IRS selects 10 new members for Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee

IR-2020-208, September 11, 2020

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has selected 10 new members for the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC).

Established in 1998, the ETAAC is a public forum for the discussion of issues in electronic tax administration. Its aim is to prevent identity theft and refund fraud in support of 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.

The following individuals have been appointed to serve three-year terms on the ETAAC beginning in September 2020:

• Dmitri Alexeev, Santa Rosa, Calif. – Alexeev is a Tax Partner at BPM LLP and has worked with private and public companies in the financial services, life science and technology industries for over two decades. Along with his tax advisory and compliance experience, Alexeev co-leads BPM’s Blockchain and Digital Assets practice and is the Chair of the Accounting Blockchain Coalition’s Taxation Working Group.
• Jared Ballew, Franklin, N.C. – Ballew is Government & Industry Liaison at Drake Software, where he has developed his tax industry experience over 17 years. He is actively engaged in the Security Summit, Council for Electronic Revenue Communications Advancement (CERCA) and Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA). Ballew currently serves as the Vice President for the National Association of Computerized Tax Processors (NACTP), working to promote standardization and simplification between government tax agencies and the tax processing industry. He holds a Master of Business Administration from East Carolina University.
• Eric Inkrott, Upland, Calif. – Inkrott is Tax Risk Officer at Green Dot, where his key role is combatting stolen identity tax refund fraud. Inkrott is engaged with the IRS Security Summit and partners with the IRS, state departments of revenue and the tax industry to develop new tools and strategies against identity theft and refund fraud. He is a member of the Senior Executive Board of the Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IDTTRF ISAC).
• Courtney Kay-Decker, Davenport, Iowa – Kay-Decker is of counsel at Lane & Waterman LLP. She served as Director of the Iowa Department of Revenue from 2011 until 2019. In January 2020, Kay-Decker became a VITA site coordinator. She has previously served as state co-chair of the Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IDTTRF ISAC). Kay-Decker received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Northwestern University. She holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law. She served as a member of the quasi-judicial Iowa State Board of Tax Review from 2000-2007; and was Chair of the Board from 2003-2007. 
• Carlos Lopez, Salinas, Calif. – Lopez is founder and President of Lopez Tax Service and the Latino Tax Professionals Association located in Salinas, California. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Pacific Union College and a Certificate of Management Development for Entrepreneurs from UCLA Andersen School of Management. He has completed the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Initiative from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has been active in tax preparation and representation before the IRS for more than 36 years. Lopez has been a lecturer and presenter for the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums.
• Sherice McCarthy-Hill, Norwich, Vt. – McCarthy-Hill is Director of Payroll at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. She manages a payroll department of four payroll professionals and compensates approximately 10,000 faculty, staff and students. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Systems Management from Baldwin Wallace College, a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting with a Minor in Information Systems from Notre Dame College. Also, she holds a Human Resources Professional Development Certificate. McCarthy-Hill belongs to the American Payroll Association, Society of Human Resource Management and Higher Education User Group.
• Kimberly Pederzani, Barrington, Ill. – Pederzani is Compliance Manager for the Employee Cloud business unit at Toast, Inc., and also serves on several subcommittees for the American Payroll Association. She holds a law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law, a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies with certifications in Criminal Profiling and Women’s Studies from the University of Central Florida. She has received numerous awards for public speaking, assistance with non-profit organizations and for providing pro bono services to underprivileged individuals.
• Andrew Phillips, Overland Park, Kan. – Phillips is Director, Agency & Industry Relations and Tax Law & Policy Analysis, at The Tax Institute at H&R Block. Phillips is active in the Security Summit and the Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IDTTRF ISAC), serving as an industry co-lead on the Authentication Working Group and as a member of the ISAC Metrics Committee. Phillips is also active in tax industry associations, serving as a co-lead of the CERCA Legislative Implementation Working group, which focuses on integrating tax law changes across the entire tax ecosystem. In his personal time, Phillips serves on the Avila University Alumni Association Board.
• Timur Taluy, Oxnard, Calif. – Taluy is CEO and co-owner of FileYourTaxes.com. Taluy is currently on the Board and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of the Council for Electronic Revenue Communications Advancement (CERCA) and is co-chair of the Strategic Threat Assessment and Response (STAR) workgroup within the IRS Security Summit. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from USC.
• Lindsey West, Emerald Hills, Calif. – West is a former aerospace and Navy F/A-18 flight test engineer who founded Track1099.com 10 years ago. She works on the development of 1099-MISC e-filing options for the public. West received her doctorate in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University.

ETAAC leadership

For the committee’s new working year, which begins this month, Geno Salo, senior director at Thomson Reuters, will serve as chair. Kay-Decker will serve as vice chair.

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.