Financial Management Leaders Honored

Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Award recipient - D. James (Jim) Sturgill, Assistant Commissioner, Government-wide Accounting, Financial Management Service, Department of the Treasury				Special Award conferred to the late Dr. Robert Kilpatrick, Office of Management and Budget
		Special Recognition to outgoing Comptroller General David Walker for his distinguished leadership as a JFMIP Principal

Three financial management leaders were honored by the federal financial management community. The Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Award was presented to D. James (Jim) Sturgill, Assistant Commissioner, Government-wide Policy, Financial Management Service, Department of the Treasury, and a special award was posthumously conferred to Robert W. Kilpatrick for his extraordinary career of dedicated service in improving federal financial management. Justine Rodriguez Kilpatrick accepted the award. Outgoing Comptroller General David M. Walker was recognized by OPM Director Linda Springer for his significant contributions as a JFMIP Principal.

The awards were presented at the March 11, 2008 Federal Financial Management Conference in Washington, DC. The Conference was jointly sponsored by the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) Principals, Financial Systems Integration Office, General Services Administration; and the Graduate School, USDA. The JFMIP Principals are the Secretary of the Treasury, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director, and the Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Jim Sturgill was recognized for exceptional and sustained leadership in financial management improvement in the Federal Government. He leads an organization that maintains the U.S. federal government’s central financial accounting systems. These systems process and report on transaction flows of over $4 trillion annually. Among his numerous accomplishments, Mr. Sturgill led an effort to publish the Monthly Treasury Statement seven business days earlier than the previous publication date. Providing this important financial information in an earlier timeframe is of enormous value to policy makers and financial markets.

He was also a leader in the effort to accelerate the release of the Consolidated Financial Report of the Federal Government to December 15th, or 75 days following the close of the fiscal year, better than the performance of most private sector companies. Jim is an exceptional blend of visionary leader and results-oriented executive. He continues to provide leadership to bold financial management projects that will modernize the Federal Government’s core accounting system and processes, streamline reporting requirements for federal agencies, and provide timely and accurate data for federal financial managers.

Robert (Bob) Kilpatrick was recognized for improving federal financial management, particularly in credit reform, social insurance, and fiscal sustainability reporting.
Dr. Kilpatrick joined the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1971 after being an economics professor at Cornell University. He worked with the Department of the Treasury, GAO and other federal agencies on budget issues. He helped establish the current methods for measuring the budgetary cost of Federal credit programs.

He was an OMB lead person in developing standards for Federal accounting and auditing. Bob represented the United States and OMB at international budget conferences sponsored by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation. He was regularly consulted by the international accounting standard setters about proposed standards. He was called to handle innovative budget concepts, such as generational accounting, which he introduced to the Federal budget in the 1990’s. To many, Bob was an excellent teacher and respected for his integrity and courage in defending the correct budget interpretation. His record of sustained and close professional working relationships with senior political officials was based on his objectivity, skill, and ability to translate extremely difficult concepts into terms non-experts could understand.

OPM Director Linda Springer recognized outgoing Comptroller General David Walker with a special award for his outstanding service as a JFMIP Principal. Mr. Walker received a standing ovation for his contributions as a JFMIP Principal and the Comptroller General of the U.S. Through his exceptional leadership as Chair for 4 years and a Principal of the JFMIP for the past 9 ½ years, Mr. Walker made a lasting difference in the long-term course of the JFMIP and federal financial management.

Among the many achievements that occurred during his terms as a JFMIP Chair and a Principal were: