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ASMC Promoting education, training, and professional development in financial management

Aloha Chapter

JUNE ISSUE VOLUME 1 2014

Na Leo o Ka Luna Kālā “The Voice of the Comptrollers”

Inside this Issue:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ….………………………….. 1

ASMC NATIONAL NEWS/UPCOMING EVENTS …. 2

TRAINING NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES …………..… 3

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM …………..……………….. 4

MEMBERS IN FOCUS ………………….……………. 5 - 7

President’s Message

Mind the Gap Learning and growing takes a conscious effort on our parts to move beyond our comfort zone and realize we have more to learn. There is nothing more dangerous than an individual that thinks they know everything they need to know, or one that asks for feedback yet fails to implement it. This month Dr. John Maxwell, an internationally renown mentor and leader wrote the following short article. Take a moment to read it and see where you are in your leadership and learning gap: "Mind the gap” is a safety announcement, advising passengers of the London Underground metro system to be careful when stepping across the opening between train doors and station platforms. The world’s oldest underground subway system, built 151 years ago, the London Underground contains several stations with rounded platforms, constructed on a curve to avoid important structural foundations in the city. The railway runs straighter than these platforms, hence the unsafe gap between the two. The design of the London Underground illustrates a simple principle of personal development: there’s a gap between where we stand, and where we’re trying to go. To be successful on our journey, we have to be aware of this space and prudent when crossing it. We have to mind the gaps of growth. The Assumption Gap: Assuming Growth Is Automatic. Growth doesn’t just happen. Most people expect to grow naturally, as if by osmosis they can somehow magically absorb the lessons of life. They have no plan for purposeful improvement. They want to fix their problems, but they’re not intentional about fixing themselves. Since they neglect personal growth, they never manage to navigate the growth gap that separates their present reality from their future hopes and dreams. The Knowledge Gap: Not Knowing How to Grow. The average person spends more time planning their vacation than their personal growth. Why do people devote so little attention to such a vital concern? Oftentimes, people are unwilling to bet on themselves. They want others to invest in them, but they’re unwilling to put their own time, money, and reputation on the line in order to better their lives. If you don’t expect yourself to succeed, why should anyone else? You won’t care to know how to grow until you’re convinced that you have extraordinary potential and confident that you can fulfill it. The Timing Gap: Sensing the Time Isn’t Right to Begin. Lots of people embrace a philosophy that’s pro-life and procrastination. They want to live it up today so they delay doing anything requiring diligent effort and hard work. However, the longer you wait to do something you should do now the greater the odds that you will never do it. The Mistake Gap: Fearing Failure. Whenever we dare to try anything great, we’re going to fail somewhere along the way. You’re guaranteed to mess up from time to time as a leader. Avoiding mistakes doesn’t bring success; it keeps you trapped at your current level of growth. The Inspiration Gap: Feeling Unmotivated. Winners do what is right and then feel good as a result. Whiners want to feel good before they do what is right. Life involves an inescapable amount of pain, but it’s far better to endure the pain of discipline today than to suffer the pain of regret later. Thought to Ponder: Which of the growth gaps has been the hardest for you to cross? Why?"

Thanks for all you do Aloha Chapter, Colonel Minkin

President’s Leadership Quote: “Leaders are dealers in hope” Dr. John C. Maxwell

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ASMC NATIONAL NEWS:

House subcommittee approves FY2015 DoD Appropriations Bill Friday, May 30th, 2014

The House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee (HAC-D) has approved the FY2015 Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations bill. According to a committee press release, the HAC-D bill would provide $491 billion for the DoD base budget (excluding military construction), $200 million higher than the president’s request.

The HAC-D bill would also provide $79.4 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) in FY2015. This amount is the same as the placeholder request included in the president’s budget. The White House is expected to submit a detailed OCO request soon.

In a statement that accompanied the subcommittee release, HAC-D chairman Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) said the priorities set in the bill “will enhance readiness for our military so they remain prepared to protect America in an increasingly dangerous world.”

The Subcommittee action was held in closed session so the full details are not yet available. But, the press release highlights some major components of the subcommittee mark.

The HAC-D bill would fund a 1.8 percent military pay raise that is authorized in the House-passed FY2015 Defense Authorization bill. The president’s budget requests a 1 percent pay raise for military personnel. The HAC-D bill also rejects the administration’s proposal to reduce the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH).

The bill proposes to fund the Defense Health Program (DHP) at $31.6 billion, $360 million below the request. The HAC-D bill also adds $100 million to the Defense Commissary Agency funding level.

Funding in the HAC-D bill for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) programs would total $165 billion, $1.4 billion below the request. Within the amount provided in the bill, an additional $1.2 billion is provided for readiness shortfalls and $791 mission to restore funding cuts to facility sustainment and modernization. Offsetting some of these increases are savings from favorable foreign currency fluctuations ($547 million) and overestimated civilian personnel costs ($592 million). Other HAC-D offsets to O&M programs were not identified in committee-released information.

The bill would provide $91.2 billion for procurement programs, $1.6 billion more than the request. Included in the bill’s approved procurement level are funds to build six new ships, buy 38 F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter) and 7 KC-46A tankers, 12 EA-18G Growlers, 87 H-60 Blackhawk and 37 MH-60S/R helicopters. The HAC-D rejects the administration’s proposal to delay a decision on refueling the USS George Washington aircraft carrier until 2016 and provides $789 million for the refueling.

Funding in the bill for research and development (R&D) would be $63.4 billion, $171 million below the president’s request. Programs receiving R&D funding include: a new Air Force bomber, next generation JSTARS, Future Unmanned Carrier-based Strike System, Army Ground Combat Vehicle, and Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

The HAC-D bill also proposes $965 million in recessions of prior-year program funding.

UPCOMING EVENTS

JUNE ASMC LUNCHEON DATE: 17 JUNE 2014 TIME: 1100 – 1300 LOCATION: ENLISTED CLUB, MAUI/MOLOKAI ROOM SPEAKER: LCDR THOMAS A. SHAD TOPIC: THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN

JULY ASMC LUNCHEON DATE: WEEK OF 14-18 JULY TIME: 1100 – 1300 LOCATION: TBD SPEAKER: MR. ED FRITZ

ASMC SURVEY

TAKE A MOMENT TO COMPLETE THE 2014 ASMC

ANNUAL SURVEY. OUR CHAPTER CAN RECEIVE A

$200 CASH AWARD. CONGRATULATIONS

ALOHA CHAPTER FOR ITS

FIVE STAR RECOGNITION!

NATIONAL & LOCAL CHAPTER INDIVIDUAL BUDGETING

AWARD ~~ LT COL THERESA SHEPPARD

LOCAL CHAPTER SMALL

TEAM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD~~

READINESS (FIAR) TEAM 25

TH ID ACCESS DATABASE

TEAM

NATIONAL (3RD PLACE) & LOCAL CHAPTER ESSAY

CONTEST~~ COL STEVEN MINKIN

Visit the Aloha Chapter Website at

http://chapters.asmconline.org/aloha

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

www.facebook.com/asmcaloha

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Audio Education – DoD Financial Management Certification Program:

July 31, 2013 | 10:30 – 12:00 EDT | 1.8 CPEs | $49 per line

Registration is now open for the July Audio Education Session! The Honorable Robert Hale, (Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer) and Ms. Glenda Scheiner (Director, Human Capital and Resource Management, OUSD(C)) will present “DoD Financial Management Certification Program” on Wednesday, 31 July 2013 from 1030-1200 Eastern Daylight Time. We scheduled this audio conference to begin at 1030 due to a request from one of our chapters in Europe, to provide them better opportunity to participate, while we also considered impacts of earlier start for our west coast chapters. Slides (PDF)

Listen to the recorded session. Group Registration

ASMC members that participate in a group environment may earn CPE, based on the following conditions being met.

1. The registrant point of contact must email webmaster with name, estimated number of attendees and confirmed registration number prior to the event. 2. Attendance must be taken at the event and the point of contact must validate that all participants were in attendance for the entirety of the webinar. The attendance roster, in an Excel spreadsheet, must include the columns of first name, last name, email address, and, most importantly, ASMC member ID of all participants. 3. The point of contact must email the attendance roster to webmaster, ASMC National HQ, within 24 hours of the event. Participants can verify their CPE award in the CPE Management tool within 5 business days.

Training News and Opportunities: Aloha Chapter Regional Professional Development Institute Event: Aloha Chapter RPDI Attendees, I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your schedule to spend a day with us at the RPDI. This year's event was a great success with over 200 guests and 3 corporate sponsors in attendance. We had the opportunity to learn about pressing financial issues in the Armed Services and Coast Guard, fiscal law, decision support, FM Certification and more. Slides from the event are posted below. The event was a success because you were there! I hope you learned a lot from the discussions and renewed or formed new friendships in the FM community here in Oahu. Keep learning, keep leading, keep laughing! Colonel Steven J. Minkin, D.M. Chief, Financial Analysis Division PACAF/FMA Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Certificate Location: To obtain your CPE certificate, visit the following website: http://chapters.asmconline.org/aloha/files/2010/10/Aloha-Chapter-RPDI-CPE-Worksheet.pdf The chapter maintains sign-in sheets for verification of attendance.

ASMC Online Training: The ASMC Online Learning Center currently offers recorded sessions from the past two PDIs as well as access to quarterly ASMC Journals and a short exam associated with them. PDI workshops and the Journal exams offer Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit and a certificate to validate user participation.

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Over the past 10 years, our ASMC Aloha Chapter has awarded over $30,000 in scholarships to deserving high school students and ASMC members who are continuing their education. The ASMC Scholarship Committee was interested in finding out if our ASMC Scholarship dollars has made a difference to our community. Through the investigative skills of our Scholarship Chair’s son, Mitchell Garcia, he googled, searched Facebook and Linked In and used a variety of other sources to find where our past Scholarship winners are at and how our scholarship has contributed to their success.

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS, WHERE ARE THEY NOW? By Mitchell Garcia

Scholarship Winner Gregory “GB” Brown was our ASMC Member’s Continuing Education Scholarship winner for 2008 and 2009. At that time, he was CSMSGT Gregory Brown and worked as the Chief, Financial Plans and Operations Branch, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Bases at Hickam AFB. Greg recalls, “When I submitted my application for the scholarship I was determined to have my Master's Degree completed before it was time for me to rotate back to the mainland. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a MSA in Human Resources Administration and was presented my diploma on 2 August 2008 and departed Oahu on 11 Aug 2008. I finished the final two years of my active duty Air Force career at

Robins Air Force Base, Georgia culminating 28 years of honorable service to the defense of our nation in Financial Management. The winning of the scholarship award came in at a very good time because I had exhausted the $4,500 cap for tuition assistance and the award allowed me to continue on my path to complete my degree.” Since then, Greg retired on 1 Dec 2010 and became a civil servant on 3 Jan 2011 with Pacific Air Forces, Financial Management Directorate and worked on the island of Oahu for eight months until he was transferred to the Pentagon to work as a Workforce Development Analyst for SAF/FMEW. As the Palace Acquire Manager for the National Capital Region (NCR), he identifies differences in program approach, streamlines the program throughout the NCR and he also develops policy, language, processes and methods to implement a total program within the NCR, to include identified recruitment, training, conferences, and outplacement. Greg has exciting plans for the future. In Dec 2013, he transferred to SAF/FMB, and will track Air Force Travel and Contract limitations and consolidating sequestration impacts for Active, Guard, and Reserve components and completed his MBA in Program Management with Stratford University in Falls Church, Virginia. He is still an active member of ASMC and is working the on a community service event of preparing a USO Care Package. He sends the following note to the ASMC Ohana:

“It is from the bottom of my heart a "BIG THANK YOU"! I truly miss being a part of such a great family, the beautiful weather and an awesome place to live, play and work. The grant I received helped close the chapter in my life for a graduate degree, graduate in Hawaii alongside Pearl Harbor and helped open the door to my second career in the Federal Government. I spent 28 years on active duty and the ASMC Ohana was the greatest set of people I have encountered in all my time in the Air Force! So, again from the bottom of my heart "Fa'afetai" for allowing me in your life for a short period of time and thanks for the help and support you have given me.”

In Samoan, "Fa'afetai" means thank you. We wish Greg continued success in his career!

ASMC Scholarship Award Program

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Aloha Chapter Members in

ALOHA! To Our New Members

Focus

Joining the ASMC is an investment in yourself, your professional development and your career. As an ASMC member, you become connected to a global community of defense resource management personnel. Regardless of where you are in your career, your ASMC membership offers many paths and opportunities to learn from and interact with your colleagues in ways that will help you meet your professional goals. With your membership, you:

1. Gain insight to information on current trends and development in the financial management of the Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard.

2. Receive a subscription to the Armed Forces Comptroller, the quarterly professional journal of the ASMC, and the ASMC Connection, the monthly e-newsletter. These publications, as well as the ASMC website, contain articles, organizational news and updates on current trends and developments within the financial management community and the ASMC.

3. Receive discounts for registration at the national Professional Development Institute, a three day educational event that provides valuable CPE and networking opportunitites.

4. Have access to online educational opportunities, where members can participate at their own pace, start and stop sessions, and download presentations.

5. Join in one of the more than 140 chapters worldwide. Chapter benefits could include monthly luncheons, local education activities, chapter publications, philanthropic endeavors and more.

6. Receive discounts on enrollment and renewal in the Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) Program, which is one of the key certifications identified by the DoD for financial managers.

7. Have the opportunity to participate in the National Awards Program. This program includes achievement awards, an essay contest, corporate member award, members' continuing education grants, high school scholarships and many chapter program awards.

8. Gain access to the CPE management tool, which allows members to manage, track and record their continuing education experience.

9. Have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership as a chapter officer or committee member. 10. Network with military comptrollers/financial managers and other business organization interested in military comptrollership.

Being a member of ASMC will…

Melissa Andrews George Mceachern Tusapa Taamu Dorina Badget Kristen Moody Reginald Thomas Sarah Chiu Gervacio Moreno Elizabeth Uzelac Donald Clocksin Joel Nonnweiler Susan Viray Telly Estoesta Ann Oda Cassondra Fair Angela Parker Thomas Gary Nichole Rush Regan Halsted Timothy Shaner Andrea Hill Marija Showalter Marlyn Idica-Ramos Joni Smith

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Congratulations to New CDFM & CDFM-A Awardees

Jesse Abreu, CDFM

Kenisha Berry, CDFM

Rhonda Bolles, CDFM

Don Clocksin, CDFM

Rhonda Compton, CDFM-A

Benedicta DeGuzman, CDFM

Regina Goff, CDFM

Sharon Grace Herring, CDFM

Amber James, CDFM

Lisa Kempker, CDFM-A

Tatsiana Krupetskiy, CDFM

Victoria Lia, CDFM

Kris Nezu, CDFM

Joel Nonnweiler, CDFM

Jeremy Trescott, CDFM

Janice Zheng, CDFM-A

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Aloha Chapter Information: The Aloha Chapter of the American Society of Military Comptrollers is a professional organization dedicated to maintaining and improving the high standards of Comptrollership. Emphasis is placed on education, training as well as the exchange of ideas and techniques for resolving common issues of the Services - Department of Defense and Coast Guard. The Aloha Chapter was established in 1977. Current membership is approximately 400 civilian and military personnel, who specialize in all aspects of Financial Management. We are located on the island of Oahu in the State of Hawaii. For further information on how to join, contact any of the Team Service VPs listed. Visit us at:

http://chapters.asmconline.org/aloha Mission: Promote education, training, and professional development in financial management while fostering the spirit of inter-service fellowship and cooperation. Vision: Maintain 5 Star status and achieve “Distinguished Chapter” competition award.

Values: Integrity; Excellence; Commitment

All contents copyright © ASMC Aloha Chapter 2014.

ASMC Aloha Chapter PO Box 29564 Honolulu, HI 96820

All contents copyright © ASMC

Aloha Chapter 2014.