IR-2022-160, September 20, 2022

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has selected eight new members for the  Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) .

“These eight new members bring diverse and important perspectives to a committee focused on the electronic side of tax administration,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Their recommendations will inform IRS decision makers as they address critical issues like identify theft and refund fraud and further map out our digital strategy.”

Established by statute in 1998, the ETAAC is a public forum for the discussion of issues in electronic tax administration. The committee’s primary goal is to promote paperless filing of tax and information returns. ETAAC members work closely with the Security Summit, a joint effort of the IRS, state tax administrators and the nation’s tax industry to fight identity theft and refund fraud.

Committee members include state tax officials, consumer advocates, cybersecurity and information security specialists, tax preparers, tax software developers and representatives of the payroll and financial communities.

The following individuals have been appointed to serve three-year terms on the committee beginning in September 2022:

  • Austin Emeagwai, CPA, Ph.D., Collierville, Tennessee – Dr. Emeagwai is an Associate Professor of Accounting at LeMoyne-Owen College, Memphis. He is the president of ABC Accounting and Tax Services, P.C., a full-service CPA firm. His research interests include small business and community development by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dr. Emeagwai is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, National Society of Accountants, and is a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteer.
     
  • Jerry Gaddis, EA, MBA, Winter Haven, Florida – Gaddis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tropical Tax Solutions, a boutique firm headquartered in Florida providing tax consultation, preparation and representation solutions for individuals and small businesses. He began his 20-year tax career at the VITA/Tax Counseling for the Elderly clinic in the Key Largo public library. He is a former H&R Block Franchisee, a former Dave Ramsey ELP and a graduate of the National Tax Practice Institute. Gaddis served on the board of directors for the National Association of Enrolled Agents for seven years including three years as an officer and one year as President/CEO. He is an Enrolled Agent.
     
  • Nikia Gainey, Orlando, Florida – Gainey founded Carriers Choice Logistics, LLC in central Florida this year. Carriers Choice Logistics helps the low-income community by providing advice on how to start a business, provides financial literacy assistance, offers first time home buyers program information, aids with applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (also known as food stamps) and offers free notary services for the surrounding community.
     
  • Robert Gettemy, Marion, Iowa – Gettemy is a full-time instructor at the University of Iowa where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship. In addition, he consults in the tax software industry. Prior to teaching, Gettemy spent seven years at TaxAct where he was Chief Operating Officer. During his tenure at TaxAct, Gettemy was responsible for all back-office operations, government relations and competitive intelligence. While at TaxAct, he served as Vice Chair of the American Coalition of Taxpayer Rights, was on the board of directors for the Council of Electronic Revenue Communication Advancement and was an industry co-lead in the IRS Security Summit initiative which was formed to combat stolen identity refund fraud. Gettemy was also active in IRS Free File.
     
  • Argi O’Leary, Voorheesville, New York – O’Leary is a Principal in the Advocacy Practice at Ryan, LLC in New York, where she provides tax strategy and audit assistance, including tax issue negotiations and resolution, policy advice and advocacy for all tax types. Before joining Ryan, O’Leary was a Deputy Commissioner with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, leading the Department’s Civil Enforcement Division and Office of Professional Responsibility, and also served as an Assistant Deputy Commissioner, leading the Department’s litigation strategy in tax controversy matters.
     
  • Hallie Parchman, Austin, Texas – Parchman is currently Amazon’s Senior Manager of Product Management within the Corporate Tax function focusing on the end-to-end customer experience as it relates to tax information reporting and withholding, including tax operations, tax compliance and product delivery and design. Before joining Amazon, Parchman was a Tax Analyst at Apple Inc. focused on information reporting and a Federal Tax Associate at KPMG. She is a licensed CPA in Texas.
     
  • RaeAnn Pilarski, Tuscon, Arizona – Pilarski is Senior Manager at Code for America, where she scales and supports VITA partners that participate in the GetYourRefund program. Before joining Code for America, she oversaw the VITA program at the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. During her tenure there, she worked closely with Code for America as one of the original partners in the GetYourRefund pilot and led the development of Valet VITA, a model that allowed clients’ documents to be scanned and securely uploaded to a system through which volunteers would access the information needed to prepare the return.
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  • Keith Richardson, Philadephia, Pennsylvania – Richardson has over 15 years of tax administration experience. He is Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Tax Commissioner for the District of Columbia. As the CFO, he contributed to the development of its new modernized tax system, including working with IDTTRF-ISAC and establishing strategic plans for its customer service for taxpayers. Richardson previously worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Bureau of Compliance Director and was responsible for tax compliance initiatives, clearances and creating the Gaming Control Clearance Division to oversee all tax clearances for owners, vendors, employees and winners. He has also served as Revenue Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia.

Committee Leadership for 2022 – 2023

  • Jared Ballew, Government/Industry Liaison with Drake Software, will serve as chair of the ETAAC.
  • Vernon Barnett, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Revenue, will serve as co-vice chair of the ETAAC.
  • Timur Taluy, CEO and co-owner of FileYourTaxes.com, will serve as co-vice chair of the ETAAC.



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