January 4, 2006

Alexandria, VA
David L. Cotton, CGFM, CPA, CFE, Managing Partner, Cotton & Company LLP, will receive the prestigious Andy Barr Award from the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) on February 3. Mr. Cotton’s award will be presented on the final day of the Association’s 4th Annual National Leadership Conference and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

The Barr Award was formally established to recognize the cumulative achievements of private sector individuals who, throughout their careers, have served as a role model for others and who have consistently exhibited the highest personal and professional standards.

Andrew Barr (1899-1995) was one of AGA’s founders, and served as Chief Accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1956 to 1972.  Mr. Barr’s long and influential career had a profound impact on the accounting profession.

This award serves in recognition of Mr. Cotton's 25-plus years of effort in exemplifying and promoting excellence in federal financial management, demonstrating outstanding leadership and high ethical standards, and providing high quality audit and advisory services to improve financial management at dozens of federal agencies.

Under Mr. Cotton’s leadership, Cotton & Company has audited thousands of government contracts and grants resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars of recovered costs.  Cotton & Company’s audits of federal agencies have also resulted in many recommendations for improved financial management and accountability.  Cotton & Company’s many advisory services engagements have assisted several federal agencies in achieving unqualified audit opinions and attaining AGA’s Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR).  CEAR recipients which Cotton & Company have audited or assisted include the Department of Education, the Department of State, and the Government Accountability Office.

Mr. Cotton has served on numerous task forces and committees related to improved financial management and accounting practices and the establishment of federal government accounting and auditing policies.  His extensive involvement in improving overall federal financial management includes serving in numerous AGA leadership roles, presenting at many national- and state-level accounting and auditing conferences, serving on several federal accounting and auditing committees and ethics committees, presenting testimony on financial management topics before the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board, and writing a number of publications addressing federal accounting, auditing, and ethics reform topics.

Mr. Cotton has been an active participant and supporter of AGA.  He served as president of the AGA Northern Virginia Chapter (2000-2001) and was a member of AGA’s Financial Management Standards Board (2001-2003).  He has also strongly supported chapter activities and staff involvement in AGA.

Mr. Cotton received a BS in mechanical engineering (1971) and an MBA in management science and labor relations (1972) from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He pursued graduate studies in accounting and auditing at the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business (1977 to 1978). He is a CPA in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and the Republic of Palau. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and was one of the first 36 professionals to pass the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) examination during its beta testing phase.

The Association of Government Accountants is an 15,000-member professional Association devoted to meeting the continuing professional education needs of financial managers at all levels of government, the private sector and academia. For more information about the Association, call 800.AGA.7211, or visit our website at www.agacgfm.org.