The AGA Weblog

Congratulations Sam McCall, Robert W. King Memorial Award Recipient

Past National President Sam McCall "Truly Honored" by King Award

Distinguished, honorable and a consummate Southern gentleman were just a few of the phrases used by his peers to describe AGA Past National President Sam M. McCall, CGFM, CPA, CIA, CGAP, the recipient of this year’s Robert W. King Memorial Award.

The award, named for the Association’s founding father, is AGA’s highest honor. It is bestowed in the form of a gold medallion for extraordinary service that enhances AGA’s national prestige and stature.

As AGA’s 56th National President in 2005–2006, McCall embraced the theme of “Accountability Reporting with a Citizen Focus.” He placed his attention on the advancement of AGA’s Certificates of Excellence in Accountability (CEAR) and Services Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) Reporting as well as the then-fledgling Citizen-Centric Reporting effort.

Upon notification that he would be receiving this year’s King Award, McCall said, “I was very honored, given the many AGA members who are deserving of such recognition.”

McCall is known throughout the Association for his quiet demeanor—until he has something important to say.

“When Sam speaks up, you know it’s about something significant,” said AGA Executive Director Relmond Van Daniker, DBA, CPA. “He was an insightful leader during his year as President and throughout his term on the National Executive Committee. I know I speak for the entire staff when I say we are delighted to see Sam honored with AGA’s top award.”

Immediate Past National President Jeffrey Hart, CGFM, agrees. “There is no one any more deserving of the Robert W. King Memorial Award than Sam McCall. Sam has had an amazing career, and he continues to make major contributions to AGA and the profession. One only has to look at his career to be inspired. More than anything, when I think of Sam, I think of the consummate Southern gentleman. At the same time, he can be direct and to the point when that is exactly what’s needed, and he never ceases to amaze me with his wonderful sense of humor.”

An AGA member since 1984 and a founding member of the Tallahassee Chapter, McCall has served on the Professional Certification Board since its inception in 1994 and as a member of the Audit Committee. McCall, 61, spent more than 30 years working for the Florida Auditor General—13 of them as deputy auditor general—before leaving the state nine years ago to become the city auditor of Tallahassee.

AGA Past National President Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, CPA, CFE, CGFO, said he was very pleased to hear that McCall will be honored with the King Award. “It is always a pleasure to communicate with Sam, on a professional as well as social level,” Renthrope said. “Sam's sincere professional commitment and many years of dedication and service in government financial management distinguishes him as most deserving of such recognition. I admire and appreciate his professional integrity and accomplishments, particularly his dedication and service to AGA.”

Looking back at his tenure as National President, several memories stand out for McCall. “My favorite moments as National President included greeting PDC attendees who took the time to stop by the President's suite in San Diego, speaking to attendees at the luncheon on the last day of the conference (with my wife and two of my staff present), and feeling welcome and appreciated by all of the AGA chapters I visited, especially the AGA Baton Rouge and New Orleans Chapters after Hurricane Katrina. I know those chapter members were dealing with many important work and family priorities, but they still took the time to come to the meeting during my visit. That meant a lot to me.”

When asked what accomplishment he is most proud of from his year as President, McCall listed the reprioritizing the National Executive Committee (NEC) agenda to focus on chapter and member needs; the establishment of the Academy for Government Accountability; and having the support of the National Board of Directors to recognize the Professional Certification Board chair and the Corporate Partner Advisory Group chair as necessary, contributing members of the NEC.

Going forward, he hopes to see AGA continue to focus on “advancing government accountability” and providing information that engages citizens in the operation and financial sustainability of their government. “We should treat citizens not as ‘customers’ of the government, but as its owners, having every right to demand and receive information on federal, state and local government performance,” McCall said. “The fiscal issues facing each level of government are too important to assume they will correct themselves without our involvement.”

He added, “AGA is very fortunate to have an extremely qualified executive director and a dedicated and professional National Office staff. With their help, and the continued support of our members, AGA is positioned to have a significant impact on government accountability activities into the future.”

AGA Field Representative and Past National President Bobby A. Derrick, CGFM, said McCall’s outstanding reputation is well known throughout the Association. “I can tell you one of my highlights with AGA was the opportunity and privilege of not only meeting Sam, but being able to work with him,” Derrick said. “I quickly learned, like anyone else who has ever met Sam, that he is a distinguished, honorable and consummate professional with strong family values and a great sense of humor.”

McCall and his wife Anita, a retired second grade teacher, reside in Quincy, FL. They have a son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition,” McCall concluded. “Somehow saying ‘thank you’ does not seem to adequately express my gratitude to those AGA members who have allowed me to be part of this organization.”

Hart said, “Sam has been a great mentor and advisor to me, and someone I am proud to call a friend. I wish him the heartiest congratulations on receiving this prestigious award!”

We suspect that Bob King would concur.

—By: Marie S. Force

TOMORROW: Amy Abbott, CGFM, State of Tennessee, on "The Four Keys to CGFM"

AGA Asks You: If You Had 10 Minutes With the Next President...

AGA Asks You:

If you had 10 minutes with the next President of the United States, what would you want to tell him/her about government financial management?

Yesterday, AGA participated in a panel discussion with the National Academy for Public Administration (NAPA) that discussed this very subject. A White Paper will be published based on the panel's discussion and your feedback.

So you tell us what you'd tell the President.

TOMORROW: Lisa Parker, CPA, GASB, on "The Pioneering Citizen-Centric Reporting Efforts in Saco, Maine"

Questions on posting comments or wish to subscribe to the feed that sends blogs right to your e-mail? Find instructions here. Want to be our guest on the Blog? Contact Marie Force, AGA communications director, at mforce@cox.net.

Advancing Government Accountability

Relmond P. Van Daniker, DBA, CPA, has been the AGA executive director since October 2003. Prior to that, he was the executive director of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) and a professor of governmental accounting at the University of Kentucky for 30 years.

Advancing Government Accountability
Welcome to day two of the AGA Blog! We hope the Blog will become part of your daily routine and will give you another opportunity to network with your peers.

Blogging is the latest communication vehicle we are using to encourage dialogue between AGA, its members and the public. Though I have been around long enough to remember a time before anybody dreamed of the Internet, I’m certainly a convert, and I’m pleased that we can make use of the available tools to keep in touch with our stakeholders.

Gathering feedback has been very much on our agenda lately. We recently commissioned a survey, to be repeated annually, that captured public attitudes toward government accountability and transparency. We revealed the results to members and the public at our National Leadership Conference in late February.

Though the survey findings were not a surprise (generally low opinions of government accountability and transparency were felt across the board, at all levels of government), the survey results gave us a benchmark against which future improvement, or lack thereof, could be measured.
The survey revealed that:
• Government at all levels is failing to meet the needs of its citizens with regard to financial management reporting. There is a large ‘expectations gap’.
• Poor performance on financial management reporting has created a problem of trust between citizens and their governments with regard to spending practices.
• Respondents were specific in the ways in which government can address their needs and improve accountability, including better reporting (open disclosure, easy-to-read reports), a change in attitude in communications (honesty and transparency) and better information in the right channels (websites, through the press).

This feedback is extremely valuable to us as we chart our course for the future. Our Advancing Government Accountability campaign is focused on developing best practices in government accountability and transparency and promoting those practices to the public and to those in government. We strongly believe in the value of government financial information that is clear and understandable; updated regularly and often; delivered to all and easy to locate; and is honest and technically accurate.

Programs such as the Citizen-Centric Reporting, the Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) and the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR), and even our efforts to foster greater intergovernmental cooperation, are all part of this larger effort to advance government accountability. These programs provide the practical means to raise levels of accountability, while our members in government provide the expertise to drive change.

So let me ask you: What do you consider the main challenges with government accountability and transparency, and what can AGA do to help governments address them?