Greetings Sacramento Members and Friends!

I am honored to take over the reigns as your Sacramento Chapter President for our 2009/2010 Chapter Year! I would like to take this opportunity to thank past Chapter President Leanna Sinibaldi and the rest of the chapter officers for making the transition easy for me and seamless for the members. Also, I would like to congratulate Leanna and the entire membership for once again achieving Gold Chapter status based on credit for all chapter activities over the last year. Each month I hope to provide you with an updated message with hot topics you will find of interest. Here we go!

Annual Membership Survey
For those of you that participated in our Annual Membership Survey, I’d like to say THANK YOU! Your Leadership team is actively reviewing the responses to the Member Survey as we plan the 2009/2010 Chapter year. And we look forward to awarding one lucky participant with an iPOD Touch! The drawing will take place at our September Chapter Meeting.

Bridge Membership Program
In these difficult economic times, I’d like to make you all aware of the IIA’s new Bridge Membership Program. This program is designed to serve members negatively impacted by the economy. We recognize that during a period of unemployment, members’ ability to network and stay abreast of changes within the profession is critical during their job search. Those members who are currently up for renewal and have been members of The IIA for two or more consecutive years may be eligible for this one-time, complimentary, limited membership. Visit http://www.theiia.org/membership/current-members to learn more about the program and to download the application. Bridge Members are able to maintain their access to great member benefits, such as The IIA Career Center, and InternalAuditorOnline.org, while we reduce our costs by suspending their hard copy subscription to Internal Auditor magazine (on-line access will still be available).

Certified Internal Auditor Certification Program
Did you know that Accounting and audit professionals have a distinct advantage after obtaining the internationally-recognized Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification offered by the Institute of Internal Auditors? As the only globally-accepted certification for internal auditors, the CIA certification is the accepted criteria by which auditors establish their competency and professionalism. UC Davis is offering a Certified Internal Auditor Exam Preparation course which begins on July 11th. The Certified Internal Auditor Exam Preparation Program provides you with an enriching educational experience and the knowledge that you are fully prepared to take the CIA examination. Details regarding the CIA Exam Prep Program are provided on the attached brochure. Please direct all questions to UC Davis @ 800 – 752-0881. Or www.extension.ucdavis.edu/business

New Guidance Compares Government and IIA Standards
Public- and private-sector audit executives wishing to practice at the highest level of professionalism and to add maximum value to their organization in these challenging economic times may benefit from new professional guidance from The IIA. The new guidance comprises a detailed comparison (PDF) of Government Audit Standards promulgated by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) developed and maintained by The IIA. The primary target audience for this guidance is those government audit professionals who strive to conform to the highest applicable standards in conducting their work. The comparison is the product of a team of internal audit practitioners from the public sector and technical staff from the GAO and The IIA. The 65-page document identifies similar principles and key differences between each organization’s standards and provides compliance suggestions to government internal audit organizations that are required to or elect to comply with both organizations’ standards.

Volunteerism Opportunities
I encourage you all to consider supporting the Sacramento Chapter by becoming a Leader. We have many exciting initiatives we would like to implement this year. But in order to do this, we need more Leaders like you to get involved to help make it happen. Kaye Milburn, our Done-in-a-Day Committee Chair is actively working on our 2009/2010 Done-in-A-Day list. Please watch for more announcements. And if you are really excited, and can’t wait for the list …please e-mail Kaye at k.milburn@surewest.com.

Thank you all for your continued support of the IIA’s Sacramento Chapter. This is going to be an exciting year for us all.

Sacramento Internal Auditors Rock!

Kara Giano
IIA Sacramento Chapter President 2009/2010
KGiano@Golden1.com