Training Starts Again In-Person for Insular Area Government Finance Officers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs is pleased to note that the Island Government Finance Officers Association (IGFOA) has reconvened their first in-person meeting in over two years, as they ended their summer 2022 meeting. Twenty-eight finance officers and government financial officials from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands convened from June 4 to 9, 2022, in Austin, Texas for the biannual IGFOA including the associated conference of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada.

“We are pleased to see that the finance officers across the insular areas are reconvening and reconnecting to train and network on matters related to financial management,” said Keone Nakoa, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs. “These officers serve their respective island areas as important stewards of public funds, and we at OIA are pleased to help provide support as you work to manage public funds efficiently, correctly, and fairly for the various communities you serve.” 

Funded through the Office of Insular Affairs’ Technical Assistance Program, the IGFOA is a community of practice comprised of insular government finance officers who work to build the local capacity through biannual meetings that provide technical training and strategic support in public finance and accounting. At the Summer 2022 meeting, the government delegations met to share insular government finance developments, coordinate attendance at GFOA conference sessions, and discuss their respective islands’ single audits, enterprise resource planning, employee engagement, and plans to implement GASB 87 lease accounting. The islands finance officers then joined approximately 6,400 conference attendees for the GFOA with speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and guests from across the United States, Canada, and worldwide. Conference attendees were offered over 73 courses focused on improving their technical and leadership competencies.  

Additional information on the IGFOA and the Pacific & Virgin Islands Training Initiatives that organizes the IGFOA can be found online at: https://pitiviti.org.

More information about the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs can be found at www.doi.gov/oia.

The Assistant Secretary of Insular and International Affairs and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) carry out the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, OIA administers and oversees federal assistance under the Compacts of Free Association to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. OIA also administers a discretionary Technical Assistance Program for all the insular areas. Find information about OIA and its work on www.doi.gov/oia, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.