BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Phillip Floyd’s entire career in financial management is based on a happy accident, one that led him to be the first recipient of the Elsie Steffany Memorial Scholarship, presented to him May 28 during the American Society of Military Comptroller’s Professional Development Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
Floyd, who serves as the civilian budget technician for the 307th Bomb Wing, will utilize the funds to pay for his enrollment in the Department of Defense Financial Manager Certification course.
According to information from Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller, the course creates a framework for financial management professional development in the DOD in important areas such as audit readiness, decision support, career development and leadership.
Floyd said the 81-hour course provides context for understanding how federal defense funds are appropriated and how government contract budgeting works. At the end of the course, candidates must pass three separate tests before gaining the title of Certified Defense Financial Manager.
“There are only a handful of people across the DoD and the Coast Guard with this certification, so having it will really enhance my knowledge and make more effective in helping out people in the unit.”
Terry Montgomery, 307th Bomb Wing budget technician, and a mentor of Floyd, has gone through the certification process.
“It’s like a cross between a certified public accountant exam and the bar exam,” said Montgomery. “It’s really tough to pass these tests and you have to pass all three to gain certification.”
Ironically, Floyd never intended to have a career in financial management. His entire career is based on one fateful day during Floyd’s career as an Airman. He had joined the Air Force to be an intelligence analyst, but at the end of basic military training, there were no slots immediately available for him to attend the technical school. So, he had to make a choice.
“They told me I could either stay for several weeks, hanging around and doing chores or I could choose another job.”
Due to his high scores on the military’s skills aptitude test, Floyd was presented with a laundry list of alternative careers and told to choose five. One of those choices, financial management, came down and he found himself in a job he loved.
Throughout his career, Floyd said he has been surrounded by passionate instructors and co-workers that inspire him to achieve more, for the sake of his own development and for the greater good of the Department of Defense. He believes that kind of mentoring and support is important, especially in the current fiscal climate.
“I’ve not met anyone in the career field that hasn’t been knowledgeable in their job, especially when it comes to budgets,” said Floyd. “In these fiscal times, especially in the military, having people who know the process thoroughly returns value to the unit and the Air Force.”
That kind of attitude toward monetary responsibility and career development is one of Floyd’s trademarks.
“He is all about education,” said Montgomery. “He is always looking to do extra training and is a whiz with spreadsheets and databases.”
Floyd used that drive and knowledge to streamline cumbersome processes within the financial management office, making his co-workers more efficient and speeding pay and reimbursement for Reserve Citizen Airmen within the wing.
All the extra study and effort comes down to one simple fact.
“I’m just passionate about my job,” said Floyd. “I love it.”