NAEA welcomes five new board members and makes history at the start of the new 2021-2022 fiscal year
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) welcomed its new Board of Directors on Monday, May 24, 2021, during the association’s installation ceremony. Under the theme Transitions and New Beginnings, NAEA swore in all directors prior to a keynote speech by Anisha Bailey, EA, tax resolution specialist and CEO at Taxley. For the first time in its history, NAEA welcomes two African American women to its 15-member board, which serves as the governing body of the only association that promotes and serves the enrolled agent (EA) credential. An EA is a tax practitioner who is federally licensed to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax preparation services, tax issues, including audits, collections, and appeals.
“To all of our new board members, you have taken the first major step towards being a part of leading this organization in ways that each of you are confident that your contributions will matter and must matter,” said Bailey in her remarks to the new board. “Each of you represent groups of people and collective ideas that you believe need to be at the forefront of decision making going forward.”
David Tolleth, EA now serves as President, succeeding Don Rosenberg, EA; Kathy Brown, EA has been appointed as President-elect; Nancy Lyman, EA will serve as Treasurer, and the role of the secretary remains vacant until the first board meeting with its newly appointed directors on Friday, May 28, 2021.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected by our members to lead NAEA through the coming year,” said Tolleth following the ceremony. “We have challenges ahead and opportunity to better understand our members and stakeholders and to recast NAEA as the only association singularly focused on helping EAs to succeed in their careers.”
The Board also welcomed new directors John Perry, EA, USTCP, Jennifer MacMillan, EA, Cynthia Leachmoore, EA, Natasha Johnson, EA, and Tynisa Gaines, EA to its board who will begin serving a two-year term.
“I am honored to be installed as a new member of the board of directors for NAEA,” said Johnson. “I am committed to engaging and listening to our members as well as working with a team of talented leaders. Together, we can make great strides to provide value to and strengthen our membership and promote the Enrolled Agent profession.”
Continuing directors Lori Carpenter, EA, Kerry Freeman, EA, Lynn Jacobs, EA, USTC, and Tracy Ann Gordineer, EA will serve out their remaining terms ending in 2022, and Trish Evenstad, EA was re-elected for a two-year term.
“I am really looking forward to working with this slate of board members,” said Megan Killian, NAEA’s Executive Vice President. “They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as a dedication to the profession and the organization.”
NAEA Celebrates National Tax Practice Institute® (NTPI) Graduates
At the end of her keynote speech, Bailey offered a few words to the graduates of NAEA’s National Tax Practice Institute® – a three-level education program developed to sharpen the skills of enrolled agent practitioners by expanding their skills and scope of knowledge to represent clients before the IRS.
“Much like earning your enrolled agent license required you to elevate your professional standards and responsibility because you have shown your commitment to tax law and advocacy, the NTPI Fellow designation, should be a transition to an elevated understanding and commitment to this profession as well,” said Bailey. “You are being called to putting service before self, and to be excellent in all you do.” NAEA celebrated the hard work and effort made by the graduates of the 2021 class, recognizing their commitment to completing the program during the Coronavirus pandemic to earn the designation of NTPI Fellow®. Following the ceremony, attendees were invited to participate in a virtual social hour to celebrate with the board of directors and new graduates.
To learn more about NAEA leadership, visit https://naea.org/about-naea/governance/. To learn more about the National Tax Practice Institute, visit https://naea.org/careers-learning/ntpi/.
About the National Association of Enrolled Agents
The National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) has been powering enrolled agents, America’s tax experts® for nearly 50 years and is the only professional association dedicated to EAs. NAEA is a non-profit membership organization composed of enrolled agents licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department. NAEA provides the networking, educational opportunities, programs and services that enable enrolled agents and other tax professionals to excel beyond their peers. Enrolled agents are the only federally licensed tax practitioners who both specialize in taxation and have unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. To find out more, visit www.naea.org and follow NAEA on Facebook and Twitter.