Continuing Education
CPE Program Level: Overview
1 CPE Credit Recommended; NO prerequisites or advance preparation
CTEC Course #: 3022-CE-0061
ELMS Course #: 22893
CPE credits and certificates are not available for this program.
Program Content
Our March program will deal directly with a topic that most of your clients hope to avoid: the prospect of an IRS audit. Panelists will discuss what you can do prepare your client for an audit without striking fear in their hearts. It will also include what happens before, during and after the audit as practitioners and IRS staff talk about audits from both sides of the desk.
Learning Objectives
The primary learning objective is to maintain or increase competency of tax practitioners through expert discussion, explanation and interactive questioning. The programs are designed for learners (tax professionals) to exercise a practical understanding of new and current tax policies, as well as the latest changes, in a complex and continually changing industry.
Program Caption Information
Moderator
Les Witmer, APR
Communications Consultant
Les Witmer is currently a Communications Consultant in Atlanta. He has served as the moderator for Tax Talk Today since March 2000. He retired after a distinguished career of 34 years with the Federal Government serving the last 23 years with the Internal Revenue Service. His last year with the IRS he worked on the design of the Wage and Investment Division and retired as the Acting Director of Communications for that Division. He was responsible for the communications programs that included employee communications, media relations, practitioner and external stakeholder relations, congressional affairs, public and government liaison and other public relations and information programs.
He previously held responsible IRS communications positions including first Director of Internal Communications for the IRS in Washington, D.C., Assistant to the Southeast Regional Commissioner for Public Affairs and district Public Affairs positions serving as the chief local spokesperson on Federal tax matters.
During his last five years with the IRS, Les was periodically assigned by U.S. Treasury Department to the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to be a member of an international team that advised and conducted seminars on Public Relations and Customer Service programs to tax and ministry of finance officials from Russia and former Soviet Bloc Countries. Preceding IRS, he served with the U.S. Army as an infantry officer in Vietnam, public affairs officer at Ft. Meade, MD, instructor at Department of Defense Information School (DINFOS) and other active duty and reserve assignments.
He retired as a Colonel, U.S. Army Reserves. He's an accredited member and past committee chairman, board member and officer of the Atlanta Chapter of Public Relations Society of America. Les is active in the community and has served in various other capacities including board member for the Georgia Council on Economic Education and worked with the 1996 Olympic Organizational Committee. He holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi and M.S. in Public Administration from the American University.
Host
Phyllis Grimes
Chief, Stakeholder Liaison
Small Business/Self-Employed Division
Internal Revenue Service
Ms. Grimes is the Chief, Stakeholder Liaison for Industry Outreach. In this role, she is responsible for partnering with the small business community to provide education and outreach related to tax administration. Her office serves as a liaison between various industry groups/associations and the IRS to share information, elevate and resolve issues, and further overall tax compliance.
Grimes began her IRS career in 2000 in the Executive Development Program in Washington, DC. Since then, she has held other positions to include Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Tax Administration Coordination, working very closely with the IRS Commissioner's Office and Director of Business Marketing Services, where she was responsible for marketing related to IRS' electronic products and programs.
Prior to joining the IRS, Ms. Grimes enjoyed a long management and executive career in the financial services industry with Bank of America. Ms. Grimes earned both an M.B.A. and B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
Panelists
Nancy C. Como
Small Business/Self-Employed Examination Policy
Senior Program Manager, Exam General Processes
Internal Revenue Service
Nancy Como is currently a senior manager in the Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Division of the IRS, overseeing the Examination Policy General Processes area.
She began her IRS career twenty years ago in Pittsburgh, PA as an IRS tax auditor and moved into management three years later and was assigned to the Office Examination program. Nancy transferred to New York City in 1997 to work as a Compliance Regional Analyst, providing oversight to North Atlantic area Examination programs.
In 2000, Nancy moved to Washington DC and worked in the SB/SE Strategic Planning function. Prior to her current position, Nancy was the Chief Customer Liaison for SB/SE, overseeing the TIGTA/GAO audits, Legislative Affairs and Fed/State Programs.
Barbara J. Fiebich
Small Business/Self-Employed Examination Policy
Senior Program Manager, Exam General Processes
Internal Revenue Service
Barbara Fiebich is currently the Senior Program Manager for the Exam Special Processes function in Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Exam Policy Division of the IRS. Prior to this position, she was the territory manager responsible for SB/SE Examination issues in Connecticut and the Springfield, Massachusetts area. She has been employed with the IRS for over 21 years.
She previously held many management and staff positions including the technical advisor to the Examination Area Director and program manager in the Planning and Special Programs for the North Atlantic Area. Barbara began her IRS career as a revenue agent in Norwalk, CT.
Barbara earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut.
Cynthia Jeanguenat
Enrolled Agent
Cynthia is an author and an enrolled agent out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. She owns her own tax business and provides both tax preparation and tax representation services to her clients. Aside from being a charming person, Cyndie is well spoken and well versed in the world of exam representation. She's also a member of the Virginia Society of Enrolled Agents and an instructor of online SEE preparation courses.
Al Thomson
Enrolled Agent
Al Thomson, he's an enrolled agent out of Arlington, Virginia. He owns his own tax business and provides both tax preparation and tax representation services to his clients. Al is well spoken and well versed in the world of both business and individual tax law. He's also a member of the NAEA board of directors and the president of the Virginia Society of Enrolled Agents.
