IR-2018-24, Feb. 12, 2018
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today the selection of eight new members and 14 reinstated members for the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC), which provides a forum for IRS officials and members of the public to address information reporting issues.
The IRPAC, established in 1991, provides an organized public forum for discussion of tax information reporting issues between IRS officials and representatives of the public. The committee presents an annual report to the IRS Commissioner. The IRPAC charter expired in October 2017 and was re-established for a one-year term on Dec. 28.
Committee members represent the taxpaying public, tax professionals, small and large businesses, the financial industry and payroll providers.
The following individuals have been appointed to serve on the committee for a one-year term beginning in 2018:
New members:
Martin Bentsen
Alexandra Cruz
Deborah Fox
Emily Lindsay
Sanford Kelsey III
Masaki (Mas) Kuwana
Fred Murray
Mary Jo Werner
Reinstated members:
Lisa Allen
Laura Lynn Burke
Tenesha Carter
Randall Cathell
Terry Edwards
Allen Ellenby
Dana Flynn
Joel Levenson
Ryan Lovin
James Paille
Thomas Prevost
Clark Sells
Kevin Sullivan
Kelli Wooten
Biographical Information on New IRPAC Members:
Martin Bentsen — attorney and director of product development, FIS Wall Street Concepts, Staten Island, N.Y. Bentsen interacts with approximately 800 financial firm clients on tax reporting matters. Bentsen’s client base is comprised of self-clearing brokerage firms, hundreds of trust companies, some of the largest online brokers and international banking institutions and firms in the asset management advisory business. Bentsen is the lead for WSC’s ''Tax Community" outreach to clients, which provides a forum for clients to express their views and positions on tax-reporting matters. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and a certified regulatory and compliance professional.
Alexandra Cruz — attorney and senior manager, Ernst & Young, Valley Stream, N.Y. Cruz is a senior manager in the information, reporting and withholding practice of Ernst & Young’s financial services office in New York. She works with large asset management and banking organizations with both domestic and nonresident alien reporting and withholding issues. For the past four years, Cruz has been primarily focused on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and its impact on the asset management industry.
Deborah Fox — director of marketing, Tax Solutions, Boca Raton, Fla. Fox is a certified scrum product owner with experience in a broad spectrum of verticals. As the director of marketing, she is responsible for developing future strategy for tax solutions portfolios. She has a broad background in product management including business case development, project management, partner management, development, operations, client services, systems analysis, sales and quality assurance.
Emily Lindsay — executive in residence, accounting department, Kogod School of Business, Rockville, Md. Lindsay is a former executive of Marriott International, Inc., vice president, corporate accounting services, where she led and directed a diverse team of over 50 accounting, tax, systems and business services experts responsible for a wide variety of payroll, business support services, business systems analyses and development, payroll tax services, payroll accounting and related banking service functions. Lindsay is a certified public accountant (CPA) and chartered global management accountant.
Sanford D. Kelsey, III — senior tax counsel, FedEX Corporation, Memphis, Tenn. Kelsey holds a Juris Doctor and Legum Magister degree. He is also a CPA and has worked in the tax field for over 18 years. His responsibilities include advising stakeholders of FedEx’s various subsidiaries on federal, state, local and international tax matters. He has also advised clients on administrative and legislative initiatives. In addition, his experience includes counseling clients on tax matters regarding structuring transactions and providing representation during tax contests. He has served as tax counsel on projects involving multi-discipline clients and has provided technical support for the clients’ tax departments.
Masaki (Mas) Kuwana — U.S. tax advisor, Amazon.com, Seattle, Wash. Kuwana is a senior tax advisor providing tax technical support related to information reporting/withholding. Kuwana manages a compliance team that performs health checks and other audits to identify key risks and issues. As a former executive director-head of tax operations at JPMorgan Chase & Co, he led the corporate and investment bank's tax operations team supporting multiple lines of business.
Fred Murray — director, graduate tax program, professor of taxation practice at University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Gainesville, Fla. Murray holds a Juris Doctor and is a CPA and is former executive director, Grant Thornton, LLP, Washington, DC. His responsibilities included managing policy, procedures and risk in relation to U.S. tax services practice for a major international accounting firm with more than 500 offices in 113 countries – including evaluation of tax return positions and penalty concerns; risk analysis; reportable transactions and material advisor concerns; disputes and controversies with tax authorities; and multiple accounting matters. He is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center and a member of the American Bar Association (ABA).
Mary Jo Werner — Werner holds a Juris Doctor and is a CPA. She is certified in financial forensics and partner at Wipfli LLP, La Crosse, Wis. As a partner in Wipfli’s tax services and valuation, forensics and litigation services group, Werner uses her tax and accounting expertise to assist clients in reducing their income and estate tax exposure and becoming more profitable. She also specializes in litigation support for law firms and assists in fraud and forensic investigations. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, ABA, Gundersen Medical Foundation, Inc.-- executive committee board member and professional friends committee member and a former member of the IRS Taxpayer Advocacy Panel.
Reinstated members' bios from previous years can be found on IRS.gov.