Continuing Education
CPE Program Level: Overview
2 CPE Credit Recommended; NO prerequisites or advance preparation
CTEC Course #: 3022-CE-0062
ELMS Course #: 22894
CPE credits and certificates are not available for this program.
Program Content
This program will focus on several employment tax and estate and gift tax topics that may impact a large number of taxpayers. IRS experts and industry professionals will explain the law, steps the IRS is taking to help improve awareness and compliance, and some new developments in the area of these specialty taxes.
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
Director, Stakeholder Liaison
Small Business/Self-Employed Division
Internal Revenue Service
Ms. Grimes is the Director, Stakeholder Liaison Headquarters within the Small Business/Self-Employed Division. In this role, she leads a team that 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 external groups/associations and the IRS to share information, elevate and resolve issues, and further overall tax compliance. She also has responsibility for outreach related to the Bank Secrecy Act Program and the IRS' Disaster and Emergency Preparedness program.
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, and Chief, Industry Liaison.
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
Mary C. Gorman
Assistant Division Counsel (Prefiling)
Internal Revenue Service
Mary Gorman has been the Divisions Assistant Division Counsel since 2000. She serves as the Divisions liaison for employment tax, Communication Liaison and Disclosure and is closely involved with Campus Operations and the Office of Burden Reduction.
Mary started with the Office of Chief Counsel in the General Litigation Division in 1981 and served in Baltimore as a docket attorney and a bankruptcy Special Assistant U.S. attorney until 1991 when she became the GL Deputy Regional Counsel in Philadelphia for the Mid Atlantic region. In 1994 Mary became the Assistant Regional Counsel (GL) in Atlanta the position she held until her present appointment. Prior to joining Counsel, she worked for Coopers & Lybrand. She received her B.S. in accounting from Loyola College in Baltimore, and her J.D. from the University of Baltimore.
Kathy Harrison-Suits
Enrolled Agent
Kathy Harrison-Suits an enrolled agent out of Tacoma, Washington. She owns her own tax business and provides both tax preparation and tax representation services to her clients. Kathy is well spoken and well versed in estate taxes as well as amended Forms 941. She's also a member of the Washington Society of Enrolled Agents, an instructor of online SEE preparation courses, and an up-and-coming leader within the Washington Society of Enrolled Agents.
James F. Hogan
Senior Technical Reviewer (Passthroughs and Special Industries)
Office of Chief Counsel
Internal Revenue Service
James F. Hogan is the Senior Technician Reviewer in Passthroughs and Special Industries in the Office of Chief Counsel. His responsibilities include reviewing regulations, revenue rulings, revenue procedures, and various other publication projects in the transfer tax area. He also reviews various items relating to the litigation of transfer tax issues.
He received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from St. Bonaventure University in 1973, his Master in Business Administration degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1976, and his law degree from Catholic University of America in 1985. He is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia and the Maryland State Bar. He is also a CPA (inactive) in the State of New York.
Daniel T. Moore, CPA
Senior Accountant and Chief Financial Officer
Moore Agency, Incorporated
Mr. Moore, CPA, is a Senior Accountant and Chief Financial Officer for the Moore Agency, Incorporated where he operates the Accounting Solutions Department in Salem, OH. He serves as a professional and community steward providing multiple solutions to key problems and recognizing there should always be options and is a member of the American Payroll Association (APA). In addition to his accounting and tax practice, Mr. Moore has played an extensive role in developing a sustainable comprehensive plan for the Salem, Ohio area. He has served as Ambassador and facilitator for the regional planning initiative in Northeast Ohio called Voices and Choices. Mr. Moore holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (cum laude) with a major in accounting from Kent State University, and an MBA in Public Administration from Gannon University.
Lisa M. Piehl
Policy Manager
Estate and Gift Tax Division
Internal Revenue Service
Lisa M. Piehl is an attorney admitted to practice law in California. Ms. Piehl graduated from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California in 1991.
Ms. Piehl began employment with the Internal Revenue Service Estate and Gift Tax Division in 1994 as an Estate Tax Attorney. In 2001 she was promoted to Supervisory Estate Tax Attorney in the Van Nuys Post of Duty. In 2006 she became an Attorney Advisor in the Estate and Gift Policy Group and in 2007 became an Attorney Advisor to the Chief, Estate and Gift. In October 2008 she was detailed as the policy Manager for Estate and Gift, a position to which she was selected in February 2009.
Joseph Tiberio
Program Manager, Employment Tax Policy
Small Business/Self-Employed Division
Internal Revenue Service
Joseph Tiberio is Program Manager for Employment Tax Policy in the IRS Small Business/Self Employed Division. The Employment Tax Policy Office develops and implements policies and strategies to support and enable employment tax field operations, and to enhance employment tax programs and policies service-wide.
Before joining Employment Tax Headquarters Joe was the Territory Manager for Taxpayer Education and Communication. Previously, Joe worked as a Revenue Agent and Revenue Agent Group Manager in the Boston area for more than 20 years.
