IR-2013-12, Jan. 28, 2013 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of six new members to the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC), which provides an organized public forum for IRS officials and representatives of the public to discuss key tax administration issues. Members are selected to represent the taxpaying public, tax professionals, small and large businesses, academia and the payroll community. The council provides the IRS commissioner and division leadership with important feedback, observations and suggestions. "Members of IRSAC help the IRS shape future tax administration by providing valuable feedback and recommendations," said Steven T. Miller, IRS Acting Commissioner. IRSAC meets periodically and will submit a report to the agency in November 2013 at a public meeting. IRSAC members generally serve a three-year term with a possible one-year extension. The six new members will join 18 returning members in 2013. The new members are: Michele J. Alexander, who has more than 30 years’ experience in taxation, is the owner of Jackson, Jackson & Jackson, in Pittsburgh. She specializes in tax preparation for individuals, businesses and organizations, including the preparation and filing of all federal, state and local tax returns as well as business, corporate, partnerships and Pennsylvania inheritance tax returns. As tax professionals, her company handles all aspects of taxation. In addition, she represents clients before the IRS at the Examination and Appeals level. Alexander is a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP). Mark Stephen Mesler, JD, who has more than 25 years’ experience in taxation, is a Principal with Ernst & Young, LLP, in Atlanta. He leads Ernst & Young’s Southeast Tax Controversy and Risk Management Service group and represents taxpayers before the IRS at all levels of tax controversies. His responsibilities include both large global companies and middle market. He has assisted them on a variety of dispute resolution tools and processes, including the Quality Examination Process, Fast Track Settlement, preparing for litigation, Pre-Filing Agreements, and Private Letter Rulings. In addition, he served on teams tasked with implementing major IRS policy initiatives, such as the disclosure of reportable transactions by taxpayers and material advisors, implementation of Schedule M-3, Schedule UTP, and changes to Circular 230. Luis Parra, EA, is the owner of Key Accounting of New York, in the Bronx, N.Y. He has more than 25 years of professional experience in taxation. He prepares tax returns for individual tax clients, small business and nonprofit organizations. He previously served as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) instructor and he is the founder and President of the Latino Association of Tax Preparers, Inc (LATAX). LATAX is a nonprofit organization providing education and support to Latino tax preparers in the United States. Parra is a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals and the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA). David M. Penney is the General Director, Taxes and Customs, and Assistant Secretary, General Motors of Canada Limited, in Oshawa, Ontario. He has 36 years of professional experience in government, public practice, and industry. He serves as the Head of Tax for General Motors of Canada, leading a team responsible for income property and commodity matters. His experience includes a wide range of cross border issues and in particular transfer pricing controversies involving Canada and the United States. Penney currently serves as Tax Executive Institute’s International President for the 2011-2012 term. In addition, he serves on the Large Business Advisory Committee for the Canadian Revenue Agency. Karen Salemi, FLMI, CPP, is Learning Consultant with Zero Chaos, which provides high-quality contingent workforce solutions. Previously, she was a Global Training Leader at International Business Machines (IBM) Corp., in Pepperell, Mass., where she created and delivered payroll related courses including COBRA, 401k, Stock options, accounting, balancing and reconciling, year-end W-2c, multistate issues and local tax classes. Prior to working at IBM, Salemi was a Solutions Consultant and Training Manager at Kronos Inc., a management software and services company, where she helped define their work requirements and build the technical specifications document that is used to configure the HR and payroll systems. Salemi is a member of the American Payroll Association (APA) and currently serves as its treasurer. Sherrill L. Trovato, MBA, EA, MST, USTCP, is the Principal/Owner of Sherrill Trovato, in Fountain Valley, Calif. Trovato has more than 20 years of compliance expertise in tax preparation and consultation, and specializes in tax controversy representation before the IRS and in the U.S. Tax Court. She provides other services for her predominantly small business clients, including financial statement compilation. She has authored articles and developed a program that teaches tax professionals about practice before the Tax Court. Trovato is the current Immediate Past President of the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA). The 2013 IRSAC Chairperson is Deborah Walker, CPA, who is a partner with Deloitte Tax LLP, in Washington, D.C. Walker served as vice-chairperson of IRSAC for 2012. She is a leader of the Washington National Tax Global Employer Services practice. She specializes in numerous employee benefit and executive compensation issues, including qualified and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, employment taxes, and health and other welfare benefits plans. She is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and has authored and co-authored numerous articles on compensation and employee benefits issues. More information on IRSAC is available on IRS.gov. Related Item: IRSAC Members Deliver 2012 Public Report Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire
