R 092011Z JAN 12 ALCOAST 013/12 COMDTNOTE 1650 SUBJ: 2011 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO) AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC R 041412Z OCT 11/ALCOAST 465/11 1. IN ACCORDANCE WITH REF A., THIS MESSAGE ANNOUNCES THE COAST GUARD RECIPIENTS OF THE 2011 DHS CFO ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM. THE MEMBERS BELOW WERE RECENTLY RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR EXEMPLARY CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) FINANCIAL COMMUNITY OVER THE LAST YEAR. 2. I AM HONORED TO ANNOUNCE THE COAST GUARD RECIPIENTS OF THE 2011 DHS CFO AWARDS IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: A. DHS CFO SPECIAL AWARD FOR INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT: MS. MARGO SHERIDAN, DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL OPERATIONS/COMPTROLLER, COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, DC. THIS AWARD IS GIVEN TO THE INDIVIDUAL WHOSE ACHIEVEMENTS EPITOMIZE THE BEST OF THE DHS CFO COMMUNITY. MS. SHERIDAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE COAST GUARDS OVERALL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT READINESS BY LEADING THE COAST GUARD AUDIT REMEDIATION TEAM. AS A RESULT OF THE TEAMS EXTRAORDINARY EFFORTS, THE COAST GUARD WAS ABLE TO ASSERT TO THE COMPLETENESS AND ACCURACY OF THE BALANCES OF MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF THE BALANCE SHEET VALUE. THIS LEADERSHIP DRAMATICALLY SUPPORTED DHS IN ACHIEVING THEIR FIRST EVER QUALIFIED AUDIT OPINION IN FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2011. B. AUDITORS AWARD FOR SUPERIOR MISSION ACHIEVEMENT: LCDR AMY FLORENTINO, COMDT (CG-85), COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, DC. HER EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS DEMONSTRATED WITH MULTIPLE AUDIT REMEDIATION TEAMS HELPED LEAD TO DHS ACHIEVING A QUALIFIED OPINION FOR FY11. LCDR FLORENTINO LED THE GENERAL LEDGER AND FINANCIAL REPORTING REMEDIATION AND THE ACTUARIAL MEDICAL LIABILITY TEAMS WHICH IMPROVED THE COAST GUARDS ACTUARIAL MEDICAL LIABILITY, THE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND THE FUNDS BALANCE WITH TREASURY PROCESSES. IN ADDITION, SHE DEVELOPED REMEDIATION PLANS TO SUPPORT THE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE LINE ITEMS ON THE COAST GUARD BALANCE SHEET. FINALLY, LCDR FLORENTINO LED THE FUNDS BALANCE WITH TREASURY REMEDIATION TEAM WHICH HELPED PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION AND TRANSACTION TRACING FOR ADJUSTMENTS AND MANUAL JOURNAL ENTRIES IN ADDITION TO STREAMLINING THE MONTH AND QUARTER END FINANCIAL STATEMENT PREPARATIONS. C. SERVICE AWARD FOR SUPERIOR MISSION ACHIEVEMENT: MS. LUSHENS MCNAMARA, COAST GUARD FINANCE CENTER, CHESAPEAKE, VA. HER OUTSTANDING PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE ESTIMATE AND IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS HELPED FORM THE BASIS OF THE COAST GUARDS YEAR-END ACCRUED PAYABLES. MS. MCNAMARA LED A TEAM OF ACCOUNTANTS AND ASSISTANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TESTING OF MYRIAD DOCUMENT TYPES, CREATING CHECKLISTS FOR MANAGEMENT REVIEW, AND DOCUMENTING REVIEWS AND APPROVAL SIGNATURES. HER ANALYSIS OF THE FY11 ACCRUAL REQUIRED TESTING OF 1,000 EXPENDITURE TRANSACTIONS TO DETERMINE THE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. MS. MCNAMARA ALSO COMPLETED QUARTERLY GENERAL LEDGER RECONCILIATIONS, STATEMENT OF STANDARDS FOR ATTESTATION ENGAGEMENTS, 16 REVIEWS ON INVESTMENTS, IMPREST FUND AUDITS, PAYMENT REVIEW AUDITS, AND FEDERAL MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE INDICATOR REPORTING. D. BUDGET, PLANNING AND EVALUATION FOR SUPERIOR MISSION ACHIEVEMENT: LCDR MARK MCDONNELL, COMDT (CG-82), COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, DC. HE DISPLAYED EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE IN FORMULATING THE COAST GUARDS ENTIRE 10.3 BILLION DOLLAR FY12 PRESIDENTS BUDGET AND 47 BILLION DOLLAR 5-YEAR FUTURE YEAR HOMELAND SECURITY PROGRAM. LCDR MCDONNELL WORKED WITH COAST GUARD, DHS, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET (OMB), AND CONGRESSIONAL STAFFS TO BEST ACCOMPLISH DHS AND COAST GUARDS STRATEGIC RESOURCE PRIORITIES. E. SUPERVISORY AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE: CDR MARC KNOWLTON, C4IT SERVICE CENTER, NORFOLK, VA. AS COMPTROLLER AND DEPUTY ASSET LOGISTICS DIVISION CHIEF FOR THE COAST GUARD COMMAND, CONTROL, COMPUTERS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE CENTER (C4IT SC), CDR KNOWLTON TRANSFORMED AND SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATED COAST GUARD WIDE C4IT BUSINESS AND FISCAL PROCESSES. IN ADDITION, HE EMPOWERED HIS STAFF OF 35 FINANCIAL AND LOGISTICS MANAGERS IN EMPLOYING PRINCIPLED, HOLISTIC EXECUTION OF A 506 MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET FOR A 1,800 PERSON ORGANIZATION. FINALLY, CDR KNOWLTON CENTRALIZED ALL OF THE HELP DESK SUPPORT YEILEDING A 6.9 MILLION DOLLAR RECURRING SAVINGS TO THE COAST GUARD. F. OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE: MS. SERENA SANCHEZ, COMDT (CG-8R), COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, DC. HER SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE LED TO DEVELOPING A ROBUST PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR THE COAST GUARD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE. MS. SANCHEZ WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTANTS (AGA) AND THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MILITARY COMPTROLLERS (ASMC) TO DEVELOP INTENSIVE REVIEW COURSES THAT INCLUDED EXAMINATIONS AND CERTIFICATION TESTING. HER EFFORTS RESULTED IN THE COAST GUARD ACHIEVING THREE TIMES MORE CERTIFIED PERSONNEL IN A SINGLE YEAR, FY11, THAN THE PAST TEN YEARS COMBINED. ADDITIONALLY, MS. SANCHEZ PROVIDED TRAINING TO MORE THAN 103 COAST GUARD FINANCIAL MANAGERS AS WELL AS RESEARCHED AND PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FINANCIAL COMMUNITY TO EARN MORE THAN 1,800 CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION CREDITS (CPES). G. HERITAGE AWARD FOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: CAPT MARK ROSE, COMMANDING OFFICER COAST GUARD FINANCE CENTER, CHESAPEAKE, VA. HIS OUTSTANDING 30-YEAR CAREER CONTRIBUTIONS DIRECTLY SUPPORTED BETTER STEWARDSHIP AND IMPROVED FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE COAST GUARD. WHILE SERVING AS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE COAST GUARDS EXCHANGE SYSTEM AND MORALE, WELL-BEING, AND RECREATION PROGRAM, CAPT ROSE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE COAST GUARDS RETAIL OPERATIONS WITH ANNUAL SALES OF 120 MILLION DOLLARS ENCOMPASSING OVER 65 STORES AND 870 EMPLOYEES. CAPT ROSE HAS MOST RECENTLY SERVED AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF FINCEN WHICH IS CHARGED WITH PROVIDING RESPONSIVE PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING AND PAYMENT SERVICES FOR THE COAST GUARD, THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, AND THE DOMESTIC NUCLEAR DETECTION OFFICE. FINALLY, CAPT ROSE HAS LED FINCEN IN REMEDIATING MATERIAL AUDIT WEAKNESSES AND IMPROVING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONTROLS WHICH WERE CRITICAL IN DHS ACHIEVING ITS FIRST QUALIFIED OPINION. H. COMPTROLLER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR MISSION ACHIEVEMENT GROUP AWARD: COAST GUARD FINANCE CENTER FINANCIAL REPORTING TEAM. THE TEAM MADE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS TO EFFICIENCY AND ACCURACY OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT REPORTING PROCESS. THEY IMPLEMENTED NUMEROUS IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MONTH END FINANCIAL STATEMENT REPORTING FUNCTION THAT RESULTED IN A MORE STREAMLINED, ACCURATE AND EFFICIENT PROCESS. THE TEAMS CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE GREATLY IMPROVED TIMELINESS, ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF COAST GUARD FINANCIAL DATA BY STREAMLINING METHODOLOGIES AND IMPLEMENTING AUTOMATED TOOLS. I. AUDITORS AWARD FOR SUPERIOR MISSION ACHIEVEMENT GROUP: COAST GUARD AUDIT READINESS TEAM. THE TEAM SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED COAST GUARD AUDIT READINESS AND OVERALL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. THEY SET A COLLECTIVE GOAL TO REDUCE THE COAST GUARDS SIX MATERIAL WEAKNESSES DURING FY11 AND FORMED ACTION TEAMS TO ENSURE THAT ASSETS, LIABILITIES, AND NET POSITION WOULD BE AUDITABLE. THE TEAM WORKED TIRELESSLY TO FOCUS ON THE AUDIT REMEDIATION. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THEIR EXTRAORDINARY DEDICATION TO DUTY, THE COAST GUARD WAS ABLE TO ASSERT TO THE COMPLETENESS AND ACCURACY OF THE BALANCES OF NEARLY ALL ASSETS, LIABILITIES, AND NET POSITION. J. KEYSTONE AWARD FOR SUPERIOR MISSION ACHIEVEMENT GROUP: COAST GUARD MANAGEMENT CONTROL TEAM. THE TEAM LED THE COAST GUARDS EFFORTS TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE FEDERAL MANAGERS FINANCIAL INTEGRITY ACT (FMFIA) AND OMB CIRCULAR A-123 IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE DHS QUALIFIED AUDIT OPINION. THEY SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED A STRATEGY FOR RE-VITALIZING A USCG MANAGEMENT CONTROL PROGRAM IN LESS THAN A YEAR AND COMPLETED A FULL CYCLE OF A-123 TESTING FOR KEY BUSINESS AREAS. THE TEAM METICULOUSLY PLANNED ALL ANNUAL ACTIVITIES, MET EVERY DHS DELIVERABLE, IMPLEMENTED THE COAST GUARDS MANAGEMENT CONTROL PROGRAM STRATEGY INITIATIVE, EXECUTED THE INTERNAL CONTROLS FY 2011 ASSESSMENT CYCLE, AND CONDUCTED THE COAST GUARDS FIRST-EVER RISK ASSESSMENTS IN SUPPORT OF OMB CIRCULAR A-123. K. BUDGET, PLANNING AND EVALUATION AWARD FOR SUPERIOR MISSION ACHIEVEMENT GROUP: ENERGY BUDGET MODEL MANAGEMENT TEAM. THE TEAM SKILLFULLY PLANNED AND EXECUTED 310 MILLION DOLLARS IN ENERGY FUNDING DURING FY 2011. THROUGH THEIR PROFESSIONALISM, PERSEVERANCE, AND DEVOTION TO DUTY THEY MAXIMIZED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE THROUGH PRECISE ENERGY FORECASTING DURING A VOLATILE ENERGY MARKET WHILE DECREASING THE COAST GUARDS ENERGY FOOTPRINT BY FUNDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS. IDENTIFYING THE NEED TO ACCURATELY PREDICT ENERGY EXPENDITURES DURING A PERIOD OF VOLITALE PRICE CHANGES, THE TEAM DEVELOPED A COMPREHENSIVE MODEL TO FORECAST ENERGY EXPENDITURES USING HISTORICAL DATA, U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION SHORT TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK, DEFENSE LOGISTIC AGENCY ENERGY INFORMATION, AND CRUDE OIL FUTURES DATA. 3. I CONGRATULATE THESE AWARD WINNERS ON THEIR SUCCESS. THIS DHS WIDE RECOGNITION IS A TESTAMENT TO THE TREMENDOUS EFFORT THE COAST GUARD IS MAKING AT ALL LEVELS OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TO IMPROVE ACCOUNTABILITY AND MODERNIZE THE FUNDAMENTAL FINANCIAL PROCESSES BY WHICH WE DO BUSINESS. THE WORK OF THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR SERVICE AND, WHILE WE STILL HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO IN OUR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT READINESS, THE WORK DONE TO DATE IS NOTEWORTHY - BZ TO ALL FOR A JOB WELL DONE. 4. RDML S. P. METRUCK, ASSISTANT COMDT FOR RESOURCES/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SENDS. 5. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.