December 2011 Issue - Home - ASMC Cleveland

ASMC TIMES
"Everyday is a Friday"
December President’s Message
Cleveland Chapter December 2011 Issue
One of the people I find the most influential and entertaining is Joel Osteen.
Joel is the pastor of the largest church in the United States, "Lakewood" in
Houston, Texas. He tackles how to be happier seven days a week in his new
book, "Every Day a Friday." I find this perspective not only uplifting but a refreshing
way to look at the day after you have been blessed to awaken to another
one.
I would like to share a story from "Every Day a Friday". It's about John, a
ninety two year old blind man who was just as sharp as could be when his wife,
Eleanor, went to be with the Lord. He didn't feel he should live alone, so John
decided to move into a nice seniors' home. On the morning of the move, he
was up and fully dressed by 8:00 a.m. As always, the elderly gentleman looked
impeccable, with his hair perfectly combed and his face neatly shaven. A cab
picked him up and took him to the seniors' home. John arrived early, as was
his habit, and waited more than an hour before a young aide, Miranda, came
to show him to his new room. As John maneuvered his walker through the
hallways, Miranda described his room in great detail. She said sunlight came
in through a big window, and there was a comfortable couch, and a nice desk
area. Right in the middle of her description, John interrupted her and said, "I
love it. I love it. I love it." Miranda laughed and said, "Sir, we're not there yet.
You haven't seen it. Hold on just a minute, and I'll show it to you." John said,
"No, you don't have to show it to me. Whether I like my room or not doesn't
depend on how the furniture is arranged. It depends on how my mind is arranged.
Happiness is something you decide ahead of time."
As wise old John understood, happiness is a choice. When you wake up in the
morning, happiness is your choice. You can choose what kind of day you want
to have. You can choose to be in a good mood, or you can choose to be in a bad
mood. As we enter into the holiday season and the new year, I recommend
this book to take just a few minutes each day to reflect and put events and circumstances
in perspective. It will give you a mental, emotional and spiritual
lift and will empower you to choose your attitude.
In This Issue
Member News and Events……………………...2&3
Ask ASMC………………………………….….………….3
CDFM News…………………………………….…….….4
Smart Corner………………………………...………….4
Circle of Kindness…………………………………..….4
Financial Management Article……………….……5
National News……………………………………………5
Board Meeting Minutes……………………...………6
Chapter Management………………..……………….7
Luncheon-
January 18, 2012 at The Doubetree
Board Meeting–
Save the Date
December 28th at 11:00 AM in room 2911G
"The ASMC Times is the newsletter of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Society of Military Comptrollers. Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of federal agencies.
Items for inclusion are welcome and should be sent to: ASMC Cleveland Chapter, P.O. Box 99907, Cleveland, Ohio 44199-0907. Phone number is (216) 204-7639. We reserve the right to
edit submissions for content, length, grammar and spelling."

WELCOME ABOARD NEW
MEMBERS!
ASMC Cleveland chapter welcomes
the following members
for December:
Timothy Wagers
Michelle Bonner
Michelle Watson
* Please note that there is a lag time between
the ASMC National and Local registries.
We extend our apologies if you are a
new member and your name does not yet
appear on the list.
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Member Spotlight- John Giammo
By: Elizabeth Ladiha
This month we would like to introduce John Giammo as one of our newest committee
members. John recently joined ASMC in July, and jumped right into being an active memeber.
John is a part of the Marketing committee where he has many responsibilities
that include: producing ASMC event advertisements, managing marketing materials
such as pens, notepads, key chains, giveaway bags, banners, plaques, pins, and brochures,
taking pictures at various events, and updating PowerPoint presentations.
John works in Retired and Annuitant Pay in the New Accounts department at DFAS.
Here, he processes cases for veterans who are retired and are earning a pension, recalled
back to active duty and subsequently revert back to being retired. Prior to joining DFAS,
he worked as a retired Military Pay technician for Lockheed Martin from August of 2008
to December of 2009. In January, John will be partaking in a developmental assignment
with the Navy Audit Readiness.
John decided to join ASMC for the networking opportunities, CDFM certification, community
service events and the PDI conferences. He enjoys the monthly luncheons, social
events and having the opportunity to contribute to and represent a quality professional
organization. John was one of the POCs for the UH Rainbow Babies and Children Hospital
Holiday Drive.
John is currently pursuing an MBA at Cleveland State University and will be graduating
in December 2012. By pursuing his Master's degree he will obtain 24 hours in accounting.
This will allow John to transition into a 510 professional series here at DFAS.
When John is not working some of his hobbies include: being a Cleveland and Ohio State
Buckeyes sports fan, watching football, basketball, and baseball, weight training, exercising,
roller coasters, traveling, trivia, photography, movies, and comedy. John’s advice to
new ASMC members is “Get involved by joining a committee, attend as many events as
possible, find your niche and use your specific talent to enhance the ASMC team.” John’s
favorite quote is by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly
trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Ask ASMC
Q. When will the member appreciation luncheon be this year?
A. The annual Member Appreciation luncheon will be January 18, 2012 at the Doubletree. Submit
a question to “Ask ASMC”, and if your question is selected to be featured in the monthly
newsletter, you will win a prize. Submit all questions to: askasmc@asmccleveland.org
Do you have exciting news to share (i.e. marriage, engagement, birth announcement or degree completion) or would you like to recognize someone
in the ASMC Times? Let us know about it! Please send an email to askasmc@asmc-cleveland.org, and tell us your story, we look forward to hearing
from you!

Earn CPEs
ASMC now offers CPE credit to ASMC
members who take and pass a 10 question
exam based on articles published in the
quarterly journal. Access the learning center
to view the Journal online, or take the
journal exam by following these steps. 1.
visit www.asmconline.org, 2. click on the
Education/Training tab and scroll down to
select online learning, 3. follow the link to
the Quarterly ASMC Journal and Exam.
Prepare for the CDFM Exam
ASMC recommends using the Enhanced
Defense Financial Management Training
Course (EDFMTC) textbook as a study
guide. If you do not already own one it can
be purchased for $65. Directions for purchasing
the textbook can be found at:
http://www.asmconline.org/publications/
text-books/.
Additionally, the study plan “How to Become
a CDFM in Eight Weeks” to be used
in conjunction with the EDFMTC textbook
can be found at:
http://www.asmconline.org/wp-content/
uploads/2011/06/
Toney_Williams_How_to_Become_a_CD
FM_in_Eight_Weeks_6-7-11.pdf.
If you have a question pertaining to the
CDFM exam or certification process please
contact us at askasmc@asmccleveland.org.
Donate EDFMTC Textbooks
The ASMC Cleveland Chapter is asking
members to donate any EDFM Training
Course textbooks that they are no longer
using. The textbooks will be lent out to
assist ASMC members who are currently
studying for the CDFM Certification. Please
contact Tonya.Peterson@dfas.mil or
Laura.Farrell@dfas.mil if you have a textbook
that you would like to donate.
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Fall Social
ASMC members gathered at Frederick’s in Warrensville Heights on Friday November 18th for
the Fall Social. This was a wonderful opportunity for members to network outside of the office
and also enjoy a delicious dinner.
November Luncheon
The November luncheon was held at the Cleveland Public Library featuring
Mr. Keith McGill of Kearney and Company. Mr. McGill was fantastic and
engaged the audience in a discussion about a hot topic in the agency: auditing.
Prior to obtaining his position at Kearney and Company, Mr. McGill
worked for DFAS in a variety of capacities. He was able to leverage his experience
as a former DFAS employee to provide his perspective on the avenue
to audit readiness.

3
Circle of Kindness
Spreading Holiday Cheer
Throughout November and December ASMC has been collecting various items and donations in
order to send “Thank You” care packages to deployed service members. ASMC hopes these packages
will help bring these troops some holiday cheer. ASMC shipped 21 boxes in total with a total
weight of 284 LBS in donations. Thank you to all involved in helping to bring some holiday cheer
for the men and women overseas!
The holiday season is a special time, filled with love, laughter and celebration. For a child and their
family spending the holidays in the hospital, this time of year can be difficult. ASMC wants to help
brighten their spirits by helping children still enjoy the spirit of the holidays while they are away
from the familiar surroundings of home.
Thanks to generous donations we will personally deliver a “cheer basket” to each of the 23 Intensive
Care Unit (ICU) beds at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.
By: Terry Jackson
ASMC Smart Corner
Make Healthy Food Swaps
Portion size aside, some holiday favorites start off far worse for your waistline than others. It's not uncommon
to gain a full pound, or more, during the holiday season. Some swaps to consider:
Crab cake appetizers typically are made with mayonnaise and bread crumbs, and fried. Replace them with
shrimp cocktail.
Candy canes are pure sugar and won't fill you up. To satisfy a sweet tooth, choose small squares of dark
chocolate, which have nutritionally valuable antioxidants.
Eggnog often is packed with calories and sugar, as are pina coladas, daiquiris and cocktails with liqueurs.
Toast with champagne or hot chocolate made with low-fat milk.
Spinach and artichoke dip sounds healthy but is usually fat-heavy due to mayonnaise, sour cream and
cream cheese. Serve a vegetable salsa instead.
Croissants and biscuits seem light and fluffy, but that's thanks to sugar and butter packed within their layers
of dough. Go with whole-grain dinner rolls.
Shortbread cookies are crumbly because of high fat content. Ginger snaps are generally healthier.
Cheesecake can pack lots of fat; while recipes vary, pumpkin pie tends to be a smarter choice.

5
By: Stephanie Paschel
Updated CDFM Renewal Requirements
In an effort to continue to increase the value and distinction of the
Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) designation, the
ASMC is adding a new requirement to the certification renewal
process.
Two of the 80 required CPEs for CDFM renewal must now come
from ethics training. If ethics training is already included in your
agency’s/organization’s professional development requirement, it
can also be used to fulfill this new CDFM renewal requirement.
For more information visit: http://www.asmconline.org/certification/cdfmforms/renewal/
Conferees Agree on FY2012 Defense Authorization bill
House and Senate conferees have completed action on the FY2012 Defense
Authorization bill. The conference agreement $530 billion for DoD’s base budget
(including military construction) which is $23 billion less than the president’s request
($553 billion). The authorization bill also includes $115.5 billion for overseas contingency operations (OCO) which is more than
$2 billion less than the request.
The Defense Authorization bill also includes $16.9 billion for the Department of Energy’s defense activities, mainly for maintaining
and modernizing the nuclear weapons stockpile and for nuclear proliferation programs.
The bill approves the 1.6 percent military pay raise proposed by the president and authorizes requested troop strength levels.
The bill allows a small increase in the TRICARE Prime fee (caps future increases at no more than the retired pay cost-ofliving
adjustment.) and also allows an increase in pharmacy copay charges.
The bill supports DoD’s request for most major weapons programs. It authorizes building 10 ships and approves most requested
funding for major aircraft procurement programs, including the next generation long-range penetrating bomber. It does, however,
cut one of the 19 JSF’s requested by the Air Force
The bill cuts or terminates some programs and reduces Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding in order to pay for increases
to the budget request and to meet the much lower funding total. The military construction request is reduced by $1.7 billion,
including some $500 billion from incrementally-funded programs. Funds are eliminated ($540 million) for the Airborne Common
Sensor/Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS), requested funding for the Joint
Tactical Radio System (JTRS) is reduced by $298 million, and $192 million is cut from Brigade Combat Team Modernization
(BCTM) projects.
Reductions O&M funding include over $400 million from excess unobligated balances, $342 million for decreased operating
tempo, and $605 million due to excess cash balances in the Defense Working Capital Fund (DWCF).
Conferees agreed to freeze spending on contract services at the FY2010 level. This would make the contractor services cut comparable
to the freeze on the federal civilian workforce, according to the conference summary explanation. The bill also expands
the $400,000 cap on defense contractor executive salaries to include all contractor employees, not just the top five highest-paid
in each company, but provides an exemption for scientists and engineer.
Following up on Secretary Panetta’s accelerated goal of achieving an auditable Statement of Budgetary Resources by 2014, the
bill requires DoD to develop a plan that sets milestones, metrics, and strategies to meet that goal.
The bill also includes language which, for the first time, makes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (NGB) a full member of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Currently, the NGB chief attends JCS meetings and provides advice on national security issues.
The FY2012 Defense Authorization bill now moves to the House and Senate for a final vote. The conferees appear confident that
the changes made to custody of detainees provisions will avoid a presidential veto.
Source: http://www.asmconline.org/2011/12/conferees-agree-on-fy2012-defense-authorization-bill/
News From ASMC National Headquarters
Save the date for PDI 2012!
PDI 2012 will be held at the Anaheim Convention
Center May 29 - June 1, with a theme of Professionalism
in Action. Registration for PDI and the hotel reservation
system will open in early February
2012. Stay tuned to http://pdi2012.org/
for more information.

ASMC Board Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Location: 2911 G
Attendees: Jason Denmeade, Laura Farrell, Bryant Ealy, Carmen Colombani, Kim Carpenter, Dan Boss, Mike Ciccolini, Shana Gronostaj, Jessica Rust, Frankie Denmeade, John Giammo, Shellice Forrester, Lance Jones,
Zachary Bendzuck, Monte Mitchell, George Harris, Kimberly Hawthorne, Fransisco Rivera-Hernandez, Charvez Forte-Walker, Bryan Conway, Koushik Nalluru, Kim Hawley, Cheryl Halsey, Toris Johnson
Membership
Youngstown Membership Drive is in the works
Recruiting contest runs through Wed., 11/30; the prize is an iPod
Non-renewal emails were sent out to those who did not renew memberships to find out why
CDFM Mod 3 is scheduled for 12/14; 8 people interested so far
Scholarships
Board approved 3 $500 scholarships (2 for high schools, 1 for an ASMC member)
Will be promoted at schools and via the internet (Facebook, Fastweb, etc.)
Advertise starting in December
High school scholarships to be awarded at the local PDI
Member scholarship to be awarded in April 2012 when Jennifer Sizemore (ASMC National) visits
Nominations
Nominees will have the chance to introduce themselves at the luncheon prior to the election
Still working on revision of chapter bylaws/constitution
President-elect position to be added
Entire membership will get to vote on changes via email
Majority (2/3rds) rules, limited voting window
Corporate Sponsorship
Secretary
Sponsorship check was received and given to Treasurer for deposit; paid for Fall Social
Various businesses have been contacted – Deloitte, PMI, Sushi Rock, KPMG, Cohen & Co., etc.
Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition may give us t-shirts if we volunteer for community events such as Habitat for Humanity
U. of Phoenix will not be sponsoring, but are potential speakers for luncheons/events
Marketing
Chapter colors
Currently gold and green
Vote was taken to order marketing pens in green and blue
We will be reordering pens, notepads
John Giammo to provide specs so that the board can vote to approve expenditure at the next board meeting
Website
Webmaster noted that a location needs to be found to work on the website as North Point’s wireless internet is unreliable
Social Networking
Facebook page is a work-in-progress; Koushik to meet with Jaclyn during the week of 11/28
Publicity
We no longer have bulletin boards by the elevator banks, so we will have to find a new way to advertise
We can use easels and put posters in elevator banks, especially in the lobby
We can hang flyers on the inside of doors
Challenge: Publish an article in the Armed Forces Comptroller for 5 Star – issued to John Giammo and Brian Lewis
Community Service
Care packages for troops will be assembled on 11/28, room 2352, 11-1:30
Donated cash will be sued for additional supplies or shipping costs
We will deliver cheer baskets to the ICU and other patients at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital again in December
Treasury Roughly $44K in treasury
Programs
Program VP and subcommittee are working to firm up dates
Database has been created which holds information on events including dates, venues, speakers, etc.
Speakers are hard to find; alternate venues are being looked into
Question about recurrence of social gatherings – response: quarterly at least, every couple of months would be preferred
December dinner will replace Dec. Luncheon – 12/16
Location – Sushi Rock
IRS is a possible speaker, no backup speaker in place at this time
January Luncheon – working to get the FBI as a speaker
Location – Sushi Rock
IRS is a possible speaker, no backup speaker in place at this time
February Luncheon w/ AGA featuring Mrs. McKay
Jason/Jessica working to firm up dates; POC has been nonresponsive
Planning meeting w/ AGA scheduled for 12/2
April Luncheon feat. Jennifer Sizemore of ASMC National
Tentative location – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
May Luncheon feat. Donna Wolf, DRAS Project Lead (tentative)
Cheryl proposed webinar/brownbag luncheons
Members can earn CPEs
Programs can work with Education Subcommittee
Local PDI
Jason and Mike Hoffman (AGA) met with Cleveland’s Strategic Business Council; $7500 was approved in support of the local PDI
Potential venues include CSU Wolstein Center and Student Center; prices are about even; waiting on layouts from CSU
Miscellaneous
6
ASMC-CL has acquired a laptop
ASMC’s projector screen will be stored with the Learning Solutions group’s equipment, marked “ASMC”
Board approved acquisition of a projector/carry case for use at events, NTE $750
Mike Ciccolini to purchase

7
ASMC TIMES STAFF
Stephanie Flynn –Editor
stephanie.flynn@dfas.mil
216-204-4407
Terry Jackson
terry.jackson@dfas.mil
216-204-1231
Elizabeth Ladiha
elizabeth.ladiha@dfas.mil
216-204-7844
Shayna McCauley
shayna.mccauley@dfas.mil
216-204-3286
Stephanie Paschel
stephanie.paschel@dfas.mil
216-204-3029
Matthew Sylvain
matthew.sylvain@dfas.mil
216-204-2784
Visit Us Online At:
http://www.asmc-cleveland.org/ -
ASMC Cleveland Chapter
http://www.asmconline.org/ -ASMC
National
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President
Vice President-Membership
Vice President-Programs
Vice President-Nominations
Treasurer
Secretary
Past President’s Advisory Board
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Executive Assistant
Membership-Awards
Membership-Retention
Membership
Membership
Membership
Local PDI
Local PDI
Education/Scholarship
Education/Scholarship
Education/Scholarship
Treasurer
Social Networking
Publicity
Marketing
Strategic Committee
Strategic Committee
Strategic Committee
Luncheon Committee
Luncheon Committee
Special Events
Community Service
Community Service
Community Service
Community Service
CDFM
CDFM
Corporate Sponsorship
Webmaster
Webmaster
Jason Denmeade
Cathy Furr
Monte Mitchell
Cheryl Halsey
Kim Hawley
Jaclyn Donadio
Jeff Hayden
Jessica Rust
Keela Lawrence
Bryan Conway
Bryant Ealy
Bertie Lance Jones
Carmen Colombani
Francisco Rivera-Hernandez
Kim Carpenter
Diana Jin
Toris Johnson
Shellice Forrester
Shana Gronostaj
Koushik Nalluru
Brian Lewis
John Giammo
Michael Ciccolini
Jaime Kudary
Joe Zachar
Monte Mitchell
Zachary Bendzuck
George Harris
Cosmore Davis
Amanda Preis
Candace Johnson
Frankie Denmeade
Tonya Peterson
Laura Farrell
Charvez Forte’ Walker
Matt Schubeck
Dan Boss