Charleston County Employee Passes Government Finance Officers Certification Exam

Charleston County News Release

MEDIA CONTACT

Name:   Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer

Phone: 843.958.4012

Email:   jdavis@charlestoncounty.org
 
Release Number: 2851

Date: January 17, 2008

 

Charleston County Employee Passes Government Finance Officers Certification Exam

Charleston County Government employee Dolores Dong has passed the South Carolina Government Finance Officers Certification exam. She has worked with the County for 20 years, and lives in West Ashley.
 

“This certification helps government accountants better perform their duties for the citizens of Charleston County,” said Keith Bustraan, Charleston County’s Chief Deputy County Administrator and Chief Financial Officer.
 

This certification program for Government Finance Officers is administered and offered for the Government Finance Officers Association of South Carolina (GFOASC) by the University of South Carolina's Institute for Public Service and Policy Research.
 

The required core courses are: 

-        Financial Planning & Budgeting

-        Capital Planning & Budgeting

-        Financial Management

-        Financial Reporting & Auditing

-        Governmental Accounting

Successful completion of the core courses and a passing grade on the examinations are required for certification as a Certified Government Finance Officer (CGFO).
 

The following Charleston County employees became Certified Government Finance Officers last year:

-        Scott Bartley, CIA, CGAP, Accountant

-        Carla R. Creech, CPA, Assistant Controller

-        Patrick M. Gile, CPA, Budget Director

-        Tony Oglietti, Assistant Budget Director

Charleston County belongs to the National Government Finance Officers Association, as well as the South Carolina Chapter.
 

SIDEBAR: THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA

-        The Government Finance Officers Association of South Carolina (GFOASC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1984, and currently has a membership of approximately 700 government finance professionals.

-        The primary objective of the GFOASC is to “promote and encourage professional competence of individuals who are responsible for and who are held in the trust of public funds.”

-        The GFOASC certification program is a collaborative effort with the University of South Carolina’s Institute for Public Service and Policy Research, and takes the better part of a year to attend courses, prepare for, sit for, and pass a two-day exam.

-        The Government Finance Officer training prepares the government finance professional to better perform in the increasingly complex environment of governmental accounting and finance.

-        To hold certification as a Certified Government Finance Officer in the state of South Carolina is a tremendous accomplishment and only achieved after many long hours of study and experience as a governmental accounting practitioner.

Visit the Charleston County Web site at www.charlestoncounty.org for news, services and up-to-date information relating to Charleston County Government.