Association of Government Accountants
| Abbreviation | AGA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1950 |
| Legal status | Association |
| Purpose | Improving federal, state and local government accounting in the United States |
| Headquarters |
 Virginia |
Region served |
 United States |
Membership | financial professionals in government |
Main organ | Journal of Government Financial Management |
| Website | http://www.agacgfm.org/ |
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.[1]
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.[2]
Association of Government Accountants
AGA (Association of Government Accountants) is the non-profit professional association that serves financial professionals in government and administers the CGFM certification. We lead and encourage change that benefits our field and all citizens. Our networking events, professional certification, publications and ongoing education help members build their skills and advance their careers.
Mission
AGA serves government finance professionals by providing quality education, fostering professional development and certification, and supporting standards and research to advance government accounting and accountability.
It is the member organization for financial professionals in government and has 15,000 members in 100 chapters throughout the United States. Its annual Professional Development Training is attended by nearly 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 International (FEI)), and IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) that govern the accounting profession in the United States.It presents the annual Certificate of Excellence in Accountability (CEAR) Awards to federal agencies whose financial reporting has been outstanding. AGA also publishes the 'Journal of Government Financial Management' which is one of the leading academic journals in the field of accounting and has a circulation of 15,000.
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.