NASHVILLE NOTES

August 2014

Volume 38, Number 1

Michelle Earhart

Nashville Chapter President

2014-2015

Inside this edition…

Luncheon speaker spotlight

Committee News

Member News

Training Opportunities

Upcoming Events…Upcoming Events…Upcoming Events…

9/8/14 — Luncheon Meeting

9/20/14 — Hands On Nashville,

Community Service

10/23/14 — Fall Breakfast

Seminar, Hard Rock Cafe

October 2014 — Hats, Coats,

Gloves and Socks Drive

1/13-14/15 — Winter Seminar

3/25-27/15 — SE Regional PDT,

Gatlinburg, TN

July 12-15, 2015 — National PDT,

Nashville, TN

And now the fun begins! It’s time to roll

up our sleeves and start a new program

year which, I must add, is in the midst of

closing season for us folks that operate

on a June 30 fiscal year. I walked into the

elevator at work the other day and some-

one said, “Shouldn’t you be somewhere

closing stuff.” Everyone knows the pains-

taking tasks at hand during this time of

year whether we are auditors, fiscal offic-

ers or budget managers. But, I am re-

lieved to say that many of my initial fears

of taking on the task as chapter president

have subsided because we have got

some really enthusiastic individuals on

our committees this year. They came to

the table with ideas and agendas beyond

my expectations. They have already

completed their annual plans that in-

clude their strategies and goals including

tasks assigned by committee members

and timelines to project completion

dates of various projects. This is also

going to be a year where our chapter will

shine as we will be hosting the 2015 AGA

National Professional Development

Training event in July at the Gaylord Opr-

yland Hotel and Conference Center.

Pamela Marks and her team have added

some very exciting community service

projects. One of which I am especially

excited about and that is the Hands-On

Nashville project slated for September 20

where AGA volunteers will assist in

painting a local public school.

Cindy Hobbs and Margaret Walker al-

ready have specific speakers tentatively

planned for all of our luncheons and are

planning two social events this year.

Rachelle Cabading and Michael Winston

hit the ground running with the Educa-

tion’s committee’s upcoming planned

events including a CPE breakfast at the

Hard Rock café and they have already

booked the venue for the Winter Semi-

nar in January. I won’t steal their thun-

der but rather leave it up to them to

make those announcements.

Alicia Reynolds has recruited a young

group of Early Career members to serve

on the Early Careers committee and they

have some great ideas planned to recruit

Early Career members and activities

geared specifically toward that member-

ship category.

I could go on and on giving you a glimpse

of all of the committees’ efforts but I’d

like to invite and encourage you to read

all of the committees annual plans on our

website and see what they have in store

for you this year. Also, keep an eye out

for our save the dates in the newsletter

for upcoming education and community

service events. I look forward to serving

as President and it is truly an honor to

serve in such a capacity which is preced-

ed by so many outstanding individuals

that have served in this role.

Michelle

Luncheon Meeting Dates

September 8, 2014

October 14, 2014

November 3, 2014

December 1, 2014

January 5, 2015

February 2, 2015

March 9, 2015

April 6, 2015

May 4, 2015

CEC Meeting Dates

August 28, 2014

September 25, 2014

October 30, 2014

November 20, 2014

December 18, 2014

January 29, 2015

February 26, 2015

March 26, 2015

April 30, 2015

AGA’s National Professional De-velopment Training Event (PDT)

July 12—15, 2015

Gaylord Opryland

Nashville, TN

AGA’s annual premier education event offers up to 24 CPE hours and brings together the top offi-cials in federal, state and local government as well as academia and the private sector for three and a half days of intensive train-ing and networking. AGA’s PDT has been the go-to event for the government accountability com-munity for over 60 years.

Pictured above is the Nashville Chapter booth promoting the 2015 National PDT at this year’s event.

Hands On Nashville Project — September 20, 2014

Fall Breakfast Seminar — October 23, 2014, Hard Rock Cafe

Second Harvest Food Drive — Oc-tober 2014

Hats, Coats, Gloves and Socks Drive — October 2014

Winter Seminar — January 13-14, 2015, Nashville State Community College

Southeast Regional Professional Development Training (PDT) — March 25-27, 2015, Edgewater Hotel Gatlinburg, TN

Save the Date

Transform Dollar General’s im-age to a socially responsible growth company as Director of Leadership Development and Community Initiatives; creating the company’s first CSR depart-ment and strategy.

Reshape and repair Cracker Bar-rel’s national position as a restau-rant of choice for all guests as the company’s first head of diversity; supporting sales increases in 97% of metro markets.

Solidify Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City depository bank management programs as an in-ternal auditor and economic re-search analyst at the onset of the US bank merger trend; seeing 100% of his recommendations implemented by executive man-agement.

Elevate March of Dimes--Tennessee performance as the first statewide board chairman; leading the successful merger of six chapters and achieving 85% of the goals set forth in the 5-year plan.

Expand INROADS/Nashville’s reach as a Career Development Manager; leading the Southeast with a 93% graduate placement rate and an 86% sponsor reten-tion rate.

Derek Young is the voice of clarity for improving corporate culture in today’s multi-cultural / multi-generational global marketplace.

His unique business relationship strategies have helped companies produce growth by revolutionizing the way thousands of employees interface with millions of diverse consumers. AT&T, Best Buy, CAT Financial, Eli Lily, Johnson & John-son, MARS, Nissan, and Prudential, are among the Fortune 500 compa-nies he consults to transform their performance results by reframing their view of diversity, leadership, and team-building.

His riveting keynotes keep audienc-es on the edge of their seats, as he combines 30 years of leadership expertise into messages that sizzle. In addition to delivering more than 3,000 keynotes, workshops, coach-ing sessions, and stand-up comedy performances, Young’s corporate expertise prepares him to quickly assess and address culture issues. During his career he has helped:

His civic leadership roles reflect his love for Nashville. He has served or been recognized as the first statewide Board Chairman, Nashville Board Chairman, and Volunteer of the Year for March of Dimes; Big Brother and Big Brother of the Year for Big Brothers Big Sisters; Board Member and Young Leader of the Year for Young Leaders Council; Board Member, Community Engage-ment Chairman and Community Leader of the Year for the Nashville Symphony; Board Member, Executive Director and Member of the Year for 100 Black Men; Board Member, Di-versity Chairman and Diversity Volun-teer of the Year for the Nashville Chamber of Commerce; People Ser-vices Committee Member, Youth De-velopment Task Force Member, and Northwest YMCA Top Achiever for the YMCA; AKA Community Legend; INROADS Business Coordinator of the Year; Delta Sigma Theta Man of Achievement; Black College Fund Drum Major of the Year, and Gradu-ate (1999) and Facilitator for Leader-ship Nashville.

A native of St. Louis, MO, and lifelong Cardinals baseball fan, the great loves of his life are his wife Allyson and their four children. His personal motto is "God first, others second, and dreams third.” To learn more about Derek visit www.derekyoungspeaks.com.

September Luncheon speaker September Luncheon speaker September Luncheon speaker ——— derek youngderek youngderek young

The CGFM Committee

would also like to an-

nounce that Marianna Mitchell

Edinger of the Coffee County Gov-

ernment recently earned the CGFM

designation. She has been the

Coffee County director of Accounts

and Budgets since 2006 . She grad-

uated from Middle Tennessee State

University with a Bachelor of Sci-

ence degree in Business Manage-

ment and graduated with an Associ-

ate of Applied Science degree in

Accounting from Motlow State

Community College.

Marianna’s Personal Comments

I was thrilled to receive the desig-

nation of CGFM in February of this

year.! However, it was not an easy

task. Having both a family and a

more than full-time job made it

very difficult to find time to study.

But, it was a personal goal of mine;

so, I complete the AGA application ,

ordered the study guides and start-

ed studying. I made myself a “study

schedule” and stuck to it. It took me

all of the three years to pass all

three tests. When I passed the final

examination I just wanted to stand

up and cheer! This particular sec-

tion was very difficult for me, and

this would be my third attempt!

When I did pass, I felt such a sense

of accomplishment. The CGFM pro-

gram offered through AGA was well

worth the time and expense.

The CGFM Committee

is pleased to announce

that Dieudonne Ndinda, Nashville

Chapter early career member, re-

cently passed all three CGFM exami-

nations and is now awaiting verifica-

tion of the work requirement and

receipt of the official certificate.

Dieudonne was born in the Demo-

cratic Republic of Congo and came

to America in 2000 and became a

U.S. citizen in 2005. He has a Bache-

lor’s degree in Financial Manage-

ment from the University of Kinsha-

sa and a Master’s of Business Ad-

ministration/Accounting degree

from Jones International University.

He worked as a manager and CFO of

various companies in Africa and cur-

rently works for the State of Ten-

nessee Bureau of TennCare . He is a

certified Internal Controls Auditor

and speaks five languages.

He is married and has five biological

and three adopted children. Please

join us in congratulating Dieu-

donne for his latest achievement!

The CGFM Committee is

also happy to make

known that Jeff Hughes was recog-

nized as a CGFM in recent months.

Jeff began working for the State as an

auditor in the Comptroller’s Office in

2006. In 2010, he became the re-

gional accountant for the Depart-

ment of Health. He became the fiscal

director at the Turney Center Prison

for the Department of Correction in

2012. He has a double bachelor’s de-

gree and MBA from UNA in Florence,

Alabama and has received the desig-

nations of Certified Fraud Examiner

(CFE) and Certified Internal Controls

Auditor (CICA) . He has been very ac-

tive in AGA and was recently present-

ed the AGA National Emerging Leader

Award of Excellence. Jeff is also very

involved in various clubs and organi-

zations in his local community and

was recently elected as his county

commissioner.

Jeff is married to Jenifer Hughes and

has three children — Cayden (10),

Jayse (7) and Laia (3).

Member NewsMember NewsMember News

CGFM CGFM CGFM

September 20--- Nashville’s Chapter

AGA Community Service Partners

with Hands On Nashville!

Who says there’s no such thing as a

free lunch?

In a continuing effort to volunteer our services at projects that demon-strate our commitment to serve the community, Emily Gray is leading our Community Service team in the Hands On Nashville Day event on September 20, 2014. We are asking the AGA volunteers to form a team to assist with landscaping and painting projects in Metro Nashville Schools. In return for all registered volunteers’ sweat equity, all volun-teers are invited to attend the Hands On Nashville Day after-party for a complimentary lunch and cele-bration. To sign up for this event please contact Emily Gray at emi-ly.gray@tn.gov. If you would like to make a monetary donation, you may do it online here.

For other volunteer opportunities

throughout the year, please contin-

ue to check out our page.

Thanks in advance for all of your

much needed efforts.

The Nashville AGA Chapter is col-

lecting school supplies for Alex Green

Elementary School. Please help start

our PENCIL Partner School Year off

with a bang by joining in to help. Sup-

plies can be dropped off at the Sep-

tember and October meetings. Also,

for your added convenience there are

four additional drop-off-sites:

1. Michelle Earhart - 21st Floor Ten-

nessee Tower

2. Tammy Fruscione – 16th Floor –

J.K. Polk Building

3. Melvin Jones, Jr – 11th Floor –

Andrew Jackson State Office

Building

4. Angela McElrath-Prosser –

Metro’s Howard Office Building

The Nashville AGA Chapter has part-

nered with the Alex Green Elemen-

tary in Bordeaux and there will be

even more opportunities throughout

the 2014-15 school year. For more

information on this and other upcom-

ing events with Alex Green School

please contact Melvin Jones at mel-

vin.jones@tn.gov.

Committee News

Why are you a member at AGA?

Continuing Professional Education

credits

Networking with professionals

Professional credentialing

Opportunities to do Community

Service

Making friends

Good food, fellowship and fun

Being a part of something bigger

than yourself

If any of these is your reason, AGA

is for you. In addition to these, the

award-winning Nashville AGA Chap-

ter has prizes and surprises waiting

for motivated members whose

friends enjoy a free lunch! Inviting

your friends is easy, and it benefits

you, too. A guest gets a free lunch

on their first visit, and you get $5.00

for each new guest attending a

luncheon. At the end of the year,

$100 will be the award for the

member sponsoring the most new

members, and every sponsor has a

chance at winning $50. Add to that,

regular attendance can help you

win 50% off your annual member-

ship fee -- you have a win-win situa-

tion!

This year our membership goal is

400 members by January 1, 2015;

so, encourage your friends and take

advantage of our incentives. See

you in September!!

Membership Committee Community Service Community Service

Congratulations to the 2013-2014 National Award Winners!

Jan Sylvis, CPA, CGFM — William R. Snodgrass Distinguished Leadership Award

Michael Winston, CGFM — Young Professionals’ PDT Scholarship

Jeff Hughes, MBA, CFE, CGFM — Emerging Leader Award of Excellence

Jerry Durham, CGFM and CGFM Committee — CGFM Award

Chas Taplin and Education Committee — Education Award

Karen B. Hale, MAOM, CGFM — Newsletter Honorable Mention

Rusty Lacy — Platinum Chapter Award

Richard Norment, CIA, CGFM—Retired — Einhorn-Gary Award

Karen B. Hale, MAOM, CGFM — Regional Coordinator for Chapter Development and Assistance

Melinda Parton, CGFM — President’s Award

Thank you for Participating at the Regional or National Level!

Spotlight on the 2013-2014 National Award Winners

We would like to recognize members of the Nashville Chapter who participated at the national and re-

gional levels in AGA in 2013-2014 and thank them for their service to this organization.

Members Participating at the National Level

Gerry Boaz, CGFM, Chair of the Professional Certification Board

Michelle Earhart, By-Laws and Procedures Committee

Talia Lomax-O’dneal, CGFM, Awards Committee

Melinda Parton, CGFM, Chair of the By-Laws and Procedures Committee

Kathy Stickel, CGFM, Finance and Budget Committee

Members Participating at the Regional Level

Karen B. Hale, MAOM, CGFM, Immediate Past Regional Vice President and Chapter

Development and Assistance Regional Coordinator

Eugene S. Hampton, II, CGFM, Membership and Early Careers Regional Coordinator

Ron Queen, CGFM, CPA, Certification Regional Coordinator

Highlights from the 2014 National PDT

Chapter President Rusty Lacy accepted the National

Platinum Chapter Award.

President Rusty Lacy accepted the National

Chapter CGFM Award.

President Rusty Lacy accepted the National

Chapter Education Award.

President Rusty Lacy accepted the National

Chapter Newsletter Honorable Mention

Award .

Nashville attendees displayed the national

awards for the chapter.

Members from the Nashville

Chapter were on hand at the 2014

National PDT to promote and gain

interest in next year’s PDT to be

held in our great city.

Nashville Chapter Booth at 2014 National PDTNashville Chapter Booth at 2014 National PDTNashville Chapter Booth at 2014 National PDT

Officers

President Michelle Earhart (615) 253-6057 Michelle.Earhart@tn.gov President-Elect Penny Austin, CGFM, CPA, CISA (615) 401-7838 Penny.Austin@cot.tn.gov Immediate Past President Rusty Lacy (615) 401-7764 Rusty.Lacy@cot.tn.gov Secretary Janet Stewart (615) 741-9821 Janet.Stewart@tn.gov Treasurer Sandra Brown (615) 741-2638 Sandra.K.Brown@tn.gov

One-Year Directors John Dunne Meetings and Attendance Co-Chair (615) 747-5286 John.Dunne@cot.tn.gov Michael Edwards, CGFM Education Co-Chair (615) 747-5277 Michael.Edwards@cot.tn.gov Andrew Furlong Finance Co-Chair (615) 253-2018 Andy.Furlong@tn.gov Kandi Thomas, CGFM (615) 747-5274 Kandi.Thomas@cot.tn.gov Margaret Walker, CPA, CGFM Program Co-Chair (615) 507-6688 Margaret.Walker@tn.gov

Two-Year Directors Rachelle Cabading, CFE Education Co-Chair (615) 401-7841 Rachelle.Cabading@cot.tn.gov Charlotte Gentry Membership Co-Chair (615) 253-8515 Charlotte.Gentry@tn.gov Cindy Hobbs Program Co-Chair (615) 741-6199 Cindy.Hobbs@tn.gov Pamela Marks Community Service Co-Chair (615) 862-6212 Pamela.Marks@nashville.gov Alicia Reynolds, CPA Early Career Chair (615) 741-9442 Alicia.Reynolds@tn.gov Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs

Nathan Abbott, CISA, CFE Webmaster Co-Chair (615) 401-7842 Nathan.Abbott@cot.tn.gov Gerry Boaz, CGFM, CPA Accountability Outreach Chair (615) 747-5262 Gerry.Boaz@cot.tn.gov Bridget Carver, CFE Membership Co-Chair (615) 401-7959 Bridget.Carver@cot.tn.gov Karen B. Hale, MAOM, CGFM Communications Chair (615) 401-7742 Karen.B.Hale@cot.tn.gov Jeff Hughes, MBA, CGFM, CFE Awards Chair (931) 729-5161 Jeff.Hughes@tn.gov

Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs Angela McElrath-Prosser Community Service Co-Chair (615) 862-6189 Angela.Mcelrath@nashville.gov William Sadler, CGFM CGFM Chair (615) 747-5268 Drew.Sadler@cot.tn.gov Scarlet Sneed, CGFM, CPA, CFE Meetings and Attendance Co-Chair (615) 747-5243 Scarlet.Sneed@cot.tn.gov Alexander Warns Finance Co-Chair (615) 741-0578 Alexander.Warns@tn.gov Dan Willis, CGFM, CPA, CISA Webmaster Co-Chair (615) 747-5247 Daniel.Willis@cot.tn.gov Michael Winston, CGFM Education Co-Chair (615) 741-8348 J.Michael.Wintson@gmail.com Chapter Address: AGA Nashville Chapter PO Box 198025 Nashville, TN 37219 Visit the Nashville Chapter website at www.nashvilleaga.org

20142014--2015 AGA Nashville Chapter Leadership Directory2015 AGA Nashville Chapter Leadership Directory