Panelists

Moderator

Alan Pinck, EA
A. Pinck & Associates

Alan Pinck is an Enrolled Agent with over 30 years of tax preparation experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has built a practice specializing in individual, small business tax preparation and audit representation. You have seen Alan presenting at NTPI events, CSEA Super Seminar, Spidell Publishing as well as a variety of other presentations for tax groups and small business associations. Having represented thousands of tax returns in audit, Alan has obtained tremendous insight of the audit process as well as knowledge on a wide variety of tax issues.

IRS Panelist

Michael Smith
Senior Stakeholder Liaison, Internal Revenue Service

Michael Smith is a Senior Stakeholder Liaison with the IRS. As a Sr. Stakeholder Liaison, he works with all taxpayer communities, including tax practitioner organizations and community groups to help all taxpayers comply with the tax laws.

Michael became a Senior Stakeholder Liaison in the Communications and Liaison division of the IRS in 2021. Prior to 2021, he held a variety of positions in the Small Business/Self-Employed division of IRS as a Revenue Officer and Collections Manager.

Cathye Mason
Stakeholder Liaison, Internal Revenue Service

Cathye Mason joined the Portland team in the Stakeholder Liaison Division of the Internal Revenue Service in October 2019 and really enjoys the connections she has made with tax professionals and small business stakeholders. Prior to her recent move she spent over nine years as a Revenue Agent in the Small Business/Self-Employed Division in the Salem, Oregon office where she developed extensive knowledge of business tax law and met many interesting taxpayers.

She has held an active CPA license in Oregon since 2015 and she has taught CPE courses internally for the Small Business/Self Employed division, Western Area. Before joining the IRS, at various times, she managed a small medical practice, prepared tax returns as an Oregon Licensed Tax Consultant, provided bookkeeping and payroll services and worked in stock brokerage operations. She holds a BA in Geography from West Virginia University and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting from Southern Oregon University.

Industry Panelists

Claudia Hill, EA, MBA
Tax Mam, Inc./TMI Tax Services Group, Inc

Claudia Hill is an Enrolled Agent, nationally recognized tax professional and frequent lecturer on taxation of individuals and representation before IRS. She is Editor in Chief of the WoltersKluwer, (formerly CCH) Journal of Tax Practice & Procedure, co-author of CCH Expert Treatise Tax Practice & Procedure, a founding partner of Tax Genius Learning, and a frequent presenter for both audio and in-person CPE seminars nationwide. Claudia coordinates a "dream team of tax controversy advisors" for the IRS Watch blog on Forbes.com (http://blogs.forbes.com/irswatch/). She was named a Top Ten Nominee by Tax Analysts as 2011 Person of the Year.

Claudia is owner and principal of Tax Mam, Inc. and TMI Tax Services Group, Inc. in Cupertino, CA. TMI Tax Services Group offers tax return preparation, tax planning, and tax problem resolution and representation services, primarily to individual clients. She is often called upon by the news media as a resource person for commentary on tax topics. Her articles and observations have appeared in CCH publications as well as Tax Analysts, Forbes.com and industry professional journals. Her mission to reform or eliminate the individual AMT has been the focus of a number of articles. In March 2005, Claudia was invited to testify about the individual AMT at the President's Tax Reform Panel. Visit her website, www.taxmam.com.

Claudia is an associate member of the ABA Tax Section, a life member of the American Tax Policy Institute, a Fellow and former Dean of the NAEA-EF National Tax Practice Institute. After several years as "Chair," Ms. Hill is now a special advisor to the Government Relations Committee for the National Association of Enrolled Agents. She served on the 1987 Commissioner's Advisory Group to the National Office of the Internal Revenue Service. Ms. Hill holds a Master degree in Business Administration, earned with honors in 1978.

Thomas A. Gorczynski, EA, USTCP
Senior Tax Consultant, Gorczynski & Associates, LLC Editor-in-Chief, EA Journal

Thomas A. Gorczynski, EA, USTCP is a nationally recognized speaker and educator on federal tax law matters. He is editor-in-chief of EA Journal, author of the Tom Talks Taxes online newsletter, the co-author of the PassKey Learning Systems EA Review Series and co-owner of Compass Tax Educators.

He is an Enrolled Agent, a Certified Tax Planner, a National Tax Practice InstituteTM Fellow, a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist, and admitted to the bar of the United States Tax Court as a non-attorney.

Tom earned a Master of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University and a Certificate in Finance and Accounting from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He received the 2019 Excellence in Education Award from the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the 2018 Member of the Year Award from the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners.

Tom's tax practice in Phoenix, Arizona focuses on implementing advanced tax reduction strategies and representing taxpayers with complex tax problems before the IRS and in the United States Tax Court.

Learn more about Tom and his upcoming educational offerings at www.gorczynski.tax.

Content Consultant

David F. Windish, J.D., LL.M
Content Consultant

David F. Windish, J.D., LL.M. in taxation, is a tax attorney and consultant. He has served as an instructor of tax-advantaged investments at the New York Institute of Finance; an Instructor of business law at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y.; and an adjunct professor at George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. He has also served as executive editor for Tax Analysts; managing editor for Business Strategies, published by CCH; and senior editor for the Institute for Business Planning.

Mr. Windish is the author of Practical Guide to Real Estate Taxation, published by CCH and currently going into its sixth edition. Earlier works include Tax Advantaged Investments and Investor's Guide to Limited Partnerships, both published by the New York Institute of Finance. Through the Center for Video Education, he authored continuing education courses dealing with real estate and closely held corporations. Those courses included readings, case studies, and videotape segments.

Mr. Windish is a graduate of Rutgers University Law School and the New York University School of Law, Graduate Division. He has been heard as a guest speaker at professional meetings and seminars and on popular radio programs.