NYSSEA Board Packet October 20, 2017€¦ · Candela, EA guided the transition and worked through...

NYSSEA Board Packet October 20, 2017

Table of Contents

Meeting Agenda President’s Report 1st Vice-President’s Report 2nd Vice-President’s Report Secretary’s Report – Minutes from June 3, 2017 Immediate Past President’s Report Executive Director’s Report Director Reports

A. Rodger Alwais, EA

Henry Grabkowitz, EA

Koreen Jervis, EA

Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA, CFP, ATA, ATP

James Racaniello, EA

Mason D. Wristen, EA

Brooklyn-Queens Chapter Report Central Chapter Report Metro Chapter Report Western Chapter Report Awards and Scholarships Committee Report Nominating Committee Report CE Reporting Committee Report Governance Committee Report NYS DTF Liaison Committee Report Government Relations Committee NYSSEA Sponsorship Program Google Group Report Conference Committee Report

1 2 3 5 7

11 12

14 15 16 17 19 20

21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

page

22 Hidden Ridge Common, Williamsville, NY 14221

Members Licensed to Represent Taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service

Contact: Jeffrey R Gentner, EA, Executive Director Email: [email protected]

Phone: 716-616-0104 Web Site: nyssea.org

Kenneth R Kohlhof, EA, President Michael E Lawrence, EA, 1st Vice-President Handel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2nd Vice-President Salvatore P. Candela, EA, Treasurer Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

AGENDA

NYSSEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017

Gideon Putnam Hotel

24 Gideon Putnam Road Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

I. Call to Order Roll Call II. Officers' Remarks III. Approval of Agenda IV. Approval of the Consent Agenda Approval of Minutes - June 3, 2017 Committee Reports V. Unfinished Business 1 Sponsorship Program 2 NYS Legislation 3 2017/ 2018 Conference 4 Google Group/Facebook/Blog Communications VI. New Business 1 Conference Software Proposal 2 Joint Conference with NJSEA 3 Chapter Structure & Membership VII. Good of the Order

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Contact:

Jeffrey R Gentner, EA, Executive Director

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 716-616-0104

Web Site: nyssea.org

Kenneth R Kohlhof, EA, President

Michael E Lawrence, EA, 1st Vice-President

Handel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2nd Vice-President

Salvatore P. Candela, EA, Treasurer

Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

Board Report Meeting: October 20, 2017

President

To the members of the Board:

Welcome to the 30th NYSSEA Anniversary Conference! A tremendous amount of planning, preparation and effort has gone into making this an event to remember! I encourage you to read my letter to the membership in the Conference Book. In preparing to write both this letter and the Board Agenda, I reviewed the over 1000 emails in my @nyssea account. It was an eye-opening exercise! It also provided a great feel for what NYSSEA has been up to since the last board meeting. Without question, the number one task was the bookkeeping switch that took place after June 30th. Buffalo based Allen Street Consulting was chosen by the Finance Committee from the 16 applications we received. In retrospect, that was the easy part. Ann Kummer, EA, CPA & Sal Candela, EA guided the transition and worked through the initial growing pains associated with such a complete change of personnel. I'm sure there will be more in the Treasurer's Report! Another update since the June meeting is the appointment of a new Membership Chair - Lisa Cancellerich from Nassau/Suffolk. She jumped right in and renewed the sending of membership certificates /packets to new members as received from the NAEA lists. New members are now listed on the front page of the NYSSEA website. In addition, I know Lisa has personally called EAs who have not renewed their membership, again off the NAEA lists. We will hear more from Lisa at the Board Meeting. By now, I trust you all know that NYSSEA has its own Face Book page. It had been my hope this might help solve our communication issues with the membership. However, with only 78 members joining, we need to continue searching for alternative means of conveying information. We will revisit this topic at the Board Meeting. At this point in my letter, I would like to be able to comment on the reports submitted by the other Board Members. But I'm disappointed to say that many of those reports are still unavailable. As I started this letter, eight reports were still missing. Some have trickled in during the past two days, but I also have a deadline. Today being the FINAL day does offer some cover, but I hope we can all do better in the future. One late breaking piece of news from Michael Lawrence, EA is that one or more legislators in Nevada are seeking to regulate EAs. No response from NAEA yet, but having gone through that horror, I think we should be prepared to offer some counsel. Although not on the agenda, I think we should discuss a strategy for dealing with over-zealous lawmakers. Respectfully submitted, Ken Kohlhof, EA

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To: Board of NYSSEA

From: Handel J. Edwards, EA, PhD.

Date: October 20, 2017

Subject: 2nd Vice President’s Report

As 2nd Vice President I continue to serve in the following capacities, while attending and

contributing to monthly and yearly board meetings:

BQEA CE COORDINATOR

I have developed and implemented a contact network system to tap into the inventory of

seasoned Subject Matter Expert speakers. As a result, the BQEA Chapter was able to host CE

classes monthly one in Brooklyn and one in Queens. This includes our annual after Tax Season

Round table discussion.

TAX PRACTITIONER'S INSTITUTE (TPI) CE Coordinator

NYSSEA's BQEA Chapter leadership team will continue with its 4th year partnership with

Queensborough Community College by providing CE speakers and planning strategies for this

highly sought after and well attended one day event. The main attendees are CPAs, EAs,

Lawyers, RTRP and Tax and Accounting students. This year speakers are:

Martin Davidoff, CPA, ESQ.

Cecil Buxo, EA, USTCP.

Mwisa Chisunka, Special Assistance to the Commissioner of NYS Tax Department.

CHAPTER REVITALIZATION

This project continues to be a daunting challenge but Dan and I will return to the drawing board.

Together we will share ideas, obtain information and data from chapter representative, presidents

and members in order to create a way of change.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT

Two Board members leadership training classes were held in 2017, one in January and one in

June. Initial feed backs were very positive and encouraging. The topics were:

‘So You Were Called To Be a Leader’ and ‘Highly Effective Leaders.’

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I will continue to focus on things that matters to the members and to the greater community we

serve. I am also committed to be a part of a transformational team that will stimulate growth and

change to NYSSEA. This includes embracing the future that will ensure that NYSSEA will

continue to be adaptable.

Sincerely submitted,

__________________________

Handel J. Edwards, EA, PhD.

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NEW YORK STATE SOCIETY OF ENROLLED AGENTS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

JUNE 3, 2017

THE COURTYARD MARRIOTT

EAST ELMHURST, NY

Board of Directors Present: Ken Kohlhof, EA President; Michael Lawrence, EA 1st Vice

President; Handel Edwards, EA 2nd Vice President; Vicki

Hermann, EA Secretary, Salvatore Candela, EA Treasurer; Ann

Kummer, EA, CPA Immediate Past President; Jeff Gentner, EA

Executive Director; Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA Director at Large;

Koreen Jervis, EA Director at Large; Henry Grabkowitz, EA

Director at Large; James Racaniello, EA Director at Large; Mason

Wristen, EA Director at Large; Rodger Alwais, EA Director at

Large; Linda Senke, EA Director Central, Victoria McGinn, CPA

EA Director Nassau/Suffolk; Daniel Coccia, EA Director Western;

Loyd Lemos, EA Brooklyn/Queens; Michele Eaton, EA Director

Lower Hudson Valley.

Absent: Lee Slater, EA Metro; Director for Capital and Mid-Hudson Valley

no one elected.

Guest: Douglas Lee, EA.

Call to Order: The Board Meeting of the New York State Society of Enrolled

Agents was called to order at 9:30 AM by President Ken Kohlhof,

EA.

Quorum: Seventeen of Twenty One Board Members Present.

Officer’s Remarks: Ken Kohlhof, EA President thanked everyone for coming to the

board meeting and reported about Legislative Day and how things

would work if the Governor vetoed our bill. He also informed the

board about his and Phyllis’s meeting with DTF concerning and

how DTF is revising their letter sent to our clients. He also stated

that we now have a direct line to the higher ups at DTF and they

want to know about specific cases not just general information.

Ken also stated that we should use the practioner’s hotline to settle

things first and if we can’t get anywhere with that, document and

then contact the higher-level DTF managers. Also we will be

receiving an explanation page to give to the taxpayer explaining

why they are getting various letters. Kenneth Kohlhof, EA and

Michael Lawrence, EA have a meeting with Assemblyman

Magnarelli and NoNie Manion on June 8, 2017. No other remarks

from officers.

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Agenda: Agenda and consent agenda approved with the following items

removed:

1. Treasurers Report.

2. Budget Report.

3. 2017 Conference Report.

4. Metro Chapter Report

5. Educating America

6. NYSSEA Sponsorship Program

Committee Reports: Salvatore Candela, EA informed us that the Form 990 was filed on

time. He also stated that the Treasurer’s report has a PayPal

account balance because the money does not automatically go into

the regular bank account. He also suggested getting a square

reader to accept credit cards at Conference with no fee if not used.

Motion was made by Ann Kummer, EA CPA that the Board

authorize our Treasurer to open a Square credit card processing

account for use at NYSSEA events and/or PayPal. Seconded was

by Victoria McGinn, CPA EA. Motion approved.

Motion was made by Salvatore Candela, EA that effective 7/01/17

new Bank of America accounts will be opened to facilitate

transition of bookkeeping services. Existing accounts will remain

open until on or about 09/30/17 or until all items are reconciled.

At such time all remaining balances will be transferred to the new

accounts. The motion was seconded by Ann Kummer, EA CPA.

Motion approved.

Salvatore Candela, EA presented the budget for the Fiscal year

June 30, 2018.

Motion was made by Henry Grabkowitz, EA that the budget for

Fiscal Year End June 30, 2018 be adopted as amended. The

motion was seconded by Victoria McGinn, CPA EA. Motion

approved.

Loyd Lemos, EA wants to raise Scholarship Funds from $500-

$1000.

Koreen Jervis, EA would like to see auction money used for

conference instead of Scholarship. This was tabled so that we

could have time to look back in the minutes to see confirm whether

these funds are restricted in their use.

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Victoria McGinn, CPA EA stated that she would like to be

informed before anyone approaches any college so that she can do

her job of making sure they get the correct materials and

information.

Unfinished Business: Daniel Coccia, EA updated us on how the Sponsorship program is

going and that he just signed another Platinum sponsor before the

meeting. He also stated that he doesn’t feel like we are offering

them enough to be sponsors.

Michael Lawrence, EAstated that New York State Legislature has

not taken any action yet on our bill and that we need to be flexible.

Koreen Jervis, EA stated that everything is pretty much ready to go

for this year’s Conference and we have a good education lineup.

She also wants to invite all the past President’s and honor them at

the Conference. She also went over ideas that she would like to

see at the Conference this year.

Motion was made by Henry Grabkowitz, EA that up to $750 be

appropriated for advertising for the 2017 Conference. The motion

was seconded by Vicki Hermann, EA. Motion approved.

Motion was made by Koreen Jervis, EA that new attendees for the

30th Annual event only be charged $499 EA’s and Non EA’s until

August 1, 2017 this is nonrecurring. The motion does not need a

second because it is coming from committee. Motion approved.

New Business: Eric Green would like us to sponsor his event again this year by

sending out a few e-blast about it.

Motion was made by Handel Edwards, EA that NYSSEA sponsor

New England IRS Presentation Conference. The motion was

seconded by Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA. Motion approved.

CAS Replacement search is being done by Victoria McGinn, CPA

EA, Salvatore Candela, EA, and Kenneth Kohlhof, EA. They are

going through the applications of all the companies that sent in

bids to try to find the right fit because CAS resigned and their last

day is June 30, 2017.

The Board is trying to decide the best way to communicate with

our members regarding social media. We are about one of only a

handful of NAEA Affiliates who does not have a Facebook page.

We think it is time to do a Facebook page to help get important

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information out to our members quickly and easily. The Facebook

page would be a closed group.

Motion was made by Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA that NYSSEA create a

Facebook page that will be a closed group and all members

approved by the moderators. The motion was seconded by

Salvatore Candela, EA. Motion approved.

Lee Slater, EA is resigning from Metro Chapter Representative.

Michele Eaton is changing from the Lower Hudson Valley Chapter

to the Metro Chapter and will possibly be the new Chapter

Representative for Metro,

Handel Edwards, EA did a presentation on board training.

Motion was made by Loyd Lemos, EA that we change the deadline

for submitting applications for the Scholarship Award from June

15 to July 31 to allow applicants sufficient time to submit their

applications and for the committee to review them. The motion

does not need a second because it is from Committee. Motion

approved.

Motion was made by Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA that NYSSEA

authorize the Executive Director to engage Chris Davis/GetNetSet

as our new website host. The motion was seconded by Henry

Grabkowitz, EA. Motion approved.

Unfinished Business: Scholarship funds use.

Chapter Structure & Membership

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 4:11 PM

Respectfully Submitted

Vicki Hermann, EA

Secretary

Next Meeting October 20th at Gideon Putnam.

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Board Report Meeting: October 20, 2017 Immediate Past President

My main task over the summer was to chair the Nominating Committee for the 2017-2018 Board. Very special thanks to Lynn Senke, EA and Jeff Gentner, EA for serving on the committee. They volunteered their time and their opinions for this important task. I hope we have provided a satisfactory slate for Sunday’s vote and, more importantly, for the Society’s leadership in the year ahead.

While we were pleased to have more candidates than open positions, I can’t help but believe that the candidate pool is not nearly deep enough. (This is in no way a reflection of our slate, but an observation that we should have more members willing to serve.) For this organization to thrive, we must continue to inspire members to participate with more than their checkbooks and to have a voice in this Society. Admittedly, our problem is no stranger amongst professional groups or charitable boards. We need to keep trying to draw members into the organization and into the leadership at both the chapter and state levels.

An effective tool for increasing participation one member at a time is with small tasks. Ask a member to hand out meeting materials or collect evaluation forms. Reach out for help on a committee. People want to be asked to help. I’d like to challenge each committee and each chapter board to – at bare minimum – entice one nonparticipating member to step into a chapter or committee position over the next year. We have committees for conference (two!), finance, governance, government relations, CE reporting/compliance, and others at the state level alone, plus committees at the chapter level.

And those of us in leadership must welcome and mentor those less experienced but willing to serve. This is similar to an employer-employee relationship. Fresh member participation may be different, leadership styles will vary; it doesn’t mean they’re wrong, just diverse. Over the last few years, I’ve observed esteemed professionals make comments which lack constructive criticism, are full of reproach and, in some cases, speak poorly of other respected leaders. Sadly, such tactics don’t support unseasoned leaders or employees trying to navigate delicate or complex issues nor does it reflect admirably on those otherwise well-regarded mentors. This behavior does not embolden volunteers to assume additional responsibility. I hope we can take a more encouraging approach with our leaders and volunteers so we can move forward.

As Immediate Past President, it can be difficult to step back. It can also be rather refreshing to not be solidly in the cross-hairs of membership. I have adopted a hands-off approach in this position. I’m accessible to President Ken Kohlhof, EA and the rest of the board as-needed, if and when asked for assistance. I intend to serve in an advisory role when asked by this organization for many more years.

Respectfully submitted,

Ann E. Kummer, EA CPA

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Report from the Executive Director

October 20, 2017 NYSSEA Board Meeting

Since the June Board meeting, there has been much discussion among various Board members about the

NYSSEA website. Although we have made a successful transition to the GetNetSet platform, there are

areas of the website that continue to need work. From the start, it was clear that the website belonged to

NYSSEA and that content will be uploaded as provided. I am not the sole author of any page. We need a

better way to keep the website current and that will take the involvement of the entire Board. We need to

make a decision about Chapters that are inactive – Capital and Mid-Hudson, to be specific. Should I remove

references to them from the website? The Legislative News area needs to be updated. We have added a

“welcome” list of new members to the home page and this will be updated quarterly. There were some

problems with the Committees lists this year, but I hope that we can get this better organized in the coming

year. Our sponsors are now recognized on our home page, thanks to the efforts of Dan Coccia, EA and all

of his good work. There is now a full Google Calendar on the NYSSEA Calendar Page that shows all State

and Chapter Events, when information is provided.

NYSSEA now has a GROUP and a PAGE on Facebook. We have 78 members (NYSSEA/NAEA members only)

in the GROUP and 80 members have liked our PAGE. I have posted items of interest to both the group and

the page.

Other Activities

1. Negotiated and signed contracts with the Hilton NY at JFK for the 2018 LIVE Board Meetings – Saturday, January 13, 2018 and June 2, 2018. They agreed to give us the same/similar rates and accommodations as the Courtyard Marriott at LaGuardia. The Courtyard Marriott that we have been using is closing before the end of 2017.

2. Gathered, edited and combined all Board and Committee Reports for the October 2017 Board Meeting

3. Participated in the monthly Executive Board telephone meetings 4. Communicated via telephone or email with various Board Members on activities, concerns and/or

procedural clarifications 5. Participated in the NAEA Affiliate Presidents Exchange (APEX) conference calls 6. Made arrangements for the Awards Plaques and Member Badges for the 2017 Conference 7. Created and distributed 34 E-Blasts since the June Board Meeting 8. Created and launched the online registration materials for the NYSSEA Thirtieth Annual Conference 9. Arranged photographer to attend the Sunday Gala at our Conference and to take professional

portraits for those interested

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10. Met with Ryan Mitchell, EA , Director form the NJSEA about the possibility of having a joint meeting with them in the future

11. Set up the NYSSEA Facebook Group and Page and invited members to participate

NYSSEA Board Members and Committee Chairs continue to use the NYSSEA Board – Shared Folder in

Dropbox. Dropbox seems to be working for everyone. The NYSSEA Board – Shared Folder continues to

grow and should make it easier for Board members to get files they need. Currently in the NYSSEA Board –

Shared Folder you will find the most current Expense Voucher, Event Report Form, Motion Form and the

NYSSEA Logos, along with the recently added updated NYSSEA Board Letterhead and a 2016-2017 Board

Misc. folder, which contains the 2016-2017 Board Contact Information roster and the 2016-2017 NYSSEA

Board Meeting Timeline document. There are also folders containing the most current SOPs and Policies,

current Bylaws and Board Packets. I will continue to keep these updated.

REMINDER: When using any of the documents included in the DropBox, please remember to DOWNLOAD

the document so that you can edit/change it to meet your needs. When you are finished, be sure to save it

to you DESKTOP – not back into the DropBox, since this will alter the generic document in the DropBox.

This happened twice recently. When preparing your reports for the Board Meeting, DO NOT place them

into the DropBox. Attach the reports to an email and send them to me.

NAEA Affiliate President’s Exchange Meetings – October 2017: As a member of the NAEA Affiliate Council and a representative from NYSSEA, I will be attending the meetings in Orlando in November. The Affiliate President’s Exchange has returned to a one and one-half day program and strives to make it a worthwhile experience for all affiliate leaders in attendance. My tenure as a member of the Affiliate Council will end in May 2018, but I will continue to attend and participate in these meetings as part of my role as NYSSEA Executive Director.


Jeffrey R. Gentner, EA Executive Director NYSSEA October 20, 2017

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Directors Report

Rodger Alwais, EA

Board Meeting October 20, 2017

To the members of the board: 1) As a member of the Education Committee, look forward to assisting with Conference. 2) I have be assisting Koreen Jervis on the Conference Committee, and will be assisting at Conference. I have tried to find prospective sponsors or vendors for conference and worked with Daniel Coccia in that effort. 3) I have supported Educate America since its inception. I have worked with Gleim to be prepared to teach the Gleim Method of their review course. Unfortunately QBCC only had 2 students enroll for the Fall semester Suturday Part 1 review course and so it was cancelled. I will be preparing a detailed outline so that all can better understand the Gleim method, and be prepared to teach the class(es) using their program effectively. I am working with Vicki, the NY Coordinator of Educate America to see what we can do to get the program into other colleges or programs as well as offering Parts 2 & 3 in the Fall semester. 4) I look forward to assisting the Treasurer to better understand some of the issues that go along with that position with the concept of creating a more fluid transition in the future

Looking forward to a very special conference!

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Board Member Report

Board Meeting: October 20, 2017

To the Members of the Board: As of October 6, 2017 and since my last report I have contributed to the Board as follows:

1. I continue my role in Continuing Education administration for the Brooklyn-Queens chapter. Ongoing evaluation indicates that a statewide standard for submissions of CE to the committee needs to be determined and implemented.

2. I continue my role as chairperson for the 2017 Conference Education committee which included (with much help from Jamie Racaniello, EA, Lisa Cancellarich, EA and Michele Eaton, EA) tracking speaker submission deadlines, a review of class notes and preparation of electronic CE forms. I anticipate an outstanding Conference starting October 21 at the Gideon Putnam resort in Saratoga Springs, NY.

3. I attended the NAEA “Legislative Fly-In” on May 16 and 17, 2017 in Washington, DC and the NAEA National Conference on July 31 through August 2, 2017. While the work we do making our legislators aware of the (sometimes unintended) promises and pitfalls resulting from bills under consideration and/or legislation signed into law, almost as important to me is the continuing contact with our colleagues from other locales at these national events.

This will be my last report as I will be departing the Board as of the election this weekend. I hope that those remaining or joining the Board be given the intuition and insight to govern through these most turbulent of times within our industry. Respectfully submitted, Henry Grabkowitz, EA, MCP

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Contact:



Phone: 716 616 0104



Michael E Lawrence, EA, 1st Vice President

Handel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2nd Vice President



October 20th 2017

Director’s Report

It is with sadness that I write this report since it brings home the fact that this is my last one as a

Director. I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve on the board and the knowledge and

experiences gained have served we well over the years.

I have led and organized the Brooklyn/Queens 3rd annual back to school shopping spree in

conjunction with Make A Smile Foundation and Target Stores. We have sponsored over 120

children in the last three years, hosted two this year and possibly looking to host another in

December. More people know what and EA is and have heard the name NYSSEA because of

these events. We will continue to host this event in the coming years since I believe that we are

truly making a difference in the lives of the children we host. Due to the success we’ve had with the

events, I am happy to report that The Foundation has asked me to become a member of their

board.

Handel Edwards and I will once again be working with Queens Borough Community College to

help co-host TPI on Friday November 17th. This will be our 4th year doing this event and we feel it

is another avenue we can utilize to let our members know that NYSSEA is vital and very must

present. Seeing their leaders come out and be a part of this event each year lets them know that

their organization is working on their behalf. We never miss an opportunity at these events to

promote NYSSEA and the importance of becoming a member.

I attended our annual Legislative Day in Albany and was happy to be there when we were

presented with the proclamation from Assemblyman Magnarelli declaring EA week. if I did not have

the opportunity to be on the board, I do not think that I would have been involved with NYSSEA as

I have been. I have been inspired by the works of many and have forged great relationships with

many of my peers. I will miss sitting at the table with you all and I have been blessed with the

honor to have worked with you all to help take our organization to higher levels. I know our work is

not done but I am excited to take on the next challenge as we move forward to continue making

NYSSEA great.


Koreen Jervis, EA

Director

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Kenneth R Kohlhof, EA, PresidentMichael E Lawrence, EA, tstVice-PresidentHandel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2ndVice-President ffi:Y$Sffi,fu,rfsyar,oi*ffil**.*1.h\.r,;xyt {tiSalvatore P. Candela, EA, Treasurer v,g;.:,.,"- I

Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretory

Contact:Jeffrey R Gentner, EA, Executive DirectorEmail: [email protected]

Phone: 716-616-0104Web Site: nyssea.org


Director's Report for October 20r2017 Meeting

I am proud to serve as a Director of NYSSEA and as my term as Director comes to anend I will do my best to continue to support NYSSEA and to be an advocate for EnrolledAgents. It has truly been a pleasure to serve our members and to have had a small part inthe leadership of NYSSEA. As another extension deadline looms I reflect on my NAEA& NYSSEA-related activities since my last report.

I continue as Chair of the NAEA PAC Steering CommitteeI am nearing the completion of my first year as a member of the IRSAC (InternalRevenue Service Advisory Council)/SBSE/W & I subcommittee. We will submitour public report in November in Washington DC.I serve on the NYSSEA Membership Committee, the NYSSEA GovernmentRelations Committee, and serve as NYSSEA's liaison to NYSDTF. I moderatethe NYSSEA Tax Questions Google Group and help with NYSSEA CE reporting.I was part of an effort to get NAEA situated to offer CFP credit for the August2017 conference in I as Vegas. This was a success and I thank my colleagues,Mary Sunderland, EA USTCP, Christopher Tuttle, EA, Bill Nemeth, EA, and ourNAEA staff liaison, Holli Kimbrough for all of their hard work getting this inplace.

As chair of NAEA PAC Steering Committee I attend all of NAEA's nationalevents. I was in Las Vegas in August and will be in Orlando in November.I attend, whenever possible, the monthly IRS IMRS virtual/conference callmeetings. The tireless efforts of the IRS stakeholder liaisons are laudable andtheir commitment to working with the tax practitioner community in anenvironment of shrinking budget and resources is inspirational.As I pass NYSSEA Google Group moderator baton to Henry Grabkowitz, EA Icannot say how much this group has changed my life and made me a better taxprofessional and human being. I will look forward to continued participation as amember of this group.I was pleased, as a member of the PAC Steering Committee, to attend afundraising event for House Ways and Means Committee member Mike Bishop(R-MD where chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) was in attendance - and I saw first-hand how the opportunities to speak about Enrolled Agents, who we are and whatwe do, unfold in an informal setting. This is what our PAC contributions enableus to do that, in my opinion, simply cannot be accomplished by any other means.

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Kenneth R Kohlhof, EA, PresidentMichael E Lawrence, EA, tst Vice-PresidentHandel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2nd Vice-President

Salvatore P. Candela, EA, TreosurerVicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

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I am, as always, excited about continued advocacy work at the national, state, and locallevel. I am passionate about reaching out to new members and promoting our grEAtcredential and organi zation.

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Michael E Lawrence, EA, 1st Vice-President

Handel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2nd Vice-President




Contact:



Phone: 716-616-0104


October 20, 2017

We have come a long way in bringing us all here to Saratoga Springs, NY . There are so many people who

worked hard to make this all happen. I worked on the conference education committee as well as the conference

committee. I want to thank Henry, Lisa and Michelle for the great teamwork on the education side and of course the

same goes to Koreen , Rodger, Carolyn and Dan for their work on the conference committee.

The conference book was done leaving out the IRS since they could not meet the deadline for this. All other

presentations are included. We again have our vendors in the book, thanks to Dan! Also want to thank everyone

else who I may have called prodded, poked and generally disturbed trying to get this all done.

Respectfully Submitted,

James P Racaniello, EA,


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October 14, 2017

I’ve been asked to give a presentation about an app for conferences by E & M Consulting at our

upcoming board meeting. I have communicated with the company and have seen a live demo.

Two reasons to switch to an app are:

1. Save on cost and time related to printed materials 2. Privacy and email communication with attendees, vendors and instructors

While attending the NATP National Conference in Washington, D.C., August 7th10, 2017 I

gained firsthand experience with using this kind of app. They had an app available for all

attendees which was good except for a minor glitch. After downloading and logging into their app,

something had to be verified before all the information became available.

While at the NATP conference I spoke with several vendors about considering participating at our

conference, two expressed interest. I included Dan Coccia, our chairman, as a cc on all

communications between myself and vendors.

1. Student Loan Freedom is paying a stipend for including their flier in our materials.

2. Neat indicated they are booked this year, but would be interested in being one of our vendors for next year 2018.

Mason Wristen, EA

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NYSSEA Brooklyn-Queens Chapter


Aubrey Chichester, EA, Secretary Loyd Lemos, EA, Chapter Representative

Koreen Jervis, EA, President Sofia Sierra, EA, Treasurer

BROOKLYN/QUEENS CHAPTER REPORT October 20, 2017 Board of Directors Meeting

President: Koreen Jervis, EA Secretary: Aubrey Chichester, EA Treasurer: Sofia Sierra, EA Chapter Rep: Loyd Lemos, EA Since our last board meeting, the B/Q Chapter has continued to try to offer at least two CE classes per month. Unfortunately, we were not able to have any classes in the month of June 2017. We did hold two classes in July where we were able to introduce a “new” speaker, Cecil Buxo, EA, USTCP. Of course this board, especially this chapter, already knows Cecil from his past services to this organization, but we are happy that he is now able to be a new presenter that we can all utilize for our local chapter CE classes. In September, we brought Cecil back to continue his presentation on the various civil, tax, and criminal penalties that taxpayers and tax preparers can be subject to. A few years ago, our immediate past-president has empowered us to do some sort of community project to help promote the Enrolled Agent credentials. I am proud to report that the B/Q Chapter has held our third annual community project with the Make-A-Smile Foundation and Target Stores this past August. Through the efforts of Martin Davidoff and his foundation, we held a Back-to-School Shopping Spree for underprivileged children in local public schools. This year, with additional funding from Target Stores, where these shopping sprees are always held, we were able to provide two different shopping sprees – one in Queens in the Target Store at the Queens Place Mall and a second in Brooklyn at the Target Store in Albee Square W. Each spree hosted about 30 children; the Queens event hosted children from PS 121 located in Richmond Hill, Queens and the Brooklyn event hosted children from PS 12. Through the efforts of volunteers, this community project continues to grow bigger and better. This year, we had volunteers from local NYSSEA chapters, from teachers in the respective school, and even from Target staff members. Once again, the B/Q Chapter would love to thank all the volunteers that came out to assist in the success of this community project. Lastly, in November the BQ Chapter will be hosting a Tax Practitioner’s Institute offering additional CEs on federal and state matters. As it has been in the past, this TPI event will be held at the Queensborough Community College located in Bayside, Queens. Respectively Submitted on October 12, 2017

Loyd Lemos, EA Loyd Lemos, EA: Chapter Representative / Queens Liaison Brooklyn-Queens Chapter of the NYSSEA

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NYSSEA Brooklyn-Queens Chapter

Aubrey Chichester, EA, Secretary Loyd Lemos, EA, Chapter Representative

Koreen Jervis, EA, President Sofia Sierra, EA, Treasurer

Chapter meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Tuesday of the month to be held at the Brooklyn location and the 4th Thursday of the month to be held at the Queens location. Brooklyn meetings are currently being held at Hunter’s Steak House located at 94-04 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11209. Queens meeting are currently being held at The Fabulous Las Vegas Diner located at 80-26 Queens Boulevard, Elmhurst NY 11373. Summary of 2017-2018 Fiscal Year CE Meetings Date Topic Speaker Attendees CE 07/13/2017 Civil and Tax Penalties Handel Edwards, EA, Ph.D.

Cecil Buxo, EA, USTCP 20 3

Location: Brooklyn 07/27/2017 Business Vehicle Expenses Douglas T. Lee, EA 22 3 Location: Queens 08/26/2017 BQ Community Project Make-A-Smile Foundation N/A 0 Location: Target, Queens Place Mall Helping children with back-

to-school shopping

09/09/2017 BQ Community Project Make-A-Smile Foundation N/A 0 Location: Target, Brooklyn Helping children with back-

to-school shopping

09/26/2017 Reconsidering the C-Corp John Sheeley, EA 19 3 Location: Brooklyn 09/28/2017 IRS Civil & Criminal Penalties Cecil Buxo, EA, USTCP 14 3 Location: Queens 11/09/2017 TBD TBD TBD TBD Location: Queens 11/30/2017 Tax Practitioner’s Institute CE TBD TBD TBD

F/S Location: Queensborough Community

College

12/07/2017 TBD TBD TBD TBD Location: Queens 12/21/2017 TBD TBD TBD TBD Location: Brooklyn 01/??/2018 2017 Federal Tax Update TBD TBD 3 Location: Brooklyn 01/??/2018 2017 Federal Tax Update TBD TBD 3 Location: Queens 04/??/2018 2018 Round Table Discussion Chapter Members TBD 0 Location: Brooklyn 05/??/2018 2018 Round Table Discussion Chapter Members TBD 0 Location: Queens 06/??/2018 TBD TBD TBD TBD Location: TBD

Average attendees for the 2017 FY (to-date) is about 19 for the BQ chapter Respectively submitted on October 12, 2017 Loyd Lemos, EA – Chapter Representative / Queens Liaison Brooklyn-Queens Chapter of the NYSSEA

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Central New York Chapter

President Michael Lawrence, EA

Vice President Charles Ertel, EA, CPA

Treasurer Joyce Orlandella, EA

Secretary/Chapter Rep Linda Senke, EA

Meetings held:

May 2017 Legislative Day: 4 CNY, plusmany other chapter members, went to

Albany & met with many of our state legislators for a day

May 2017 Discussion Meeting 6 attended

June 2017 Elections held (see above) 13 present

July 2017 Basis & Depreciation 13 attended 2 CE

by Michael Lawrence, EA

Sept 2017 Education Seminar 29 attended 6 CE

Dependency & Qualified Child by Judy Strauss, EA

Introduction to Collections by Marc Dombrowski, EA

2017 Ethics - Who Knew by Marc Dombrowski, EA

Nov 2017 NYS 2017 Update with speaker from NYSDTF, scheduled 11/20/17

Dec 2017 Federal Update 2017 by Cosimo Borzumate, scheduled 12/18/17

We had an excellent education seminar in September, our speakers Judy and Marc were

well received and imparted valuable knowledge to all who attended. We are already

planning next years seminar with some recommended speakers in mind.

We also mourned the passing of a good friend, mentor and fellow EA, Mike Hayes, on

9/11/17. He will be missed by all of us, our chapter and our state organization as well.

For January, we usually like to kick off tax season with last minutes changes or updates,

and a schedule of upcoming meetings for 2018, then meet agina in April for end of

season discussions (problems, solutions, software, etc).

Respectfully submitted September 26, 2017

Lynn Senke, EA Central NY Chapter Rep

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NYSSEA – METRO CHAPTER REPORT for October 21, 2017 Board meeting

Current Officers: Renee Schweke, EA, President Emilie Archambault, EA, Vice-President Fangxia Lin, EA, Secretary David Grosdorf, EA, Treasurer Michele Eaton, EA, Chapter Representative

2017 FALL CHAPTER MEETINGS

Date Topic Speaker IRS Course # CE credits

# of Attendees

09.19.2017 NYS Residency Audits - Forewarned is Forearmed

Henry Grabkowitz, EA

None 2 (for NAEA credit only)

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10.02.2017 Revisiting the C-corp as the best entity choice

John Sheeley, EA XER5B-T-00307-17-1

2 25

I am proud to be the newly-elected Chapter Representative for the Metro Chapter of NYSSEA. There are some other new faces on the Metro Officers roster as well: Renee Schweke is the new President and Fangxia Lin is the new Secretary. We have had two meetings since I became Chapter Rep, and they are listed above. We look forward to an Ethics session with Doug Lee and a Representation session with Marc Dombrowski later this fall. I do have a concern to bring to the attention of the Board. One of our new members, a young, new EA, expressed his enthusiasm for his work as an Intuit “Credentialed Tax Expert” to one of our older, more seasoned members. The older member scoffed and implied the younger fellow was foolish to work for Intuit in that capacity. The new EA was offended by the arrogance of the older EA. I personally feel that as EA’s we should be fostering a welcoming approach to our new members. The response this new EA got was anything but welcoming. I realize we can’t change the behavior and ideas of some hardened personalities, but I hope that we can find ways of countering such interactions. I continue to serve on the Awards, Governance, and Conference Education Committees, and would like to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of Lisa Cancellerich, Henry Grabkowitz, Lloyd Lemos, Barb MacDonald and Jamie Racaniello, with whom I have served on these committees. Respectfully submitted October 9, 2017 Michele Eaton, EA, Metro Chapter Representative

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New York State Society of Enrolled Agents Western New York Chapter Activity Report for Presentation at the October 2017 Board meeting Dan Coccia, Chapter Representative Chapter Meetings:

Last Meetings Held:

• Thursday, June 1st, 2017, Meeting was held at Bohn’s Restaurant in Batavia, NY, Dinner Meeting and Speaker Presentation. Making the Most of Education Credits - 2 CE credits. This intermediate level course takes you beyond the basics

of the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits by showing you ways to create qualified education expenses when a student receives financial aid that covers tuition. We will also discuss how to coordinate these credits with distributions from 529 plans, and perhaps most importantly, we will review the new due diligence requirements for refundable credits. Our speaker for this event was Kelly Lent-Paul, EA. This is the 2nd time Kelly has presented to our Chapter. Excellent job, she is a very knowledgeable, well versed speaker. Received very high scores on the evaluations. Very good attendance.

• Thursday, September 7, 2017 4:00pm – 8:00pm, meeting was held at Bohn’s Restaurant, 5256 Clinton St. Dinner meeting and Speaker Presentation.

KEYS TO THE K-1: 2 CE credits. An in-depth look at the often-misunderstood components of Partnership Taxation Using the Schedule K-1 as a foundation, this intermediate level program will explore the compliance issues and planning opportunities that develop through partnership taxation. As tax preparers, we often focus on Part III of the K-1 (Partner’s Share of Current Year Income, etc.) while we tend to disregard the impact of Part II (Information about the Partner). This program will explore concepts such as basis calculations, loss limitations, capital percentages, debt allocations, guaranteed payments, and built-in gains, to name a few. In addition, the program aims to explain the impact of these issues and demonstrate opportunities for reducing the overall income tax liability. BONUS: We will also cover the newly enacted Centralized Partnership IRS Audit Rules. Speakers were Joseph Baldwin and Dario Arezzo, both associated with Farm Credit East. Again, two very strong, knowledgeable speakers. Joe was very entertaining as well. Great attendance. High scores on the evaluations. I hope to use them again in 2018. Gene Hamilton from TASC joined our meeting, provided a brief overview of his product. Seemed to be well received.

Next Upcoming Meeting:

Hoping to host another meeting in either late November or early December. Currently, in talks with a NYS only speaker. Other Activities: Chapter Survey. I conducted a Chapter Meeting Survey at our June meeting. Most respondents are only willing to attend no more than 4 meetings a year. Batavia continues to be the “neutral” ground, however, there is a growing, larger group of attendees coming from the Rochester area; requesting that meeting location moves closer to Rochester. Agreed to start meetings a little earlier to allow more time at the meeting and to be able to get on the road by 8 or 8:30 pm. Many drive a good hour to get to this location. Pre-meeting “Cocktail Hour”. These continue to go very well. Many attendees show up 45 to 60 minutes in advance of dinner. I have incorporated some simple hors d'oeuvres to be served into the meeting expense and attendance fee. Cash bar is offered, pricing very reasonable. Vendor and information table has been well received. Reach out to other EA’s in our area. Raechel Taddei who has been assisting me with meetings. Went through an on-line EA directly and solicited an additional set of names of EA’s not in our member directory. I then invited them to our September meeting and provided membership information. Few responded but will try again with next meeting. Prepared by Dan Coccia, Chapter Representative, October 6, 2017

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Awards and Scholarship Committee

October 20, 2017 Board of Directors Meeting Loyd Lemos, EA – BQ Chapter, Chair Judy Straus, EA – Capital Chapter, Committee Member Michele Eaton, EA – Metro Chapter, Committee Member Lynn Senke, EA – Central Chapter, Committee Member Firstly, I’d like to thank Lynn Senke for agreeing to join the committee this year. She is a great addition to this committee with her valued opinions throughout our discussions. The committee would like to report that we have received 5 applications for the Scholarship Award. Of the five essays that we read, we found that two individuals have merited this award. One of the recipients has demonstrated a long-term effect for what that they have contributed (and continues to contribute) to the EA credential; the other is a new member and fairly new EA who is definitely trying to have a big impact with the EA credential. We believed that both merited a full $500 scholarship each. The committee would like to report that we have received 12 nominations for the various awards that will be presented at this year’s 30th Annual NYSSEA Conference. Because of the small amount of nominations that were received before September 15th, this committee had extended the nomination deadlines until September 30th. In the last two weeks before the extended deadline, we received a little more than half of the total nominations. After a careful review and discussion of all nominees, we have submitted our selection of award winners to Jeff Gentner so that he can obtain the appropriate plaques for this year’s recipients. Because the majority of all nominations submitted were for the Robert Nadel Above and Beyond Award, this committee has found two very deserving individuals to be honored with this year’s Robert Nadel Above and Beyond Award. In honor of this year’s conference being our 30th in which we are honoring past-presidents of the NYSSEA, Koreen and her committee had suggested that it would be great if certain past-presidents would be the presenters of the awards. This committee agreed with this suggestion and Koreen will select the past-presidents that will present the awards. As there are four recipients between the three awards, there will be four past-presidents who will make the presentation. Respectively Submitted on October 12, 2017

Loyd Lemos, EA Loyd Lemos, EA Chair, NYSSEA Awards and Scholarship Committee

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2017 NYSSEA Nominating Committee Report Slate of Candidates

2017-2018 Governance Year TO: President Kenneth Kohlhof, EA CC: Executive Director Jeffrey Gentner, EA FROM: 2017 NYSSEA Nominating Committee -Ann E. Kummer, EA CPA – Chair -Jeffrey Gentner, EA -Lynn Senke, EA DATE: August 25, 2017 The Committee issued a Call for Nominations for the 2017-2018 Governance Year of the New York State Society of Enrolled Agents Board on June 12, 2017. Nominations closed on July 21, 2017. The Committee interviewed via telephone those candidates not currently serving on the NYSSEA Board in any capacity and evaluated all candidates over the course of several telephone meetings. We also verified that candidates are current members in good standing of NAEA/NYSSEA. We hereby present the following slate of candidates for the 2017-2018 Governance Year:

POSITION: NOMINEE:

President Kenneth R Kohlhof, EA

1st Vice President Michael E Lawrence, EA

2nd Vice President Handel Edwards, EA

Secretary Vicki Hermann, EA

Treasurer Salvatore P Candela, EA

Directors

Loyd Lemos, EA

Lisa L Cancellarich, EA Warren S Leibowitz, EA

Executive Director Jeffrey Gentner must publish the slate no later than 45 days prior to the election (October 22, 2017 at the 30th Annual NYSSEA Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY). This means the slate should be published (via e-blast to NYSSEA membership) no later than September 7, 2017. As the 2017 NYSSEA Nominating Committee Chair, I thank Lynn Senke, EA and Jeffrey Gentner, EA for their time and efforts. It was a pleasure to work with both on the selection of next year’s slate.

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CE Reporting Committee Report October 20, 2017 Board of Directors, Since our last meeting I have gotten all the classes uploaded that needed to be uploaded and have obtained course number along with my committee members. I have also been on a couple of conference with the IRS about how they keep improving the website and the last call was about the open registration for the 2018. I think everything is up to date with up with uploading and getting course numbers as of this point. If anyone has any problems please contact me with them as soon as possible. Sincerely, Vicki Hermann, EA

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NEW YORK STATE SOCIETY OF ENROLLED AGENTS

BOARD MEETING

OCTOBER 20, 2017

SUBJECT: Governance Committee

COMMITTEE: Barbara MacDonald, EA, Chair; Michele Eaton, EA

The following change is made to the Policy & Procedure Manual:

Part 5.9.2 is changed to read: Expenses in excess of $20 must be documented by original receipts.

Barbara A MacDonald, EA

Committee Chair

29

Salvatore P. Candela, EA, TreasurerVicki Hermann, EA, Secretqry

Kenneth R Kohlhof, EA, PresidentMichael E Lawrence, EA, tstVice-PresidentHandel Edwards, EA, PhD. 2nd vice-president }qY$$tr, .&-', u,,*,*,*o,a*ri*1*ai,gr,sjcrx*.#fs

UUy da



22 Hidden Ridge Common, Williamsville, NY L4221

Liaison, NYS Department of Taxation & FinanceOctober 20r2017 Board of Directors Meeting

We have a new NYSDTF Director of Communications and Public Affairs, DianeO'Donnell. I look forward to working with Diane and her colleagues at NYSDTF tocontinue to encourage open lines of communication in both directions.

DTF has announced some new initiatives and outreach. We will have a new TaxProfessionals landing page on NYSDTF's website beginning on or around October 19,

2017 arrd DTF is interested in communicating more closely with our members.

NYSDTF will be on premises at our 30th Anniversary Conference with demos of onlineservices and other offerings. Nonie Manion, Acting Commissioner, will be our keynotespeaker at our gala dinner on Sunday, October 22.

I believe that a collaborative approach bears fruit and I have been very pleased with all ofthe dialogue we have been able to establish with NYSDTF over the past year. While wewill always have some differences in our focus and interests there is real value indeveloping these good working relationships as we all serve the goal of ensuring thatNYS taxpayers pay the correct amount of tax and that the process of administering thetax law is smooth and equitably delivered.

In June we had a meeting in Albany to discuss our latest proposed legislation. NonieManion, Acting Commissioner, Bill Magnarelli, our house sponsor, Ken Kohlhof EA,Michael Lawrence, EA, and I all met together to discuss getting to Yes on DTF'shonoring the POA. As of now that bill sits on Governor Cuomo's desk - and we wait -but regardless of the outcome we have come a long way toward NYSSEA's recognitionas an important stakeholder with NYSDTF.

There is grEAt synergy between the NYSSEA DTF Liaison efforts and the excellentwork we are doing in Albany with our Government Relations team, led passionately andtirelessly by Michael Lawrence, EA. Together we are amplifying the voices of EAs atNYSDTF and that is a good thing.

ly submitted,a€

Phylli I FellowNYSS

ubey, EA CFP@ ATA Arard Member at Large

Members Licensed to Represent Taxpayers before the lnternal Revenue Service

30


Michael E Lawrence, EA, 1st Vice-President Handel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2nd Vice-President Salvatore P. Candela, EA, Treasurer Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

NYSSEA i'OWERJSI(, AMt,l{J<;,\'$ 'lAX l'Xf'f:RTS

Contact:

Jeffrey R Gentner, EA, Executive Director Email: [email protected] Phone: 716-616-0104 Web Site: nyssea.org


Government Relations Committee Report

Meeting: October 20, 2017

To the Members of the Board:

Since our June board meeting:

Our legislation continues to languish in limbo. It has not yet been called up for consideration by the Governor. I've held personal meetings with several legislators about how to move this forward, but the advice all seems to be to write another letter to the Governor supporting the legislation. Having written several letters, I'm not going to hold out any hope for its future.

Our legislative sponsor in the Senate, John DeFrancisco, is exploring running for Governor, so we may need to seek out another sponsor for future efforts.

If this years effort goes nowhere, I will propose that we adopt tactics similar to those used to get this language into RRA 98 at the federal level. Those tactics were a sort of "scorched earth" effort of testimony before Congress and widespread public denunciations of the IRS from businesses and lives that had been ruined because taxpayers lacked the right to representation. This could make our relationship with DTF difficult in the short term.


Michael E Lawrence, EA


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NYSSEA Sponsorship Vendor Programs Reported by Dan Coccia for the October 2017 Board Meeting

I. Sponsorship Program

Just to recap we currently offer three Options for vendor participation in our Sponsorship Program: Platinum Sponsor Level $2,500; Gold Sponsor Level $1,500; and Silver Sponsor Level $750.

We currently have three companies participating at the Platinum Level: • Mile IQ, primary contact is Megan Roth • Professional Liability Consulting Services, contact is Dennis Supraner • TASC, contact is Gene Hamilton

One Company participating at the Silver Level: • CFS Tax Tools, primary contact is John Logue

Additional Comments: Canopy was a Platinum Sponsor in 2016 and they elected to not renew. PLCSI has already informed me they will not be renewing. Mile IQ has been a Platinum Sponsor for 2 years.

II. Independent Supported Agreements, Conference Only Agreements

The TaxBook, we are enrolled in their Gold Program. Our Chapter gets a rebate for products

purchased by our members provided they use our ID#. We also receive two memberships to their WebLibrary Plus; we have been retaining one for Board use and auctioning off the other. It requires that we send out to our Chapter members a minimum three emails. We also provide a link from our Website to order their product and we hand out literature at Conference.

Conference Only Agreements. We offer advertising opportunities within our conference

book. The ads are offered only in black and white. A full page (8'' by 11") advertisement is $175, a half page, $100 and a quarter page, $75. We also prepare registration packets that are given to all attendees. We offer an insert service into these registration packets for $125. As an add on to this service, if we have extras, they are divided up and given to the Regional Chapter Reps to distribute at their next Chapter meeting. No one has purchased the Ad only service. We had two companies purchase the insert service: Student Loan Freedom LLC and GetNetSet.

My Commentary: I do not believe our current Sponsorship Program is sustainable. Between myself and various other Board members, over 15 companies were contacted this past year. All were viable vendors, many were contacted by those with strong connections, most “walked away” quickly. Not one signed up. Feedback I am getting is that we are not offering enough value-added services nor have high enough attendance at our Chapter meetings and Annual Conference compared to other organizations they have access to. My Recommendation going forward: I believe we should restructure our Program going forward. We should focus primarily on getting vendors to participate at some level in our Annual Conference by either hosting a table, advertising or using our insert service. The charge for hosting a table at Conference should be lowered to be more cost attractive based upon our attendance.

32

Kenneth R Kohlhof, EA, PresidentMichael E Lawrence, EA, tst Vi ce-Pres id entHandel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2ndVice-President }qYSSffi &-', nn*,,,,.,ous*rerutrrm{xir,,r{,rsSalvatore P. Candela, EA,Treasurer u";ls:l;,:;;* i





NYSSEA TAX QUESTIONS GOOGLE GROUPREPORT TO NYSSEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS IOI2OI2OIT

I and my co-moderator, Jeff Gentner, took over the oversight of the Google Group in late2013. Since then I have grown into the role and have enjoyed every minute of myparticipation in this online forum.

John Sheeley and Judy Strauss started this group in20l1. It has grown to include over200 members.

We had some discussion earlier in the year about whether the Google Group shouldcontinue or whether, with the advent of social media and other online forums, it was timeto retire this group. The NYSSEA Board of Directors has decided to continue the groupfor at least another year - and esteemed colleague Henry Grabkowitz, EA will be takingover as moderator after the October conference.

As a long-time "checkbook member" of NAEA and NYSSEA, I can absolutely say that itwas the Google Group that inspired me to attend my first conference, to meet more of mycolleagues, to become more involved with NYSSEA & NAEA, and ultimately to be hereas a member of the NYSSEA Board of Directors. My early a.m. reporting on the taxnews of the day has been fun and I've learned more by sharing than I would have if I'djust been reading the news myself. We have some drama from time to time and I knowthere are many opinions about how things could be managed better, but I think we have a

very nice community and I am continually arnazed by the knowledge and generosity ofall who contribute. I will not be a straneer!

ly submitted,t 4t'4

Kubey, EA CFP@ ATABoard Member atLarse

I Fellowc*

Phylli


33



Contact:



Phone: 716 616 0104



Michael E Lawrence, EA, 1st Vice President

Handel Edwards, EA, PhD, 2nd Vice President



October 20th 2017

Conference Chair Report

It has been a pleasure working on the 2017 conference. Though we’ve had some speed bumps along the way, they were nothing compared to the support and encouragement we had in pulling it all together, that I feel it was all worth it. With 106 people registered as I write this letter, 30 of whom are first time attendees we can feel that our efforts have been rewarded. I believe that we could not have picked a better place than Saratoga Springs and the Gideon Putnam for our conference venue. The Saratoga Tourism Bureau has been very helpful is introducing us to the many business in the area and we were able to tap into their resources as we did our planning. Mark Davis and Mary Ellen Shea at The Gideon have been amazing and I give them both credit for all their assistance. With a new venue, everything starts from scratch and they were able to come up with some great ideas that helped to make my job easier.

This weekend, our focus is paying special tribute to our past presidents in recognition for their dedication to NYSSEA over the years, and the gift we will be presenting to each of them we feel expresses this sentiment. We are hoping that this conference will be a new beginning for NYSSEA, with the new location and larger attendance. We have strived to change the concept of what our conference is known for by taking things out of the box and giving our attendees something to be excited about other than CE’s.

When we put our budget together, we estimated that we would need 99 full paid attendees. We have a total of 97. We have more attendees bring a guest this year than in the past and the total revenue collected to date is $54,775 of which $51,501 is from registration fees. Though we have more people opting to take photos this year, the numbers are still low and I think we will need to revisit having a photographer for 2018. We have an increase in our income from vendors thanks to the persistence of Dan Coccia and I can see us approaching this in a much more lucrative way next year.

My heartfelt thanks to my committee for all the hard work they have done in the last few months. To Henry and the Education Committee, thank you so much. We worked well together and you can only be successful when you are working with a great team of people who have only one agenda. This was a team effort and I so appreciate all that you have done.

To a grEAt conference!!

Respectfully Submitted

Koreen Jervis, EA

Conference Chair

Conference Committee: Rodger Alwais Daniel Coccia Carolyn Hallisey Jamie Racaniello

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NYSSEA Board Packet October 20, 2017€¦ · Candela, EA guided the transition and worked through...

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Transcript of NYSSEA Board Packet October 20, 2017€¦ · Candela, EA guided the transition and worked through...