ATF Association

By Richard Goodson

CEO - Diversified Management Services Inc. (DMS)
(Management Company for the ATFA)

We just wrapped up the 2nd Annual ATF Association Conference and thought a report to the membership and other friends would be in order.

Background & Staff
Q. Why is this report coming from me?
A. When ATFA originally partnered with DMS to manage the association we appointed Stacey Manderscheid as the Executive Director and myself as an advisor to the group. Stacey helped launch the ATFA and has moved it forward since its inception. Going forward Stacey will be utilizing her skills in web and graphic design to implement a more interactive web site for the ATFA and help our members communicate in a much more effective way. With that change, please note that there will be some staff changes and we will keep you informed and provide the new administrative contact information for the ATF Association Office.

DMS has a good depth of staff to deal with changes such as those mentioned above and we are confident you will continue to benefit from working with a newly appointed Executive Director.

Conference Summary
According to our conference evaluation forms and verbal feedback, it appears that all attendees had a great time and perceived a considerable value in attending the conference. The conference hotel (Hyatt on Capitol Hill) offered great customer service and first class amenities; the speakers were phenomenal and kudos to ATFA President Mike Bouchard and others (Conference Committee & Board members) for securing these top-notch speakers.

We had specialists speak on financial planning, estate planning, the job market and what opportunities are out there and we had a very interesting presentation on ATF case studies on gangs and gang violence.

Educational Speaker Highlights & Contact Information
Karen Schaeffer, Managing Director of Schaeffer Financials LLC, provided the attendees with some great insight into financial planning. For example, she discussed ways to move the Thrift savings to other IRA accounts and she highlighted ways to pick an effective financial planner who meets your personality and risk level. Karen can be reached at 703-715-9083 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

John Steffan Esq. of Steffan and Associates is a practicing estate planner. He discussed the benefits of a living trust over a traditional will, as well as other advantages of estate planning. John can be reached at 703-691-4810.

Jerry Brennan, Managing Director of SMR Group, is a sponsor of the ATF Association. Jerry discussed “Life After ATF” as well as how to prepare a resume, how to prepare for an interview and what to expect in today’s job market. Jerry can be reached at +1 540-428-2020 (US Ofc) or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Michael Will, Intelligence Operations Specialist (IOS) with the ATF, presented several case studies. The case studies were all very interesting and educational and the attendees agreed it was a great way to wrap up the speaker portion of the conference.

Guest Speakers
Ike Hendershot, current president of the Association of Former Agents of the US Secret Service (AFAUSSS) presented a history of their organization, which was founded in 1971 (DMS also manages their association and foundation.) http://www.oldstar.org

Senator Charles Grassley, a Senior Senator on the hill, spoke at our Monday luncheon. He spoke about his views on the importance of the ATF and it’s mission. Acting Director Melson and other senior staff got some very good ‘face time’ with the senator, which as anyone who follows politics is aware that is critical if you wish to advance your cause. The question and answer period dealt with such issues as director confirmation, the events surrounding SA William Clark, and the relationship with ATF and other federal law enforcement agencies. All in all a very it was a good showing for the ATF and the ATFA.

One of the major highlights of the conference was the tour of the fire research facility. Wow was that impressive! Basically the conference was a success on all fronts except
we wish more of you could have come as it was well worth it for those that did.

Welcome and Thank You to our New Vendors!
We had two new vendors this year and we truly appreciate their support of the
conference and the association.
Sponsor - FedChoice Federal Credit Union http://fedchoice.org

Corporate Member - Federal Employee Defense Services, Inc. (FEDS) http://www.fedsprotection.com


By-Laws Change & Planning Session
The board has changed the by-laws to separate the election of the board from the conference so that we can have the maximum number of members participate in the governance process. With that in mind we will be asking for nominations in about a month with the election to be held in the fall.

We will hold a planning session at the ATF Association Office at DMS in Des Moines, IA in about a month to set the next few years’ direction. Out of that planning session we expect to develop a number of major member benefits, revamp the web site so that it can be used to better inform the membership about association activities and use it as a membership-recruiting tool. In addition we want to move forward on the formation of a ATFA Foundation, an IRS (501 (c) (3) designation, so that we can began to formalize a process of taking tax deductible contributions for the purpose of helping members of the ATF family who are in need.

Finally, please visit the events section of this web site to see photos of the 2010 ATF Association Conference.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Conference Committee, we hope to see you next year for another informative and value packed meeting!

Sincerely,

Richard Goodson
CEO - DMS, Inc.
http://www.assoc-mgmt.com