June 27, 2019
By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
When asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, English mountaineer George Mallory famously replied, “Because it’s there.”
Likewise, Kim Williams — accounting manager for Rutherford County Schools and an avid hiker herself — has recently summited her own Everest, by completing the requirements to become a Certified Government Financial Manager.
The CGFM, as it is commonly known, is a professional certification awarded by the Association of Government Accountants. It is awarded for demonstrating competency in governmental accounting, auditing, financial reporting, internal controls and budgeting at the federal, state and local levels.
“It was hard and I wanted to challenge myself,” said Williams, who has been in the accounting department for Rutherford County Schools for more than 20 years.
The certification process is wide-ranging and requires the passage of three rigorous examinations. Williams spent three years completing the certification process.
“I learned so much from the broad study,” Williams said. “It took what I knew in the school district, with school finance, and expanded it to government at the state and local, and then took it one step further to the federal level. I wanted to continue learning.”
She added: “We are an educational institution, and I just encourage people to continue to learn, not only within their own jobs, but with others in the government realm.”