Eight new members have been named to the IRS Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee.
Appointed to three-year terms beginning this month were:
- Austin Emeagwai, CPA, Ph.D., of Collierville, Tennessee, is an associate professor of accounting at LeMoyne-Owen College, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is president of CPA firm ABC Accounting and Tax Services. His research interests include small business and community development by historically Black colleges and universities. He is a member of the AICPA, the Tennessee Society of CPAs and the National Society of Accountants, and is a VITA volunteer.
- Jerry Gaddis, Enrolled Agent, MBA, of Winter Haven, Florida, is founder and CEO of Tropical Tax Solutions, a boutique firm providing tax consultation, preparation and representation solutions for individuals and small businesses. He began his 20-year tax career at the VITA/tax counseling for the elderly clinic in the Key Largo, Florida, public library. He is a former H&R Block franchisee and a graduate of the National Tax Practice Institute. He served seven years on the board of directors for the National Association of Enrolled Agents, including three as an officer and one as president/CEO.
- Nikia Gainey, of Orlando, Florida, founded Carriers Choice Logistics this year, which helps the low-income community by providing advice on how to start a business, financial literacy, first-time home-buyers program information and applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, as well as offering free notary services for the surrounding community.
- Robert Gettemy, of Marion, Iowa, is a full-time instructor at the University of Iowa, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship. He also consults in the tax software industry. He spent seven years at TaxAct where he was COO and oversaw all back-office operations, government relations and competitive intelligence. While at TaxAct, he served as vice chair of the American Coalition of Taxpayer Rights, was on the board of directors for the Council of Electronic Revenue Communication Advancement and was an industry co-lead in the IRS Security Summit initiative. He was also active in IRS Free File.
- Argi O'Leary, of Voorheesville, New York, is a principal in the advocacy practice at Ryan in New York, where she provides tax strategy and audit assistance, including tax issue negotiations and resolution, policy advice and advocacy. Before joining Ryan, O'Leary was a deputy commissioner with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, leading the department's Civil Enforcement Division and Office of Professional Responsibility, and also served as an assistant deputy commissioner, leading the department's litigation strategy in tax controversy matters.
- Hallie Parchman, of Austin, Texas, is Amazon's senior manager of product management within the corporate tax function focusing on the end-to-end customer experience as it relates to tax information reporting and withholding, including tax operations, tax compliance and product delivery and design. Before joining Amazon, she was a tax analyst at Apple Inc., and a federal tax associate at Big Four firm KPMG. She is a licensed CPA in Texas.
- RaeAnn Pilarski, of Tuscon, Arizona, is senior manager at Code for America, where she scales and supports VITA partners that participate in the GetYourRefund program. Before joining Code, she oversaw the VITA program at the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, where she worked closely with Code as one of the original partners in the GetYourRefund pilot and led the development of Valet VITA, a model that allowed clients' documents to be scanned and securely uploaded to a system for volunteers to prepare returns.
- Keith Richardson, of Philadephia, has more than 15 years of tax administration experience. He is deputy CFO and tax commissioner for the District of Columbia. As the CFO, he contributed to the development of its new modernized tax system, including establishing strategic plans for its customer service for taxpayers. He previously worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Bureau of Compliance director and was responsible for tax compliance initiatives, clearances and creating the Gaming Control Clearance Division to oversee all tax clearances for owners, vendors, employees and winners. He has also served as revenue commissioner for the City of Philadelphia.
"These eight new members bring diverse and important perspectives to a committee focused on the electronic side of tax administration," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, in a statement. "Their recommendations will inform IRS decision-makers as they address critical issues like identity theft and refund fraud and further map out our digital strategy."
ETAAC leadership for 2022-2023 is chair Jared Ballew, government/industry liaison with Drake Software; co-vice chair Vernon Barnett, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Revenue; and co-vice chair Timur Taluy, CEO and co-owner of FileYourTaxes.com.
