Page 8 - The MIL Connection: Summer 2024

conferences

2024 AGA PDT

MIL was excited to once again serve as a sponsor for AGA’s 2024 Professional Development
Training (PDT), which was held July 14-17 in Denver, Colorado. Those who attended
this year’s events shared and gained valuable insights from leading government financial
management professionals and industry experts. With over 3,000 attendees, PDT offered three
and a half days of educational sessions designed to equip federal, state, and local government,
and private sector financial professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to enhance
leadership, improve performance in cost-constrained environments, and address shared
challenges using best practices. To celebrate the conclusion of another successful PDT, please
join us in reflecting on MIL’s impactful partnership with the AGA.

AGA and MIL: Meeting the government’s federal financial needs from the very beginning

The Association of Government Accountants, nowadays Thirty years after Robert King founded the FGAA, which
known as just “the AGA,” has been providing federal would later rebrand as AGA, Maurice I. Long, Jr. created his
government accounting professionals a place to gather own gathering of likeminded service industry professionals
together to rehash the financial news of the day and have and called his group The MIL Corporation (MIL). And, similar
in-depth discussions on the state of the industry for nearly to AGA, MIL has focused on meeting the needs and goals of
75 years. On inception in September 1950, AGA was the federal financial community from almost its very first
originally designated the Federal Government Accountants day in business. Also, like AGA, MIL has remained dedicated
Association (FGAA), but AGA shed its federal only label for to keeping the government’s financial practices current and
good in 1975 when it expanded its membership to welcome their systems modern and efficient. Flash forward 44 years,
state and local government finance professionals. And in and MIL is still in the business of helping federal financial
2022, the association, in keeping with the times, changed systems keep pace with technological advancements and is
its name again to simply “AGA,” following on the heels of still expanding the federal financial workforce with its own
other iconic organizations rebranding to better reflect the top-notch accountants, auditors, budget specialists, and other
changing nature of their mission and communities of interest. dedicated financial industry professionals. Over their decades
Today, AGA is comprised of over 14,000 members, with the of service to the federal financial community, both AGA and
majority of members, 44 percent, drawn from state and local MIL have sustained their commitment to the association’s
governments. An additional 24 percent come from the federal mission statement to “advance accountability, transparency
space, 19 percent from the private sector (where MIL resides and leadership by promoting education, certification,
in the organization), and the final 13 percent comprised of innovation and collaboration across all levels of government
academic institutions, students, non-profit organizations, as and to stakeholders.”
well as other unaffiliated members.

Over two decades ago, AGA and MIL joined forces to create a partnership that
through the years would not only prove mutually beneficial, but also informative
and valuable to fellow members and the wider federal financial community.
Early on in our corporate membership, MIL and members of our federal financial
workforce stepped up and stood out, becoming not only spectators but active
participants in the AGA organization. Over our many years of continuous AGA
membership, MIL financial services specialists have generously contributed their
AGA and MIL: A Partnership energy and expertise to countless AGA meetings and events—from providing
with a Shared Mission dynamic speakers and seminar moderators to delivering industry talks and leading
professional development sessions. MIL is a Corporate Diamond Level Sponsor of
the Washington DC Chapter, and an active member of the AGA Corporate Partner
Advisory Group (CPAG) at the National level.

8 | the MIL connection | spring 2024
8 | the MIL connection | summer 2024