Strategic Plan
Strategy is the overall plan, the goals and objectives you have set. Tactics, on the other hand, are the specific things you do to get you there. While these concepts originated on the battlefield, organizations of all types and sizes have adapted these concepts to their own operations. Our Chapter has its strategic plan, which covers a three-year period, to guide our Chapter operations to the benefit of our members, our profession, and our community. You can find the most current strategic plan on our website http://www.aganycap.org/downloads/StrategicPlan.pdf?v=15. That current strategic plan was updated in May 2019 and is for the period 2019-2022. It identifies the following areas of importance to our continued success as a Chapter: Chapter Governance Financial Stability Continuing Professional Education Membership Young & Tomorrow’s Professional Development Certification Community Service Recognition Marketing/Communication Accountability For each of these ten areas, the strategic plan starts with a statement of why this area is important to our Chapter, the CEC member and/or committee who will take the lead in this area, the actions the Chapter plans to take, and finally indicators to know how well we have done in that area. For each of these ten areas, the strategic plan starts with a statement of why this area is important to our Chapter, the CEC member and/or committee who will take the lead in this area, the actions the Chapter plans to take, and finally indicators to know how well we have done in that area. At the beginning of the year, the Chapter Vice Presidents refer to our strategic plan when developing their individual annual operating plans and budgets, to ensure that what they are doing in the short-term ties back into the Chapter’s long-term goals and objectives.
Advancing Government Accountability since 1977
Citizen Centric Report
The CEC then reviews and approves those individual annual operating plans and budgets into an overall Chapter annual operating plan and budget that is aligned with our Chapter’s strategic plan. To show the difference between the strategic plan and the annual operating plan, let’s look at Continuing Professional Education. According to the strategic plan, our goal is to “provide education, training and development opportunities, which support the needs of the government accountability professionals.” The first indicator is “provide at least 60 CPE credits annually.” For 2019-20, we offered a number of half-day and full-day seminars to our members. For 2020-21, we are offering regular one-hour webinars (and even purchased a Go To Meeting license for the chapter). Although we had a different approach (tactics) in each year, both approaches are driven by the same strategy. (And you thought I wasn’t going to circle back to tactics!) Throughout the year, the CEC members review the actions taken by the Chapter against those annual operating plans and budgets. Where appropriate, they make adjustments, noting what is working and what isn’t. And then the Strategic Direction and Bylaws Committee, which is chaired by the Immediate Past President, reviews the strategic plan to incorporate what has and hasn’t worked. We will likely begin working on the 2021-23 strategic plan in mid-January. If you are interested in assisting in that effort, contact me (your Immediate Past President, Jennifer Paperman) at agapap
The Chapter recently submitted its Citizen Centric Report (CCR) to the AGA National Office as part of the Achievement in Chapter Excellence reporting system. The CCR is essentially a four-page annual report to the membership covering who we are, key service and performance activity, financial information and our future challenges. It’s a worthy read to get a real snapshot of the Chapter. You can obtain the CCR at http://www.aganycap.org/downloads/CCR%202020%20Report%20Final.pdf. We also submitted our CCR to AGA National to apply for its Certificate of Excellence in CCR Reporting. We hope to be recognized soon. Another aspect of the CCR Program is for governmental agencies to similarly report their annual status to the citizenry in non-technical terms. The primary purpose is to build trust in government.The CCR is one answer to the public accountability reporting dilemma because it helps the reader answer the question “are we better off today than we were last year?” in plain language. It is a snapshot into an entity’s financial and program performance. Our Chapter plans to reach out to local governments in the Capital Region to see if they have any interest in preparing, with our assistance, the four-page CCR. If you think your locality made be interested or if you want to assist in this effort, please contact Raymond Harris, Vice President of Accountability at rharris12@nycap.rr.com.
You can find more information about the New York Capital Chapter online at: www.aganycap.org
Leadership Opportunities - Call for Nominations
The New York Capital Chapter of the AGA would like to extend to you an invitation to participate in the governance and activities of our Chapter for the upcoming year. Participation in AGA activities offers you a great opportunity to enhance your leadership, organizational, and communication skills, while permitting you the chance to work closely with and network with other finance professionals in State, Federal and local government as well as from the private sector. The health and well-being of our members and leadership team are of paramount importance. Our meetings and events are held being via phone, Zoom, or other remote technology and will remain so until it is safe to meet in person. Officer and Board Member positions offer an opportunity to participate in the organization at a high level. However, if you don’t feel that you are ready for that high-level commitment, committee positions offer members an opportunity to become involved in a more limited capacity. A brief description of the various AGA Chapter positions is provided below. If you are a member and would like to become involved in a leadership or committee position, please contact our incoming Chapter President, Michael Abbott at mabbott16@aol.comby December 31, 2020.
NEW YORK CAPITAL CHAPTER OF THE AGA - COMMITTEE STRUCTURE AUDIT - The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the accounting and financial reporting process of the Chapter, as well as the annual independent assessment of the Chapter’s financial statements. AWARDS - The Awards Committee helps identify members worthy of recognition and assists the President in planning and hosting the Chapter’s annual awards luncheon, generally held in June of each year. The Awards Committee also coordinates submission of nominations for AGA National awards, presented each year at the AGA professional development conferences. BUDGET AND FINANCE - The Budget and Finance Committee works with the President and the Treasurer to develop the Chapter’s operating plan and budget, based on proposals from each Vice President, and submits the draft plan to the CEC for review and approval. CERTIFICATION - The Vice President for Certification leads the Certification Committee’s efforts to promote the CGFM designation to members and non-members and to encourage government agencies and others to recognize the CGFM designation. COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING – The Vice President of Communications and Marketing directs a committee of volunteers who help organize, prepare, and distribute various forms of communication about Chapter programs and events to Chapter members and others, as well as promotes the Chapter to members and non-members. COMMUNITY SERVICE - The Vice President of Community Services leads the Community Service team to develop and implement a well-rounded annual plan of volunteer service projects that demonstrate the Chapter's commitment to "giving something back" to the community. EDUCATION AND PROGRAMS – This committee, chaired by the Vice President for Education and Programs, develops an annual program of training, education, and professional development opportunities on topics of interest and importance to the government accountability community. MEMBERSHIP – The Membership Vice President leads a team of members in recruiting new and retaining current Chapter members.
Presidents Brian Gee, President Jennifer Paperman, Immediate Past President Mike Abbott, President Elect Vice Presidents Shelly Taleporos, Program & Education Deb Harrington, Membership Laura Brown, Community Service Kim Geary, Communication Mark Mitchell, Certification Ray Harris, Accountability Outreach Francesca Greaney, Webmaster Board Members Anthony Trapasso Jeffrey Koch Emily Kunchala Layli Nazirova Ann Marsh Stephanie Slominski Chelsey Fiorini Thalia Melendez Brian Jackson James Vanburen Other Position Members Brian Maclutsky, Treasurer Michael O’Keefe, Secretary Bob Lynch, Registrar Helen Kaczor, Historian Jim Cox, National Chapter Committee Rep
CEC Members