CGFO Spring Exams

CLICK HERE to register for exams. 

Spring CGFO Exams will take place on Friday, March 24^th, 2023 at the following locations:

CGFO Review Course Webinars

CLICK HERE to register for review courses.
(Review course webinar registration is opening as dates are confirmed)

Financial Administration Part 1
February 14, 2023
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Financial Administration Part 2
February 16, 2023
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Municipal Budgeting
February 22, 2023
9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

CGFO of the Year 

The CGFO certification is earned by passing a five-part exam covering accounting and financial reporting, municipal budgeting, treasury management, debt administration and financial administration. The distinction of CGFO of the Year IS ACHIEVED by passing all five exams with the highest average score for the year.

Congratulations to our 2021-2022 CGFO of the Year

Mistee Eagle

Section Manager
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office

Congratulations to our new CGFOs following the Spring 2022 Exams

Teresa Calio
Accounting Manager
Reedy Creek Improvement District

Shantavia Conner-Ritchie
Director of Finance
City of Kissimmee

Mistee Eagle
Section Manager
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office

Brian Eichinger
Budget Manager
Flagler County Board of County Commissioners

Jennifer Franklin
Fiscal Manager, Enterprise Programs
Hillsborough County

Susan Gobble
City of Tampa

Wesley Grissom
Senior Accountant
City of DeBary

Kelly Jones
Assistant Finance Director
City of Oveido

Phillip Lawson
Accounts Payable Supervisor
Tampa Port Authority

Dallas Lee
Director of Finance & Administration
City of Newberry

Karen Malcolm
Accounting Manager
City of West Palm Beach

Cherice Parrish
Financial Services Accounting Clerk
Citrus County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller

Tammy Patten
Special Projects Coordinator
Volusia County Government
Office of Management & Budget

Jake Teems
Management & Budget Analyst
Volusia County Office of Management & Budget

Jocelyn Upchurch-Hawkins
Accounting Operations Manager
City of Sanibel

Gerald K. Wooten
Senior Budget Analyst
Escambia County Board of County Commissioners

To apply for the CGFO Program

CLICK HERE

CGFO Applicant Requirements

The CGFO program is designed to distinguish professionals engaged in the field of government finance.   Candidates for certification must complete either 36 or 60 months of governmental work experience with appropriate degree.  Qualifying experience consists of employment in a governmental entity (city, county, school district, special district, state or federal) in a professional level non-clerical financial capacity. 

Employment in a financial capacity includes work involving treasury, debt administration, financial
administration, accounting, auditing, budget, risk management, tax management, or purchasing.

External auditors of governmental entities employed by non-governmental entities, i.e. CPA firms, IRS auditors of individual tax returns, internships, and trainees, clerical, or non-technical positions do not provide appropriate experience to fulfill this requirement.

Option 1:

Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts Degree from an accredited college-level institution in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration or a closely related field and a minimum of three years, within the last five years, of governmental related experience; or

Option 2:

Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts Degree from an accredited college-level institution and a minimum of five years, within the last seven years, of governmental related experience and (can be either of the following)

• 20 hours within the last three years in local/state government related training sessions (i.e. FGFOA/GFOA etc.) or

• attend all the CGFO review courses prior to sitting for exams

Note: Work experience will not substitute for an appropriate degree in either a. or b. above.

Reference Requirements

A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required.

• One reference must be from the candidate’s employer (supervisor, manager or human resource official) verifying length of employment, summary of duties currently performed and a statement regarding applicant’s eligibility into the CGFO Program.

• The second letter should be a character reference from a non-family member, preferably from a CGFO or person with another professional designation in the accounting industry.

If the length of time with current employer is less than three (3) years

• A letter from the applicant’s previous employer verifying length of employment and a summary of duties performed is also required. References from employers current or past must document a minimum of three year’s governmental work experience. meet this criterion, more than two references
  may be required in some cases.