-GS-14) and twenty officers (03-04) were enrolled. Civilians normally serve a twelve-month tour in the vicinity of their homes. Upon completion, graduating civilians return to their functional expertise at their home base. Officers serve ten months and receive a follow-on assignment relating to their functional area.

I applied to the program and was accepted in May 1999. Candidates are selected based on education and job performance. My tour was with Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems in Moraine, Ohio. The company manufactures automotive air-conditioning compressors. It was a unique and rewarding experience to learn firsthand how the financial world operates in a manufacturing environment. A taste of what I learned at Delphi follows.

* Automotive Air-Conditioning Compressor Production Floor Audit-This involved checking part numbers at each phase of production to ensure that the intended bill of materiel was accurate against the production bill of materiel.

* Fixed-Asset Inventory-This involved the assessment of the overall fixed-asset methodology, using the master asset listing to compare and compute the percentages of depreciation values for gross book value and net book value to be reported for annual corporate taxes.

* Impaired-Asset Inventory-This involved the identification of assets to be written off prior to the expected life cycle and given special allowances in accordance with tax laws. I was fortunate to work with plant department superintendents to identify these assets.

* Acquisition "A" Card Audit-I conducted a full audit on the acquisition card program that is designed to offer low-cost, efficient means of making small purchases. The "A" card was designed to eliminate the purchase order and invoice associated with small transactions.

* Accumulator/Dehydrator Cost Exercise-I performed an analysis of costs to be recouped by selling excess inventory when part of the company moved to Mexico.

* Request for Purchase of Materiel Verification-I performed a review of past purchase order requests to look at ways of reducing or eliminating unnecessary costs in future projects.

All of those experiences related to the corporate financial processes. I learned how Delphi identifies and captures costs on the general ledger. Clearly, the education and experience I gained in financial management have enhanced my understanding of accounting, budgeting, marketing, forecasting, human resources, and costing in the corporate environment.

This is an excellent way of getting some practical and invaluable experience. You should consider applying. It is time well spent.

Jim Witty was team leader far the Financial Management and Plans Branch at the Plans, Systems, and Analysis Division, Directorate at Financial Management, Air Farce Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Farce Base, Ohio. He holds a master's degree from Golden Gate University and is Level Ill-certified in the Air Force Financial Management Acquisition Professional Development Program. He is active in ASMC.

New Government Auditor Designation Announced

Altamonte Springs, FL - The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is now offering the Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP), a brand-new specialty designation designed for and by government auditing practitioners. Going beyond financial management by addressing items specific to government practitioners, the CGAP certification program covets government auditing practice, methodologies, and environment, as well as generally accepted government auditing standards such as those from The IIA. The CGAP also requires understanding and knowledge of control/risk models such as COSO and CoCo.

By applying to become a candidate in the CGAP program, an individual agrees to accept the conditions of the program. These include requirements regarding eligibility, exam confidentiality; ethics, and continuing professional development, along with other conditions enacted by The IIA's Board of Regents or Certification Department. And to recognize this government specialization, The IIA's Board of Regents has approved the CGAP designation for Professional Recognition Credit for Part IV of the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) examination.

CGAP candidates must have a bachelor's (four-year) or equivalent degree or an associate's (two-year) degree plus five years of work experience in a government environment. Candidates must exhibit high moral and professional character and must submit a character reference signed by a CGAP, CIA, CCSA (Certification in Control Self-Assessment), or the candidate's supervisor. CGAP candidates must also obtain two years of auditing experience in a government environment (federal, state/provincial, local, quasi-governmental areas, authority! crown corporation).

CGAP candidates are allowed to participate in the nondisclosed CGAP program for one year from the date that the application is approved. They must agree to confidentiality regarding exam questions and adherence to The IIA's Code of Ethics.

And, upon certification, CGAPs are required to maintain their knowledge and skills and stay abreast of improvements and current developments in the government auditing environment.

For more information on CGAP, visit the Certifications section of The IIA Web site: www.theiia.org.

Established in 1941, The Institute of Internal Auditors serves 70,000 members in internal auditing, risk management, governance, internal control, IT audit, education, and security. With representation from more than 100 countries, The IIA is the recognized global authority on internal auditing and the profession's acknowledged leader in certification, education, research, and technological guidance worldwide.

Well, that's it for this edition of Professional Development. Keep the cards and letters (and short articles) coming. Send your input to Mr. John Raines at [e-mail]. I look forward to hearing from all of you!

Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) Program

Welcome to the Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) department of Armed Forces Comptroller!

ASMC has revised this section to provide specific instruction, information, and feedback on earning and maintaining the CDFM designation. This article focuses on testimonials from the field. They range from those given by the ASMC National President, the Chair and members of the ASMC Certification Commission, and CDFM designated candidates.

We are happy to say that these testimonials approve, without fail, of our spearheading the efforts to provide the Department of Defense financial management community with a valid, psychometrically sound, and legally defensible certification. The CDFM is a certification that will demonstrate to the users, their employers, Congress, and the taxpayers our commitment to being the best financial managers and stewards of public monies.

In future articles we plan to feature your individual perspectives of the certification field, especially as they apply to the CDFM. We will publish the names of those who have become CDFMs since the Beta-phase began in December 1999 to the present and the names of those who have begun the journey and have taken and passed one or more modules.

We hope you enjoy this department, and we hope that you will help us make it yours.

Coming Soon--A New Web Site Dedicated to the CDFM Community

Soon you will be able to access all the information you need on the CDFM program by logging onto ASMC's new CDFM Web site at www.asmccertification.com. The new site will be devoted to the CDFM designation and will contain items of information applicable to studying for, earning, and maintaining the CDFM.

The schedule of classes for the Enhanced Defense Financial Manager Training Course (EDFMTC) will be on this Web site, along with hyperlinks to points of contact. The site will also have a listing of continuing professional education opportunities that you can access. That listing will include the EDFMTC schedule, ASMC chapter events, the national PDI and other relevant associations, CPE vendors, and courses of interest to defense financial management. We encourage you to e-mail any CPE opportunities you know of, so they can also be listed.

In addition, the site will maintain a list of the CDFMs and the people who have passed individual modules. The site will be used to keep you informed of all changes in the CDFM program and to encourage your feedback.

European Regional Professional Development Institute

ASMC Headquarters was well represented at the 2000 European Regional Professional Development Institute. Frank Arcari, Louise Wehrle, and John Raines set out from the ASMC Headquarters to the European PDI, but made their first stop at Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. There, Arcari and Wehrle met with Mildenhall personnel who wished to sit for a module or modules of the CDFM examination. Fifteen CDFM modules were taken, resulting in one new CDFM, Lt Col Curt Wheeler.

Arcari, Wehrle, and Raines met with chapter leadership to discuss chapter matters and the role ASMC can play in helping the chapters to advance.

Then it was on to Germany. The European Regional PDI was a joint effort of the Heidelberg and Rheinland-Pfalz chapters. For three days the PDI offered a tremendous opportunity to the European community to learn, share challenges and successes, and network with other professionals.

At the European PDI, the ASMC HQ group played a larger part in the program. Both Arcari and Raines gave orientations of the Enhanced Defense Financial Management Training Course, outlining the contents of the individual modules. Meantime, Wehrle ran the testing portion. It was incredibly successful, with over fifty modules taken, and resulted in eleven new CDFMs.

For snapshots of the entire PDI, check out the Web site at http://www.odcsrm.hqusareur.army.mil/ASMC/ASMC.htm.

At Thursday night's banquet, Robert Hale, Chairman of the ASMC Certification Commission that developed the CDFM examination, awarded a certificate of completion to each of the new CDFMs. Hale also presented a CDFM certificate to Lt Col Fran Machina, who earned the designation while stationed in the United States. Hale extended his hearty congratulations to all thirteen new CDFMs and to all those who have taken and passed an individual module or modules.

CDFM Chapter Rebate Campaign

Beginning January 2001, ASMC is sponsoring a new chapter campaign to encourage participation in the CDFM program. Effective January 2, 2001 ASMC National Headquarters will rebate $25.00 to chapters for each member it encourages to register for and successfully complete a CDFM exam module.

This campaign is a winning situation for everyone concerned-for the chapter, for the individual, and for the ASMC community as a whole.

We urge your participation!

CDFM Testimonials

Mr. Robert Hale

Chair, ASMC Certification Commission

As I sign this certificate and create a new Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM), I am reminded of the importance of this program. Becoming a CDFM is not only prestigious; it represents a culmination and pinnacle of professional development. This distinctive accomplishment should help in garnering promotions and assignments to key jobs.

The CDFM and other test-based certifications are also important to the defense financial management community because they provide objective evidence that our best people know the financial rules and regulations. This evidence helps reassure the public that we are good stewards of their tax dollars and ensures that they will continue to provide us the funds we need to meet legitimate national security needs. I urge everyone in the defense financial management community to obtain the CDFM or other relevant test-based certification.

Bill Campbell

President of ASMC, Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM)

The Beginning of a New Era

A few days ago the Honorable Robert Hale, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management, and Chairman of the CDFM Commission and I personally signed 164 CDFM certificates. This was such a profound occasion that we did not want to let the moment pass with an electronic version--it was too important. I believe that this test-based certification program is a required, critical element so that the public and their elected and appointed representatives recognize the professional caliber of the ASMC members who serve our Nation. Why do I feel so strongly? Surely a mere piece of paper, no matter how attractive, is insufficient to instill such confidence.

First, we have to examine the environment in which ASMC members work. The past two decades have been punctuated by negative media reports, and criticism by politicians from both major parties that the Department of Defense (DOD) has not always been a good steward of public funds. While some of the criticism was inaccurate or unfair, there were far too many cases that reinforced the negative perceptions In addition, the work to be done had become far more complex and difficult. The passage of numerous "good government" laws, such as the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act compounded the situation. The actions of the resource professionals in both the DoD and the U.S. Coast Guard were placed under a virtual microscope for observation and comment.

We desperately needed a mechanism to prove that our workforce was not only hard working and loyal, but also competent. Broad consultation with senior leaders in DOD, ASMC, academia, and industry reinforced the concept that test-based certification is the preferred means of proving competency. Test-based certification for other professions is widely accepted as the" price of admission." Who would consult a physician or an accountant who had not successfully passed license examinations? Who would fly with an unlicensed airplane pilot? As a result, an ASMC Commission on Certification was established, with Secretary Hale as the Chair.

I volunteered to be a Commissioner, and served for over a year with an outstanding group of professionals, both those on the Commission and the volunteer subject matter experts, who did the lion's share of the work. The sense of purpose, dedication, and expertise reinforced my belief that the CDFM would be a superb program that ASMC could be proud of. The examination is rigorous and covers the broad range of knowledge required to ensure mastery of the subjects. The CDFM designation is one that will carry increasing respect over the next few years. Furthermore, I believe that through the CDFM program, we will gain the respect that is given to professionals, and has previously eluded our members.

Please avail yourself of this wonderful opportunity.

Dave Robinson, Lt Col, USMC, CDFM

For me, taking the Certified Defense Financial Manager examination was the culmination of two and a half years of effort in launching the program. It seemed only natural that I take the exam just like everyone else and held true to what I had been telling everyone...that no one will be "grandfathered" into the certification. In helping develop the certification program, along with LTG McCall and Frank Arcari, I was able to see this wonderful idea take shape and become reality. I was fortunate to be able to visit with ASMC chapters all over the country and talk with members about certification and to see excitement in their eyes of the members as they realized what kind of opportunity lay ahead. I am proud of the certification program and the exam. I am proud to say that I have passed the exam and am one of the first to become a Certified Defense Financial Manager. I encourage everyone in our community to make the effort to prepare for and take the exam. You will not be sorry you did and will most certainly f eel a great sense of accomplishment once you are finished.

Frank Murphy, CDFM

To be successful within the Department of Defense financial community, a manager needs to understand the complexities of the Defense budget and its appropriations; the Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System; and the accounting and financial management policies and procedures within which the Department operates. The Certified Defense Financial Manager certification is a visible sign that an individual possesses this professional competency.

Equally important, the Department as a whole needs to assure its external customers--the Congress and the American taxpayer--that the Department's financial managers are well-trained and well-qualified and that they are proper stewards of the funds entrusted to them. The CDFM certification helps provide that assurance to the Department's customers.

As a holder of the CDFM designation, I personally understand the value of the examination as one measure of knowledge, skill, and aptitude. I fully expect that a growing number of successful financial managers--those who assume greater professional responsibilities and achieve the higher grades within the Department--will be holders of professional certifications such as the CDFM.

I encourage other managers within the Department to pursue their CDFM certification. Not only will it help increase the public's confidence in the capabilities of the Department's financial managers as a whole, but the certification will also demonstrate their personal qualifications and knowledge of Defense financial management to their internal customers.

Nelson Toye, CDFM

Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Department of Defense

One of the first challenges I faced when I became the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Defense in 1997 was to respond to criticism regarding the training and competence of the Department's financial management workforce. With over 30 years of Defense financial management experience, I knew that the Department's financial managers were hard-working, well-trained and well-qualified individuals. However, many lacked the professional credentials, such as certifications, that are viewed, by those both inside and outside of the Department, as evidence of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competence expected of our financial managers. Professional certifications, such as Certified Public Accountant and Certified Government Financial Manager, were available, but only to those individuals with college degrees and formal accounting education. With the advent of the Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) program, individuals in all aspects of Defense financial management--budget analysts, cos t analysts, financial management analysts, as well as accountants and others--now have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise.

Financial management in the Department of Defense is extremely complex, certainly more complex than financial management in any other federal government agency or commercial enterprise. I truly believe that professional certification, and the CDFM designation in particular, helps to demonstrate one's capabilities and competence to deal with those complexities. Attainment of the CDFM designation demonstrates that one possesses the professional skills expected of those who undertake a myriad of financial management actions necessary to achieve, or to properly oversee, the effective use of resources entrusted to the Department to strengthen America's defense. Additionally, earning the CDFM designation could be expected to earn the professional respect of others--both within and outside of the Department's financial management community--and to aid one's chances for advancement.

As an individual, and as a manager, I am a strong advocate of certification and continuing education. I was among the first individuals to take the CDFM examinations and obtain the CDFM designation. I strongly encouraged my staff to become Certified Defense Financial Managers as well. Although the certification has been available only a short time, more than one-third of my staff already have earned the distinction of being a CDFM. I am proud to be a CDFM, and I am proud of those members of my staff who have earned the CDFM honor. I believe that having the CDFM credential confirms for the public something that I already knew--that Defense financial managers are hard-working, well-trained, well-qualified, and motivated professionals.

Donna L. Brown, CDFM

As a recent recipient of the Certified Defense Financial Manager designation, I want to thank ASMC and the Department of Defense for making this opportunity available to the financial management community. I think it is right on target in that the component disciplines that form the basis of financial management within the Department of Defense have been identified and are represented proportionately on the three-part examination. The examination is difficult, but the questions are aimed at a level that would enable an experienced person with some study preparation to be successful. I recommend it highly to all my colleagues.

The recognition and sense of accomplishment that come with successfully passing the examination have given me a renewed sense of confidence in the decisions I make and the recommendations I give to my colleagues. It is nice to know that there is an empirical way to show that one is indeed familiar with the broad range of financial subjects, and particularly the fiscal law, that underlie many of the decisions we all have to make on a daily basis.

Keep up the good work!

Cynthia K. Bogner, CDFM

I have over 27 years of professional experience spanning all major disciplines within the comptroller career field serving at all organizational levels of the Department of Defense. Along the way I have had exceptional training and developmental opportunities and experiences that were derived from a combination of formal, on-the-job, and self-development training and development sources. Until recently, there was no comprehensive source that brought all the critical pieces together for comptroller professionals.

I am a strong advocate for the new 40-hour "Enhanced Defense Financial Management" course that was developed through the combined efforts of the Department of Defense subject matter experts, the American Society of Military Comptrollers professional society, and that is being delivered by the US Department of Agriculture Graduate School professional instructors. It provides a comprehensive source of key information that both leaders and practitioners in the comptroller career field must be knowledgeable of to be effective in accomplishing the mission. It is taught at a high level and provides the critical reference material that comptroller professionals need to become, as well as stay, familiar with in order to operate effectively in today's fast-paced, ever-changing environment--whether they choose to take the certification examination or not.

The benefit of having a Certified Defense Financial Manager examination process is that it provides an avenue for comptroller professionals to demonstrate to others that they have mastered the essentials of solid financial management theory and practice. It also provides a benchmark for others to judge the competence of comptroller professionals.

I am very proud to be among the first group of individuals within the Department of Defense to attain the Certified Defense Financial Manager credential.

Frequently Asked Questions About Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Q: What is a CPE unit?

A: A CPE unit is 50 contact minutes of instruction. Here are a couple examples of how to compute CPE units. If you attend a conference or seminar lasting several days, you would divide by 50 the total of minutes of attendance to compute your earned CPE units. To compute the CPE units for a self-study program to which no CPEs are assigned, divide the total number of minutes spent in self-study by 50.

Q: Why 50 minutes?

A: That increment was selected because it allows you to earn 8 CPEs over the space of an ordinary day--that is, contact hours less break times. For example, an 8-hour day contains 480 minutes; subtracting two 10-minute breaks and 60 minutes for lunch leaves 400 contact minutes, which equals 8 CPEs.

Q: How many CPEs do I need?

A: You need to earn 80 CPEs during the two-year period following certification and every two years thereafter. For example, if you were awarded the CDFM in September 2000, you will need to earn 80 CPEs by September 2002.

Q: Where can I find CPE opportunities?

A: CPE opportunities abound: college credit courses, instructor-led courses, seminars, conferences (sponsored by ASMC and other professional associations, Professional Development Institutes [PDIs], and mini-PDIs), luncheons with speakers (such as ASMC and other professional associations and chapter events), Web-based learning, self-study. If the instruction or knowledge helps your professional development, you can use it to fulfill the CPE requirement.

Q: Can I get CPE credit for presentations I make?

A: Yes. You can earn CPEs up to three times the number of minutes that you speak. For instance, if you give a 50-minute luncheon presentation (one CPE), you can claim up to an additional two (PES for preparation time. So for a 50-minute speech, you can earn 3 CPEs.

Q: Can I get CPEs for attending Monday briefings?

A: It depends on the content of the briefing. If it teaches you about new regulations or developments, the answer is yes. If it merely outlines what the speaker would like to see accomplished for the coming week, the answer is no. CPE must contribute to your professional development; CPE should prepare you for advancement.

Q: Do I have to send ASMC National Headquarters a record of my CPE?

A: No. Each CDFM individual is responsible for maintaining his or her own records. ASMC Headquarters will conduct periodical audits of randomly selected individuals; if you are selected, we will ask to see your CPE records.

Q: How long must I maintain my records?

A: For at least one year after the end of the renewal period. For example, if your renewal period ends in September 2002, you should keep those records until September 2003. This is so you can easily withstand an audit, should one be required.

Q: What happens if I don't earn the required number of CPEs?

A: You have several options. You can use the first three months of your next renewal period to catch up and earn your full complement of CPEs. However, you cannot then apply them to the next renewal period; they can be used only once. If you cannot earn the required 80 CPEs, you can inform National Headquarters in writing of your difficulties. Each case will be decided an its individual merits. If National Headquarters deems that you are entirely unable or unwilling to eam the CPEs, then it can, at its discretion, revoke your designation.

Q: Should my certification be revoked, can lever again hold the CDFM certificate?

A: Yes. Once a certificate has been revoked and a period of one year has elapsed, you can apply to retake the CDFM examinations. From that point, you will be treated as if you were applying for the CDFM for the first time.

De W.Ritchie, Jr., CDFM

I began my federal career with the Department of Defense over 25 years ago. After a couple months on the job, I "discovered" the Component (who will remain nameless for obvious reasons) had only recently established a "cradle-to-grave" training and education program for its financial managers. My initial reaction was one of dismay. In an organization as large and diverse as the Department of Defense, I would have expected that the Component I was working for would have had in place a fine-tuned development and mentoring program for its financial professionals. That was not the case, but at least the component was on the right track. It had implemented a comprehensive development program for its financial managers. Luckily, I was one of the first individuals to benefit from the establishment of such a developmental program.

That was then and this is now. Times have changed, but the objective has not. Continuing professional development and education should be a mainstay of each and every organization--public or private. A certification program is one measure of the degree to which our workforce has met the objective of "knowledge acquisition." Currently, there are many venues for financial management professionals to attain a variety of certifications in the financial management field. The acronyms are many -- CPA, CGFM, CMA, etc., etc., etc.,--but they all have one thing in common: they all indicate that the individual has attained a certain level of professional competence in a particular financial management area.

In all honesty, when the proposition of developing and implementing "another" certification program was suggested, I scoffed at the idea. "Why in the world would the Department of Defense want to establish another certification program when there are so many others?" I asked myself. "What's so special or different about the Department of Defense that it should have its 'own' certification program?" Using 20-20 hindsight, I see that my initial reaction was flawed. After reflecting upon my years of experience in the federal government and Department of Defense financial management arena, it is intuitively obvious just how "different" the Department of Defense budgeting, accounting and finance policies, procedures, business practices, operations, and systems really are from other federal entities and the private sector.

I have come to the inescapable conclusion that it is the duty and responsibility of every organization, including the Department of Defense, to continue to provide opportunities and mentoring for its employees to increase their mutual knowledge base. It is also equally important that employees actively seek the opportunities available to them. The CDFM and the training course that helps prepare individuals for the exam have set a new standard of excellence. The CDFM focuses on the vagaries that make the Department of Defense unique in its own right. Understanding the length and breadth of the Department's multifaceted financial management environment should be the goal of every financial management professional. In my view, the CDFM provides a measure that the individual has succeeded!

Ron Adolphi, CDFM

As one result of the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, there has been a growing awareness of the need for and documentation of professional competence in the ranks of federal government financial management personnel. More specifically, there is an inaccurate perception--among some members of the Congress, the General Accounting Office (GAO), and a subset of the American public--that the Department of Defense (DoD) is not fully competent in its stewardship of the billions of dollars that are appropriated each year for national defense.

A couple of years ago, the GAO issued several reports regarding the education and training of DoD financial managers. The GAO highlighted a low percentage of DoD personnel with professional certifications compared to those performing similar work in the private sector. Using that gauge, the GAO postulated that DoD financial management personnel lacked necessary and relevant qualifications and experience effectively to perform their duties and improve the lot of DoD financial management.

Given this backdrop, the Department--in collaboration with the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC)--has developed programs to improve the availability of DoD financial management training and offer certification to those who successfully complete a three-module examination. The training, a 5-day Enhanced Defense Financial Management Training course, is taught in three modules. Licensed by the ASMC, the classes are offered under a memorandum of agreement between the Department of Defense (which funds over 60 classes per year) and the Graduate School, U.S. Department of Agriculture (which provides instructors at sites identified by the DoD Components both within the United States and overseas).

This training is provided for a variety of reasons. First the departmental leadership is interested in improving the overall technical and managerial capabilities of the financial management workforce. Second, the program is designed to broaden the perspective of DoD financial management personnel by introducing them to areas of expertise outside their daily responsibilities. Finally, the course--together with individual study--helps to prepare personnel to sit for a stringent examination, the successful completion of which leads to designation as a Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM).

The CDFM's three modules document personal competence in twelve essential areas of DoD financial management. Consequently, only the most seasoned managers likely will pass the examination without individual and/or group study. While the CDFM examination is challenging, those who gamer this certification clearly document that they are knowledgeable financial managers, with potential for further professional development and promotion.

As a holder of the CDFM designation, I personally understand the value of the examination as one measure of knowledge, skill, and aptitude. I fully expect that a growing number of successful financial managers--those who assume greater professional responsibilities and achieve the higher grades and within the Department--will be holders of professional certifications such as the CDFM.

Sandy Lyons

OUSD(C)/AP

Benefits of the Certified Defense Financial Manager

Achieving designation as a Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) was a means of demonstrating individual proficiency in a broad and complex field of financial management covering a multitude of unique and interrelated disciplines. Making the commitment to become a CDFM demonstrated my personal initiative to enhance the professionalism of the Department's financial management workforce, and provided personal satisfaction in making a value-added contribution to my job and profession. Maintaining certification also enables me to retain my proficiency through continuing professional education! training requirements.

The CDFM is a recognized symbol of expertise and excellence because it is 100 percent examination-based--no one can be grandfathered into the certification program. This principle alone distinguishes the CDFM designee as a person with broad-based knowledge of a complex discipline and provides a meaningful credential that is recognized not only within the Department but also by other federal agencies and the private sector.