CFO academy to begin this fall

The National Defense University’s Information Resources Management College will offer management and leadership courses this fall through a new Chief Financial Officer Academy. The academy, which will draw students from the federal financial community, has been endorsed by the Federal CFO Council, said Robert Childs, senior director of NDU’s IRM College. The courses will lead to a certificate in CFO leadership. The certificate program was the idea of Linda Combs, a former Office of Management and Budget controller, who retired from government last year, said Elizabeth McDaniel, dean of faculty and academic programs at the college. “One of my faculty members talked to her about what we might do to help the financial management community, and she said, ‘Aha, you’re just what we need.’” The college is hiring a couple of faculty members on detail from federal agencies and is hiring an additional faculty member, McDaniel said. The academy will offer eight courses, including courses in financial management, portfolio management and government business transformation, which students can complete in four years. Among the core courses to be offered this fall will be the "Changing World of the CFO," McDaniel said. That course will focus on “policy, the stakeholders, the burning platforms, the pain points” and an overview of CFO core competencies. McDaniel said the college also will soon announce that it plans to offer its first master of science degree in Government Strategic Leader, with a specialization in CIO management, information assurance and possibly government financial management. The academy, located on the NDU campus at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, will offer courses beginning in September.