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AGA History

Celebrating 50 Years1950-2000

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It was an auspicious gathering. Oneday after AGA began its 50th Anniver-sary celebration, four Past National Presidents came together to discuss theirAGAexperiences—as members, as lead-ers and as the only four women to holdthe Association’s highest elected office.Their stories varied, but one themeemerged. Each was in the right place atthe right time to affect real change and tohelp lay the foundation for today’s AGA.

Eleanor M. Clark, CGFM, June GibbsBrown, CGFM, Virginia B. Robinson,CGFM, and Virginia S. Brizendine,CGFM, held the top post during somedifficult years and led the Associationwith skill and determination. To be in thepresence of these four women is to knowhow close AGAcame to being a very dif-ferent organization. State and local mem-bers were threatening to secede, financeswere in disorder, the education programwas floundering and there was no cleardirection of where the Association washeaded or even who it was supposed toserve. Because each of these women hadknown significant challenges in theirprofessional careers, they ended upbeing uniquely qualified to lead the Association through difficult times.

The First WomanEllie Clark was first, in 1981-1982, and

no one was more surprised than shewas. When she graduated from TheGeorge Washington University, shecouldn’t get an interview with a nation-al public accounting firm because shewas a woman. The private sector’s losswas government’s gain. All of thewomen agree that government was al-ways ahead of the private sector in open-

ing doors to women and minorities. As Clark’s government career pro-

gressed, she was encouraged by a colleague to join AGA to enhance herprofessional development. While shefound that the organization welcomedall comers, it never occurred to her toseek out a national leadership position—until she was asked to consider a run forNational President.

“I was overwhelmed at such a no-tion,” Clark said, describing her reactionto being asked. Becoming President, itturned out, was not automatic, evenwith the endorsement of the Nominat-ing Committee. For the first time thatanyone could remember, an oppositioncandidate came forward at the lastminute and managed to win one chap-ter away from Clark. But she won all theothers and began two years as President-Elect and President, traveling to morethan 60 chapters. At no point during herterm, did Clark feel that she was treateddifferently because she was a woman—the first woman to lead the Association.

“It didn’t seem to ever again be anissue,” said Clark, who retired from thefederal government as the chief finan-cial officer of the Federal Housing Administration and is now working asan international financial managementconsultant. “You just have to get over thehump.”

While she is known for being the first female National President, she is especially proud of several significant accomplishments during her year.

Recognizing the serious deficienciesin AGA’s education program, Clark led amajor effort to redefine AGA’s educationgoals, to restructure program substanceand to enhance delivery mechanisms to

Editor’s Note: As part ofAGA’s 50th Anniversary celebration, this new department will be featured in upcoming issues, featuring leaders,issues and events that have shaped the Association’s past andcharted its course forthe future.We hope youenjoy this look back.

AGA’s Four Female Past National Presidents Reminisce About Turbulent Times and the Great Honor of Leading the AssociationBy: Marie Sullivan Force

Ellie Clark

June Gibbs Brown

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achieve the “biggest bang for the buck.”A Common Body of Knowledge for Govern-ment Financial Managers and Auditors(CBOK), issued during Clark’s term, be-came the basis for shaping major modifi-cations to the education program. Mostnoteworthy, was the restructuring of theannual Professional Development Con-ference to provide in-depth training inkey technical financial management sub-ject areas such as accounting, auditing,budgeting and technology, and to em-phasize the importance of continuingprofessional education to the governmentfinancial management profession.

State and Local Champion“Ellie did such an excellent job that it

was never a question again that awoman could provide the leadershipthat the membership needed,” said JuneGibbs Brown, who was second.

Brown encountered some discrimi-nation herself on her journey to the National Presidency, during the 1985-1986 program year. As the number onegraduate in a class of 1,800 students, shewas also unable to get an interviewwith a public accounting firm becauseof her gender. Like Clark, she foundgovernment to be a much more wel-coming environment and by the timeshe was elected President, she hadserved as inspector general at two fed-eral agencies. Today, she is the inspectorgeneral of the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services.

During her tenure, Brown champi-oned the cause of state and local government members, who believedthey were not getting what they neededfrom the Washington, D.C.-based AGA.Members were threatening to quit andjoin the Government Finance OfficersAssociation. One of the big issues during Brown’s presidency was over-coming the mind-set that no one outsideof the Washington, D.C. area could beNational President.

She is proud of the resolution thatpassed during her year providing thatone out of every three years, the AGANational President would be from out-

side of Washington, D.C. This openedthe door for state and local leadershipand allowed federal members workingoutside of Washington to take on lead-ership positions.

“It changed the course of AGA,”Brown said. Indeed, today more thanhalf of AGA’s members work in stateand local governments.

Expanding State and Local Involvement

Virginia Robinson had never givenmuch thought to being National Presi-dent until she witnessed the success of Brown’s term. “I felt as though the Association had saved a whole group ofproblems for the person most qualifiedto handle them, and that person wasJune,” Robinson said.

Robinson was preceded by MeredithWilliams, CGFM, the first President fromthe state and local community. While theAssociation was grappling with wide-spread change, its financial health haddisintegrated significantly. Robinsongrappled with this enormous challengeand with the help of a lot of dedicatedcolleagues completed her term with theAssociation's finances in good condition.To make the most of her appointment tothe National Executive Committee at atime when there was still considerableconcern about real inclusion of state andlocal leadership in the organization, sheappointed a state and local member tothe committee.

As National President in 1989-1990,she visited 57 chapters. “That year wasone of the best experiences of my career,”said Robinson, who retired from federalservice as the executive director of theJoint Financial Management Improve-ment Program and works today as aconsultant.

The Used Band DirectorVirginia Brizendine came to the ac-

counting profession after working foryears as a high school band director. Asan accounting school graduate at age 30,she found discrimination not becauseshe was a woman, but because she was

AGA History

Virginia Robinson

Virginia Brizendine

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considered old. “I found there was no great need out there forused band directors or older entry-level accountants,” she saidwith a smile.

As she began her career working for the State of Missouri,she found her AGA membership to be instrumental in mak-ing valuable contacts with her peers around the country and asa source for the continuing professional education she neededto stay current.

“I had access, and if I wanted a job, I could get one,” she said.Brizendine noted that Brown was National President at the thirdProfessional Development Conference she attended and recallsbeing so impressed to see a woman leading the organization.

Her support of Charles L. Harrison, CGFM, as National Pres-ident from Tennessee, paid off later with his support of her asthe first female state and local National President in 1995-1996.Brizendine’s legacy as President was pushing the Associationto be more than anyone had ever thought possible. As thegrandfathering period for the Certified Government FinancialManager (CGFM) Program was drawing to a close, Brizendinecalled for 10,000 CGFMs, 3,000 more than the goal the Profes-sional Certification Board had set.

“I didn’t think we were dreaming high enough with CGFM,”

she said. She was right—the final total was more than 13,000when her term and the grandfathering period ended on June 30,1996. She also advocated an aggressive membership campaignand has championed AGA’s education program for years.Today she is the chief financial officer for the Missouri PublicSchool Retirement System/Non-Teacher School Employee Re-tirement System.

“Until you have been National President, you don’t realizehow much time and energy other Presidents have given to thisorganization,” she said, adding that when it was over, she sat onher deck, put her feet up and said, “ah, I’ve got my life back!”

Looking ForwardWhile the four women agree that being a Past President means

exactly that, they are still aware of the challenges facing AGA.Keeping up with the changing profession, determining prioritiesand maintaining education and networking opportunities arevital concerns. However, they agreed that maintaining theCGFM Program is critical to the Association’s future.

“There’s no turning back,” Clark said, “we are in this forgood.” Spoken like a true pioneer.