IR-2016-120, Sept. 6, 2016 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of 16 new members of the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee. The ETAAC was established in 1998 to provide an organized public forum for discussion of electronic tax administration issues, including preventing identity theft and refund fraud. The committee supports the overriding goal that paperless filing should be the preferred and most convenient method of filing returns. ETAAC members will work closely with the Security Summit, a joint effort of the IRS, state tax administrators and tax software industry to fight electronic fraud. Committee members represent numerous industries including cybersecurity, tax software, tax preparation, payroll processing and systems management, among others. Members also bring valuable perspectives regarding customer service, consumer advocacy and public administration. In addition, the IRS has announced a second solicitation for additional members, including applications from consumer advocates and others to ensure the committee’s membership reflects a range of interests and viewpoints as required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The IRS is looking for qualified individuals who will serve a one, two or three-year term. Applications PDF will be accepted through Sept. 19, 2016, with the selections announced later this year. The following persons have been appointed to serve on the committee beginning in 2016: John Ams is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Society of Accountants in Alexandria, Va. He provides legislative and regulatory representation in accounting and federal tax matters to a variety of constituencies including individuals, non-profit organizations, and corporations. Ams is a Certified Association Executive, a member of the D.C. Bar Association, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He currently participates in the Security Summit. Robert Barr is Global Managing Director at Accenture, ensuring the firm is positioned to provide digital transformation and operational support to enterprises across all customer segments. Earlier in his career, Barr led several U.S.-based B2B and B2C digital businesses for organizations in consumer software, media and entertainment, manufacturing and financial services. He has worked for the IRS as well as the South Carolina Department of Revenue. Shannon Bond is the VP/General Manager of Commercial Services with Wolters Kluwer CCH. Bond’s association with the tax industry started in 2001 with an entrepreneurial franchise company in Jacksonville, Fla. She has engaged with tax professionals, assisted new preparers in setting up their first tax offices, worked with growing firms to establish best practices around compliance and workflow, and convened customer advisory boards to understand how their software can assist them in serving their clients. Bond is a board member of CERCA, past secretary of ACTR. Bond currently participates in the Security Summit. John Craig is a non-profit consultant specializing in strategy and technical support for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs. He has managed and advised VITA programs across the nation, with expertise in service delivery, consumer advocacy, and use of tax credits to build financial stability among low-income taxpayers. Craig has worked with the IRS, corporations and non-profits on electronic filing implementation and improvement. In 2014, he led the Corporation for Enterprise Development’s launch of the Taxpayer Opportunity Network, a coalition that promotes delivery of free tax services, protects rights and promotes financial empowerment of low-income taxpayers. Craig helped found the National Community Tax Coalition and served on its steering committee from 2001 to 2006. Craig currently participates in the Security Summit. Jacob Dubreuil is a Consulting Manager for Revenue Solutions, Inc. He has worked with several tax and revenue agencies over the last 10 years to implement modernized Integrated Tax Systems, Modernized E-file, non-filer compliance campaigns, refund fraud detection and streamlining processes for efficiency. For the last seven years, Dubreuil has provided technical support to the Federation of Tax Administrators E-Standards Group, which guides States on the MeF platform using best practices and schema standards set forth by the states, IRS and industry. Thomas Lorek is the Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Indiana Department of Revenue. Lorek is responsible for the day to day operations of the IT department covering application development, production support and data warehousing. He was the solution architect for the Department's individual income tax fraud program, which launched in 2014 and has to date stopped over $100 million in fraudulent refund requests from being distributed. Julie Magee was appointed Alabama Revenue Commissioner in January 2011. During her tenure, she has served in leadership roles in the Federation of Tax Administrators, the Multistate Tax Commission and the Southeastern Association of Tax Administrators. Magee's service to taxpayers and the business community also includes her work with several commissions, task forces, and advisory councils, and she has provided expert testimony to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law in June 2015. Magee currently participates in the Security Summit. Demesia Padilla was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department in 2011. Padilla is a licensed CPA in the states of Nevada and New Mexico. In 1985, she began her accounting career with Deloitte. Prior to starting her accounting firm, she was an IRS agent in the Albuquerque office. In addition, she serves as Chairperson of the Multi-State Tax Commission (MTC) and the Secretary for the Federal Tax Administration (FTA). Padilla currently participates in the Security Summit. Kathy Pickering is the executive director of The Tax Institute (TTI) and vice president of regulatory affairs at H&R Block. As head of The Tax Institute, Pickering oversees a group of 23 credentialed tax experts with deep knowledge of the industry and regular, direct interaction with tax professionals and taxpayers. In her role as H&R Block’s vice president of regulatory affairs, Pickering leads the relationship-management strategy with the IRS and state tax agencies. Pickering currently serves with the Security Summit. Phillip Poirier is a Volunteer and Consultant with the Center for Enterprise Development (CFED) and Senior Fellow at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a volunteer tax preparer in the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Poirier previously served as a Vice President at Intuit Inc., where his responsibilities included policy development and public private partnerships, and as acting general counsel for the company. Poirier was former chair of the IRS Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC). John Sapp has served at Drake Software since 1995, with roles ranging from Chief Financial Officer to Vice President of the Sales, Marketing, and Education divisions. Today he serves as the Vice President of Strategic Development, where his role is to help shape the future and growth of one of the largest professional tax software companies in the nation. As a CPA, he has worked in public accounting in tech and private industries. Sapp currently participates in the Security Summit. Deborah Sawyer has worked for 15 years in the banking industry as a Personal Trust Administrator and 19 years as a Tax Advisor for H&R Block. She currently runs two businesses, including Your Tech Girl, which specializes in computer repair and security, and Your Tax Girl, a tax preparation service. Joseph Sica is Chief Public Policy Officer for Green Dot/Tax Products Group. He has worked to develop and pilot refund loans as an incentive for taxpayers to file electronically and is a co-founding board member and past chair of the Council for Electronic Revenue Communications Advancement (CERCA). Sica is also a co-founder member and past vice-chair of the American Coalition for Taxpayer Rights (ACTR). Sica currently serves with the Security Summit. Mark Steber, Chief Tax Officer with Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, is responsible for several key initiatives to support overall tax service delivery and quality assurance. He serves as a liaison to the IRS, states, other government authorities, Walmart, other retail entities, and banking partners. Steber is active with various industry groups, including ACTR and CERCA. He served previously on the IRS Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee and was Chairman in 2012. Steber currently participates in the Security Summit. Atilla Taluy founded FileYourTaxes.com in 1995 as the original cloud based tax software provider to individuals and subsequently to tax professionals. He is an active member of CERCA, FS-ISAC, NACTP, OASIS, and other industry and government committees. He served as a director of CERCA, and is a charter member of the Executive Committee of the Free File Alliance, Inc. Taluy currently participates in the Security Summit. Doreen Warren is the Idaho State Tax Commission’s Public Information Director, in charge of the newly formed Taxpayer Resources Unit since July 2016. She began her career at the Tax Commission in 1990, and joined Revenue Operations in 1996 as the motor fuels subject matter expert and project coordinator for many division projects including the implementation of the state’s Modernized e-Filing program in conjunction with the IRS. Warren currently participates in the Security Summit. Follow the IRS on Social Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire
