PHOENIX — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of five new members for the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC).
The ETAAC, established in 1998, provides an organized public forum for discussion of electronic tax administration issues, including the prevention of identity theft and refund fraud in support of the overriding goal that paperless filing should be the preferred and most convenient method of filing tax and information returns. ETAAC members work closely with the Security Summit, a joint effort of the IRS, state tax administrators and tax software industry to fight identity theft and refund fraud.
Committee members represent industries and sectors such as cybersecurity and information security, tax software development, tax preparation, payroll and tax financial product processing, systems management, consumer advocacy and public administration.
The following persons have been appointed to serve on the committee beginning in 2017:
Luanne Brown
Luanne Brown has served as the Director of Payroll Services for Grand Valley State University for the last 11 years. For more than 20 years she has worked in varied industries including sports management, advertising, manufacturing, and higher education. In her current role at the University there has been a major emphasis on data security. She has participated on a Senior Management Cyber Security Team and helped develop new security procedures and policies in the Payroll/Finance area along with communicating to employees on how to protect their personal data from identity theft and steps to take if their information has been compromised. Brown currently serves as Vice President on the American Payroll Association Board of Directors. At the local level, Brown has been a member of the APA's West Michigan Chapter since 1999 and is currently serving her second term as the chapter's president. Brown holds a master's degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on Public Management from Grand Valley State University.
Jenine Hallings
Jenine Hallings is a Compliance Risk Manager for Paychex. Her team is responsible for research, analysis and communication of legislative and regulatory changes impacting the company and its clients and partners, and manages Paychex' relationships with various federal and state tax agencies on behalf of clients. Hallings represents Paychex in key industry consortiums to ensure the company is abreast of regulatory trends and developments. Hallings has been at Paychex for over 20 years, and has extensive experience on a broad range of payroll tax matters. Hallings holds an MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Michael Jackman
Michael Jackman has extensive experience in taxation, tax administration and related information systems. He currently operates a small tax practice and serves as the coordinator for two Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites. Over a 22-year tenure as an IRS employee he held several compliance and information technology positions, culminating in serving in the IRS National Office as the Chief of Systems Development for the original Electronic Filing System. As a consultant, he provided expertise to the IRS in the development of numerous IRS information systems including Modernized E-File, and the Customer Account Data Engine (CADE). In addition, he owned and operated several Jackson Hewitt Tax Service franchises in Maryland, after which he founded Patriot's Choice Tax Service in Gettysburg. Jackman is an Enrolled Agent and holds an MS in Taxation from the Deming School of Business at William Howard Taft University.
Courtney Kay-Decker
Courtney Kay-Decker was appointed Director of the Iowa Department of Revenue by Governor Terry Branstad in January 2011 and continues to serve in that role under Governor Kim Reynolds. At the Department, Decker has focused on improving administrative rules, guidance and processes to simplify and reduce compliance burdens for Iowa taxpayers. Decker currently serves on the board of directors of the Federation of Tax Administrators and is active in various endeavors to prevent identity theft and tax refund fraud. Decker received her B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. She holds a Doctorate of Jurisprudence with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law. Prior to joining the Department, Decker was a partner at Lane & Waterman LLP in Davenport, Iowa. She served as a member of the Iowa State Board of Tax Review from 2000-2007 and was Chair of the Board from 2003-2007.
Suzanne Kruger
Suzanne Kruger currently serves as the Security Specialist for the Montana Department of Revenue and is responsible for the operational security posture for all department information systems. She has served on several committees for the Montana Information Security Advisory Council (MT-ISAC) since its inception in May 2015. MT-ISAC's mission is to recommend an integrated interagency information security strategy to enhance the state information security posture. Kruger had more than 12 years of experience working with businesses, non-profits and individuals in the accounting, tax preparation and banking fields prior to obtaining a degree in Network Security along with one in Network Administration in 2007. She obtained her Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential in 2014.