Center Director of Resource Management leads by example | Military scene

As Director of the Resource Management Directorate for the Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Liz McCullough understands the value of business processes that enable the Huntsville Center to provide specialist support to all divisions and districts of the Corps of Engineers worldwide.

She also understands the value of maintaining professional certification in her field, which enables her to provide comprehensive resource and financial management advice to senior management at Center Huntsville.

For more than a decade, McCullough maintained his certification in defense financial management, earning him his CDFM in 2011 and the CDFM with specialization in acquisition in 2012.

McCullough said obtaining CDFM and then CDFM-A certification was a professional goal she had since starting working for the government.

“I have more than 33 years of experience in the field of the controller career. I started out as a Budget Analyst, Accountant and then moved into various leadership roles providing financial management, budgeting, accounting and auditing support to many Resource Managers, DFAS and internal reviews. organizations, ”she said.

“Obtaining the CDFM-A was one of my lifelong professional goals as a young careerist in the federal government. Achieving CDFM-A with a continuous learning experience (from year to year), professional growth, and taking on complex tasks, provides the military with a workforce ready to face and resolve challenges. most complex issues … now and in the future. “

McCullough said she had been drawn to the financial management industry since high school.

“I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn’t know what I would be majoring in. I was good at math and enjoyed working with numbers. From a simple suggestion from an older brother, I completed my first accounting class in my senior year of high school and found my niche, ”she said.

In college, she majored in accounting as an undergraduate student while working at a local bank as an audit clerk. After completing her BA in Accounting at Cameron University, she was hired as a full-time auditor.

“These early experiences in the public banking sector sparked my interest and decision to join the federal government in December 1987 and pursue a career in financial management,” said McCullough.

After graduating from college, McCullough said one of his professional goals was to have a professional certification or license. When CDFM certification was launched in 2000, it was employed by the Defense Finance and Accounting Department and its leadership encouraged all who work in financial management to achieve CDFM certification to establish their credibility while providing accounting services.

“I decided to take the pursuit of CDFM certification seriously and take the preparatory course, which was the enhanced defense financial management training course. I attended the EDFMTC held in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After completing the EDFMTC, I followed the instructions (I studied the modules in which I felt most comfortable and knew most of the material). I was studying after the day’s work and on weekends. I prepared and studied score cards and studied other CDFM pretest documents. I took the advice of the EDFMTC instructors and worked hard and a lot of study time to prepare for the CDFM modules, ”she said.

McCullough said the CDFM / CDFM-A has certainly had an impact on his career.

“It (CDFM / CDFM-A) first provided me with the basic knowledge and skills to learn, apply and grow with a successful career in the field of controller career,” she said. .

She said that maintaining her certification is also important and sets an example for others in the career field.

“Leaders lead first, not by what they say, but by what they do,” she said. “The credentials of the CDFM show your commitment, hard work, discipline and tenacity to achieve professional certification based on testing. Those who wish to move up the career ladder and pursue higher levels of responsibility with opportunities for promotion should earn their CDFM and then CDFM-A. You can apply it to all career programs. There is no position or job in the public or government that does not deal with how to manage or account for resources. You need to understand how money works, how to account for it, how to apply it, and stay within the bounds of public and fiscal law as a trust administrator. CDFM certification covers all aspects of money management and fiscal responsibility.

McCullough said that as the daughter of a career soldier, she continued to work for the federal government because it is a great opportunity to serve and make a difference.

“Every day I have the chance to help the team achieve their goals, mentor and coach others and solve problems,” she said. “My current position allows me this freedom and I don’t take it lightly or for granted. I am grateful for the flexibility, empowerment, respect and confidence I have to lead and set a positive example within the Resource Management and Huntsville Center leadership.