Here at ASMC HQ, we’ve kicked off 2018 with a bang! There’s a lot happening this month and I believe 2018 will be a great year for ASMC members!

As always, thank you for your continued ASMC membership and service to our great nation.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL PROGRAM

Thanks to those of you who renewed your membership early or on-time in December! Our "RENEW" YEAR's Resolution program December winners are as follows: Mary Hudson of the Indianapolis Chapter and Rhonda West of the Crystal Coast Chapter each won $50 gift cards, and the $150 gift card was awarded to Anthony Best of the Cleveland Chapter!

Each month, all on-time or early renewals will be entered into a random drawing to award two $50 gift certificates and one $150 gift certificate, respectively for those renewing on-time or early for one or three years. In addition to contacting the members who win the drawings, we will announce the winners on our website and social media. Renew your membership here: https://www.asmconline.org/membership/renew/.

ASMC NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

As a reminder, ASMC Achievement Award Nominations are due 31 January 2018. Nominate colleagues who deserve recognition for excellence in financial management.  Those selected by our Awards committees will be honored at PDI 2018 in Denver, Colorado.

ASMC annually recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of its chapters and members of the defense financial management community through its national awards program. This program encompasses individual and team achievement awards, scholarships, educational grants, an essay contest, chapter recognition, and a variety of other individual based awards. ASMC achievement awards are presented annually to individuals and teams who have been nominated for outstanding accomplishment within one of the functional fields of defense financial management.

Nomination information and award details can be found here: https://asmc.secure-platform.com/a/organizations/main/home.

ASMC MEMBER ENGAGE PLATFORM

The newest ASMC member benefit is here! “Engage” is a valuable collaboration, lessons learned, and professional development opportunity just for you. Thus far we have launched our “Chapter Presidents” and our “All Member Community” collaboration groups and we look forward to launching additional communities (including groups for Early Careerists, Chapter Membership Chairs, and Chapter Treasurers, in the near future. Log into Engage now at https://engage.asmconline.org/home, using the email address and password associated with your ASMC member account, and join the “All Member Community” and also your chapter group related to the chapter designated in your ASMC membership profile. Check out the info, comments, questions, and answers already posted there by your colleagues and others, as well as share your own thoughts, questions, and great ideas. 

CDFM EXAM DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

ASMC is currently seeking actively certified CDFM or CDFM-A volunteers to establish passing points (the final step of the exam development process) for the Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) Module 1-3 Exams.

As you know, we are updating the CDFM exams to reflect the current defense financial management operational environment and ability requirements for professionals in the field. Up to this point, groups of subject matter experts (SMEs) have helped us update the CDFM exam blueprints, weight the competency areas, review existing exam items, write new exam items (questions), and pilot test new exam items. We are nearly ready to deploy the new Module 1, 2, and 3 exams, but one task remains and we need the help of actively certified professionals.

The purpose of the CDFM certification is to recognize individuals who demonstrate competence in the field of defense financial management through standardized examination. That is, candidates are assessed based on their scores on a set of examinations that measure critical knowledge areas of the defense financial management profession. Exam scores are compared to a standard (or "cut-off") that reflects the minimum acceptable level of competence required to hold the certification. The development of the standard is referred to as "standard setting."

The new CDFM Module 1, 2, and 3 exams have been assembled and now we need help to set cut-off scores for each of them. This is a critical part of the exam development process and participation of certified professionals is vital and appreciated.

The Standard Setting Workshop will take place for three full days, from 0800 to 1700, in Old Town Alexandria, VA. During this time, participants will receive training in exam standard setting best practices, review the new exam forms, make expert judgments about each test item, and discuss those judgments with other participants to reach consensus. The workshop will be facilitated by ASMC’s test development consultant, the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), with the support of ASMC staff.

It is important to note that:

  • ASMC will cover travel, lodging, and meals for non-local participants and will cover auto mileage and onsite meals for local participants.
  •  Exam standard setters have exposure to CDFM exam items and will therefore not be eligible to teach CDFM preparatory courses, such as the Enhanced Defense Financial Management Training Course (EDFMTC), for three years.  Certified professionals who currently teach CDFM preparatory courses, such as the EDFMTC, are not eligible to participate.
  • This volunteer opportunity is not compensated financially; however, ASMC will provide Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits and an official letter of appreciation that can be shared with supervisors, potential employers, etc.

Kindly complete this brief availability survey by Wednesday, January 31, 2017, so we can determine the timeframe that works best for the majority of interested participants.

ASMC National PDI 2018 KICKS OFF IN FOUR MONTHS!

Dreaming of Spring? We are too – preparation for PDI 2018 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver is progressing well!

Please join us for this event May 30 through June 1. Thanks to our wonderful host chapters, Pikes Peak, Denver, and Utah, and also our PDI Chair, Laura Sandy, and our local committee chairs and members, PDI 2018 is an event not to be missed!  

Opening of national PDI 2018 registration is currently targeted for the week of 26 February. A dedicated e-mail with registration information will be sent once registration is open. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Denver this May!  “Mountains to Climb: Achieving Peak Performance!”

UPDATE YOUR EMAIL IN YOUR ASMC MEMBER PROFILE

Given issues we are seeing with some organizational network firewalls, to ensure you receive timely information from ASMC, please update your ASMC member profile with your personal email address. We want to ensure you receive important announcements and notifications that directly impact your professional development. Log onto and update your profile at www.asmconline.org/membership/edit-profile/.