I appreciated Jonathan Cherry and Margarita Labarta's July
article about the seven characteristics of organizations well-prepared
for audits. They are applicable to governmental organizations as well as
nonprofits. I fully agree that the CFO needs to be a certified financial
person, but being a CPA might not be the best certification for a CFO in
a particular business or organization. Having come from a
nongovernmental background, I found that being a Certified Management
Accountant was much more applicable to the "business" of doing
business. CPAs are great at auditing and taxes, but CMAs have a much
broader background and often are more suited to the everyday business
decisions that need to be made in an organization. Looking for a CMA is
just another option an organization could consider when hiring for that
all-important CFO position.
Linda Collins, CMA
Deputy Director-Human Services
Finance Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector
Fresno County, California
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