Tax Executives Institute VA Chapter December 10, 2019 Meeting

Our December meeting is always a favorite!  This month, we welcome John R. Keenan, Jeff Clegg, Matthew Cooper, Greg Anderson, and Jeff Kummer of Deloitte Tax LLP and Jeffrey A. Friedman and Michele Borens of Eversheds Sutherland to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for our technical session, which will run from 2-5PM.  There will also be a board meeting at 1PM. If you are a member and are interested in being on the board or interested in serving on a committee, please feel free to attend this meeting before the technical session.

Topics

The topics that will be discussed at this month's meeting include the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as well as a legislative update that will include an update on extenders, expiring code, state updates (including Wayfair).

Bios of Speakers

John R. Keenan is the Managing Director of the Tax Controversy Group in the Washington National Tax Office of Deloitte Tax LLP. In his role as a Tax Controversy specialist, John represents clients before the IRS Examination Division and IRS Appeals.  He also assists clients with a variety of dispute resolution tools and processes, including Pre-Filing Agreements, Fast Track Settlement, and post-Appeals Mediation.  John also assists clients on a wide range of procedural issues, such as statute of limitations, refund claims, TEFRA matters, and penalty issues as well as solving sensitive problems through strategic solutions.  Prior to joining Deloitte Tax, John worked in Arthur Andersen’s Office of Federal Tax Services specializing in tax controversy issues.

Jeff Clegg is a partner in the Tax practice of Deloitte Tax LLP. He is based in the firm’s McLean, VA office and brings more than 19 years of value-added services to multinational companies in numerous industry sectors. Jeff has deep experience in the energy industry including serving independent power companies, clean energy companies in the solar and geothermal energy areas, private equity funds investing in energy projects and other clients.  Projects with these companies include mergers and acquisitions, new market entry, project finance projects, modeling energy projects, solar module manufacturing, tax structuring of energy deals.

Matthew Cooper joined Deloitte Tax LLP as a Managing Director in WNT Tax Controversy Services after spending the previous 5 and a half years at another Big 4 accounting firm.  Before that, he worked 9 years as an attorney in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel within the Procedure & Administration division. Matt represents clients in a variety of tax controversy matters, including IRS examinations and IRS Appeals.  He also advises clients on a wide range of procedural issues, such as reporting and audit procedures for electing large partnership (BBA/TEFRA), penalties, interest, statute of limitations, extension and administrative relief options (9100 relief), and transition tax (IRC Section 965) procedures. He holds a JD from The George Washington University Law School and a BS from Cornell University.

Greg Anderson (Lead Tax Partner - Deloitte) has more than 25 years of experience with providing tax consulting and compliance services to clients in the Greater Washington marketplace, including clients in technology, media, and telecommunication, retail, and government contracting, as well as venture capital and private equity funds. He spent two years in the Washington National Tax practice where he consulted with clients nationwide on subchapter C corporate tax and mergers and acquisitions tax matters. Greg currently is the regional competency leader of our subchapter C Corporate group and a member of our ASC 740 Competency group, where he focuses on tax and accounting aspects of corporate mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and spin-offs. He also has extensive experience with tax accounting periods and methods.

Jeff Kummer (Managing Director - Deloitte) has over 20 years of experience in the tax policy arena and is currently responsible for communicating emerging tax developments in the U.S. Congress, the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department, and the federal courts to the Firm and its clients. Jeff oversees the content development of Tax News & Views as well as thought leadership publications on issues such as the U.S. deficit and fundamental tax reform. His Capitol Hill experience includes working on tax and budget issues for former U.S. Senator and Senate Finance Committee member Steve Symms, R-Idaho. Jeff holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Idaho and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.

Jeffrey A. Friedman is a Partner at Eversheds Sutherland. Honored as “Tax Lawyer of the Year” in 2011 by State Tax Notes, Jeff provides sophisticated state and local tax planning, strategic advice and advocacy to numerous Fortune 100 and industry leading companies. His comprehensive practice includes state and local tax planning, compliance, legislation and policy, and litigation and controversy matters involving income, franchise, sales and use and property taxes. Jeff’s clients span a variety of industries, including e-commerce, energy, technology and telecommunications. Prior to joining Eversheds Sutherland (US), Jeff was a partner in KPMG’s Washington national tax practice; served as an attorney-adviser in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy, where he assisted with the development of the U.S. government's position on domestic and international electronic commerce tax issues; and served as vice president and counsel of the Committee (now Council) On State Taxation (COST).

Michele Borens is a Partner at Eversheds Sutherland. Michele advises her clients, many of whom are impacted by taxation in the digital economy, in strategic state and local tax planning. She also defends them in litigation regarding state income and sales tax assessments. With comprehensive knowledge of individual state tax policies, Michele provides strategic advice on multistate strategies and planning, state-specific tax reductions, transactional planning and reverse income tax reviews. She helps corporate clients reorganize and restructure their projects and advises on travel and business operation expansion into particular states. Michele also represents and defends clients, many of whom operate in the e-commerce and telecommunications industries, in controversy and tax matters, including state tax nexus issues. Before joining the firm, Michele was a manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the State and Local Tax Services group. Her practice included advising clients on state and local tax issues associated with corporate reorganization and restructuring, negotiating and securing state credits and incentives, and advising on state tax refund and planning opportunities.

Cocktails and Dinner

We will enjoy cocktails, dinner, and a stroll through the Dominion GardenFest of Lights. The technical session begins at 2PM and concludes at 5PM. Dinner will be served at approximately 6:30PM. As an added benefit of TEI membership, the spouse/date of members are welcome to join us without an additional charge for cocktails, GardenFest of Lights, and dinner at the conclusion of our technical program.

Cost for the event is $95, plus processing fees.  

If you are a TEI member, please indicate in the questions on the order form if you will be bringing a spouse/date.  If you are not a TEI member and wish to bring a spouse/date, there will be a $95 charge for guests of non-members for cocktails/dinner. Please contact Robin Lucey at Robin.L.Lucey@dominionenergy.com for more information on registration of non-TEI member spouses/dates.

Season Pass: If you have registered for a Season Pass, use the code that you were previously provided in the "Enter Promotional Code" section and a "Season Pass" ticket option will appear.

Dinner: As you register, you will be asked to indicate if you are staying for cocktails & dinner.  Please complete this question to help us determine our dinner seating. 

Please register by 5PM on Monday, December 2nd. This event is business/holiday dress.