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December 1, 2010

NDU’s iCollege Hosts the 20th Year Anniversary Seminar of the U.S. Chief Financial Officers Act

The National Defense University’s Information Resources Management College (NDU iCollege) hosted the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act on Friday, November 19, in the Lincoln Hall auditorium at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.

The CFO Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-576) was created to bring effective financial management to the federal government and mark the beginning of a new era in federal management and accountability. About 300 leaders in government finance, audit, and budget attended the seminar – one of the largest gatherings of its kind. Six central themes were discussed: making financial management more relevant to decision making, reduce waste, close the IT performance gap, find the best talent and streamline the federal hiring process, and reinforce government performance and accountability.

Keynote speakers included Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.), who directed search and rescue operations during Hurricane Katrina and more recently as the National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; and Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-Delaware), who inspired attendees by relating to the audience his four core values: “figure out the right thing to do and do it; embrace the golden rule (the difference between right and wrong); if a job's worth doing, do it well; and don’t ever give up.”

The underlying seminar message was twofold: saluting the efforts of CFOs’ dedication and hard work in doing their part to balance their agency budgets, and renewing the federal financial workforce’s commitment to overcome the federal government’s complex challenges. The new generation of CFOs must understand the importance of balancing domestic economic interests and also the greater global financial footprint. It is apparent that economies are co-mingled and that the future state of government must be open and transparent because the public expects more productivity from government.

Dr. Robert Childs, Senior Director, of NDU’s iCollege, kicked off the conference with these remarks, “the need for CFO’s to really think strategically and to embrace information and information technology is ever present. Government and industry must continue to work together and everyone is held accountable.”

About the College - The NDU iCollege, a U.S. Department of Defense educational institution, prepares leaders to direct the information component of national power by leveraging information and information technology for strategic advantage. Although most students come from DoD (military and civilians), the school also accepts federal agency, private sector, and international students into its graduate programs. Education is focused around CIO, CFO, Information Assurance/Cyber, Enterprise Architecture, IT Project Management, and other information leadership competencies. The NDU iCollege is also currently working with the U.S. Department of Education to obtain approval for its new Government Information Leader Master of Science Degree. Courses are completed on campus and/or online. For more information about the NDU iCollege’s programs, please contact: Jolly Sienda at jolly.sienda.ctr@ndu.edu ; or for general information about the college, visit www.ndu.edu/icollege.

The National Defense University is the nation’s premier center for joint professional military education. The university is an accredited graduate-level institution that provides an educational and research environment to prepare future leaders of the armed forces and other civilian agencies for high-level policy, command, and staff responsibilities. For more information about the National Defense University, please contact: Dave Thomas, Public Affairs Officer, at 202-685-3140 or ThomasD2@ndu.edu; or visit www.ndu.edu.