What a remarkable organization Tax Executives Institute is. A member of the Kansas City Chapter put it this way 16 years ago when interviewed as part of TEI’s 50th Anniversary Observance: "TEI is the only organization where you can call people you don’t know, and they tell you all their secrets." This past summer, TEI’s new chapter presidents were asked at the Institute’s Leadership Seminar to summarize the key benefits of membership, why in-house tax professionals should join, and they used similar language. Here are four of the responses:
• "TEI members are able to contact people they don’t know who work for a particular company or industry to discuss relevant tax issues."
• "By joining TEI, members don’t have to reinvent the wheel; they can benefit from their peers’ experiences and insights, whether the topic is staffing, audit issues, revenue agents, or which practitioner to hire."
• "The best thing about TEI is its people — they support one another. Belonging to TEI gives you the opportunity to be plugged into what is going on in the tax world."
• "TEI is a large, open, willing community."
I have personally benefitted countless times from the openness, the willingness of the community since I joined TEI in 1984. I have called members of the New England and other chapters, some I’ve known well and others not at all, and asked for their help. And, invariably, they’ve given it. Recently, I called a member who I knew had previously dealt with a situation that I was facing. He immediately cleared his schedule and shared his experiences — what had gone right, what had gone wrong, and what he would have done differently if he had it all to do over again. He "walked the talk" of TEI members’ supporting each other. I finished our conversation not only better informed and equipped to deal with the situation, but also gratified — again — to be part of TEI. It’s been that way for 26 years.
That’s just one of the reasons I have often thought that there should be an apostrophe between the last two letters of the second word of our name, rendering it "Tax Executive’s Institute." TEI is the only group whose sole purpose is to benefit the in-house community, through networking, education, and advocacy. This is our organization — no one else’s. And our singular focus has allowed the Institute to succeed — to educate, advocate, and otherwise serve the in-house tax community — for nearly 66 years.
Many People to Thank
No one becomes president of an organization as large, far-flung, and effective as TEI without a lot of assistance. I have many people to thank for being able to serve as TEI’s 2010-2011 International President. I begin by thanking my wife, Janet, and our wonderful family. Without their support (and their not inconsiderable forbearance), I could not have been as involved as I have been in TEI. I owe whatever modest success I’ve enjoyed to them, as well as to my friends and colleagues in the New England Chapter, and the women and men I have had the pleasure to work with throughout my career. Special thanks go to my employer, Millipore, for supporting my involvement in Institute activities.
Thanks go, too, to members of the Institute’s staff for their past help and support, which enabled me to advance within TEI. I also very much appreciate the service and support of my fellow senior officers — Dave Penney of the Toronto Chapter, Carita Twinem of Wisconsin, and Teri Wielenga of Orange County — and to the other members of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and the chairs of the Institute’s committees. Across the organization, there are countless members who contribute and who enrich us — and our organization — by their efforts. We are fortunate in TEI to have members of their quality, integrity, and effectiveness who, on a daily basis, demonstrate their commitment to the Institute and the profound effect that a single individual can have.
Special reference should be made to the Institute’s Past Presidents for their continuous guidance and support. For the past 26 years, I watched these men and women — initially from afar and in recent years from a closer vantage point — as they shaped TEI’s future and poured their hearts, souls, and considerable skills into maintaining and enhancing the Institute’s stature in the tax community. Their collective dedication is not only appreciated; it is truly inspiring.
Last but not least, I extend thanks to Neil Traubenberg for his service as International President this past year. Service, by the way, that took place while he was going through a great change in circumstances with that part of our lives, which in a sense enables our TEI involvement — the day job. Confronted by the harshness of the economic recession and its effect on TEI operations (to say nothing of the challenge of coping with the substantive tax issues served up by the IRS, Canada Revenue Agency, the States and Provinces, and the OECD and European Union), Neil did not flinch or waver: He led, and because of his vision and leadership, his "Yes, We Can" confidence, TEI is well positioned for the future.
The Institute and its members also owe their gratitude to Neil’s wonderful wife, Joan, for her support of Neil’s TEI work, not just over the last year, but throughout his involvement in the Institute’s activities.
TEI 2011: Educating, Advocating, and Serving the In-House Community
In developing the Institute’s goals and objectives during my term as president, it is good to start with first principles — that is, why TEI was formed and why it is here today. In 1944, a small group of tax professionals joined together to start Tax Executives Institute, a unique organization dedicated to the special needs of in-house tax professionals. It is no accident that in the intervening 66 years, TEI has grown from 1 location to 54 chapters, from 15 individuals to a global network of more than 7,000. The Institute’s success as the preeminent association of business tax professionals worldwide is attributable to its remembering always the exceptional vision of our founders and its vigilance in anticipating and meeting the evolving needs of both rising and seasoned tax executives.
As I told the Board of Directors following the 2010 Annual Meeting of Members, I am convinced that TEI will succeed in advancing the educational, advocacy, and networking goals of its members. It will do this through adherence to core values, a relentless commitment to excellence and professionalism, and an open invitation to all members to join us and grow with us through a series of initiatives.
Educating
I invite members to Join Us and Grow with Us … as we educate ourselves and our fellow members so that we are able to succeed in a world of constant change. Specifically, TEI will continue to offer educational programs, both locally and at the Institute level, that enable members at all experience levels to better serve their companies. Moreover, our in-person and online programs will help members enhance not only their technical knowledge, but also their ability to advise business units and management and to represent their companies in dealings with government authorities and other external forums.
Advocating