Morgan to retire as DeCA’s chief financial officer after more than 35 years of government service

FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – When Cynthia Morgan took over as the Defense Commissary Agency’s chief financial officer (CFO) in 2018, she walked into a growing tradition of unmodified opinions reflecting DeCA’s ability to efficiently manage its appropriations.

As she prepares to retire after more than 35 years of government service, Morgan said she is proud the agency continues to emphasize its responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer funds.

“Sustaining an unmodified opinion for 22 years is possible because every level within the organization understands and embraces being fiscally responsible and being accountable,” Morgan said. “This is only possible with the right ‘tone at the top.’”

That tone is one Morgan helped set in the five years she served as agency CFO and director of Resource Management, being responsible for all financial aspects of the agency’s retail sales and operating budgets. This included budget oversight of nearly $5 billion in DeCA resale funds, $1.5 billion in operating funds and over $200 million in commissary surcharge funds, annually.

Morgan also served as the agency spokesperson on financial issues and DeCA’s financial liaison with the Department of Defense, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), the Government Accountability Office, the financial staffs of the military departments and retail industry representatives.

Stephan T. Davis, Resource Management’s director of manpower and budget, succeeds Morgan as CFO and director of Resource Management effective Dec. 3.

Her legacy of superior service as the overseer of DeCA’s finances will be a tough act to follow, said John E. Hall, agency director and CEO.

“As our chief financial officer, Cynthia did a tremendous job ensuring we were accountable and transparent with our funding as we delivered the benefit,” Hall said. “Throughout her career she has demonstrated exemplary financial management at the highest levels.

“We always had to make tough choices on how we allocate DeCA resources,” he added. “Cynthia has an incredible ability to frame those choices in a very clear manner. I could not have done my job without her. We will miss her guidance and wish her all the best as she embarks on this next chapter of her life.”

Morgan has led Resource Management (RM) while DeCA went through its most comprehensive transformation in its existence, primarily shifting from an at-cost benefit to one that employs variable pricing that until recently was responsible for returning an annual financial margin to offset appropriation needs for DeCA.

If that wasn’t enough, she steered the agency through all the financial hurdles that came with managing the commissary benefit through the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining DeCA’s focus on its budget execution during all this change required a “team approach,” but someone had to be the coach. That falls to the CFO.

“I have worked diligently to build a resilient RM team by always encouraging my team members to remember our mission and to make it a priority each day,” Morgan said. “As we navigated through change, it was also important to be transparent with the team and create an environment where everyone is heard and feels valued.

“Most of my team members know and understand that my expectation is to operate in excellence, and I never expect anything that I am not willing to give.”

Operating in excellence is an understatement considering DeCA’s track record with receiving unmodified opinions for its annual financial statements as well as the wins achieved in getting full funding.

Each year, independent auditors look at about 500 actions that demonstrate the integrity of DeCA’s internal financial processes and controls and its interactions with external partners, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and the Defense Logistics Agency. An unmodified opinion means the auditors found no substantial discrepancies in the agency’s finances.

“I have to admit that it’s been truly rewarding to be a part of this agency’s run of unmodified opinions, and leading my team as we fought to defend the agency’s budget and realized additional funding for the benefit,” Morgan said. “However, this is not just RM’s accomplishment – all commissary employees worldwide and at every level had to play their part.”

Morgan entered federal service in 1987 as a systems accountant with the Defense Logistics Agency at Richmond, Virginia. From 1989 to 1992, she was an accountant with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Columbus, Ohio, before joining DeCA as a systems accountant for the agency’s then East Region located in Virginia Beach.

In 1996, Morgan moved to RM in agency headquarters as an accountant with the accounting compliance and reporting branch of the accounting division, and by 2008, she became acting branch chief.

In August 2010, she was acting chief of the accounting division. Less than two years later in January 2011, Morgan was selected DeCA’s accounting officer, where she managed the reporting of the agency’s financial statements, financial audit and financial operations.

By 2014, Morgan was selected budget officer, a position she continued to hold while also being detailed from May to July 2018 as acting CFO.

Morgan holds a bachelor of science degree with a concentration in accounting from Saint Paul’s College at Lawrenceville, Virginia, and is a level three-certified defense financial manager (w/acquisition). She is also a 2015 graduate of the Federal Executive Institute, Leadership for a Democratic Society.

As she leaves DeCA and government service, Morgan offered this parting advice for her RM team: “Always remember the mission and who we serve… and of course, always leave things better than when you came. 

“I truly have enjoyed my professional journey in the financial management community and the positions I’ve had along the way,” she added. “I have no regrets and it is my desire for everyone across DeCA to continue to do what is best for the agency and for our service members and their families as we deliver their commissary benefit.”

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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.