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Hello from a sunny and hot Central Florida.
The new year for ALGA has gotten off to a fast start with several "irons in the fire."
First, and of most direct benefit to you, are two upcoming training seminars:
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On October 16th, we are very pleased to offer a teleconference seminar on one of the more popular topics presented at the Annual Conference. For the very low price of $149, including unlimited seating (!), you can hear one of the preeminent voices in government auditing, Sam McCall, City Auditor for the City of Tallahassee, Florida, present his overview of Government Auditing Standards (Yellow Book) and the Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (Red Book). Sam will present a comparison of the two standards relating to independence and consulting and provide direction and guidance for the future of these standards.
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The next ALGA Regional Training Seminar is scheduled for October 22-24 in Akron, Ohio. Education Committee Chair Liz Moore (City of Memphis) and Lisa Skapura (Summit County, Ohio) have put together a great three days of training in Performance Auditing, Fraud, and IT Auditing. This seminar also kicks off our partnership with the IIA-Sloan Foundation with training in "Assessing the Reliability and Relevance of Performance Information." Please make plans to attend this unique seminar geared to the more important topics challenging local government auditors.
I encourage you to participate in one or both of these seminars. You will not be disappointed in the quality and value you receive from ALGA Seminars.
Speaking of quality and value, a short recap of the 2007 Annual Conference: over 250 incredibly attractive and thoroughly professional persons attended, the speakers and seminar leaders were top notch and held the attendees interest for over 90% of the time (well above our benchmark of 75% - just kidding!), and a slight profit was made to offset the other expenses of the Association. Helpful feedback from attendees was compiled, summarized and shared with the team planning the 2008 conference. Make plans now to attend the 2008 Annual Conference in Philadelphia on May 18 - 20, 2008, and help us celebrate our 20th Anniversary!
And now for a little fun, in preparation for the 20th Anniversary, can you name any of the first seven Officers and Directors for our Association? You can find the answers here.
In other news:
- Gerald Schaefer (City of Atlanta), Professional Issues Chair, coordinated and distributed the ALGA Member Satisfaction Survey. At the time of this writing, Gerald is compiling the information received from the members that completed the survey. Rest assured this information will be used to further refine our services to the members. Many thanks to Gerald for coordinating this effort.
- A new award program is on the horizon! At the next Board Meeting we will discuss the proposed Website Award Program. This interesting and forward-thinking idea is a joint effort of the Awards and Communications Committees.
Finally, during my first President's Message, I made a pitch for more individuals to get involved in our Association. I would like to highlight two people who have recognized the importance of involvement in the success of our Association - Pete Gonzales and Dawn Oppermann of the City of San Antonio. When I sent out an email to ask for volunteers to perform an audit of ALGA's financial statements, Pete quickly responded and encouraged Dawn to perform this important service to our Association. Many thanks to Pete and Dawn for stepping up to the plate.
While several individuals like Pete and Dawn have contacted me to get involved, I am disappointed that I didn't hear from YOU. Yes, YOU! Again, I stress to you that its time for YOU to get involved. Our Association is only successful when we have many dedicated individuals volunteering by participating on a committee, speaking at a seminar or conference, writing a LGAQ article, or in many other ways. I'm certain ALGA has something for YOU to do!
George McGowan
2007-08 ALGA President
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407-246-3084
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