2011 Arthur J. Dixon Memorial Award.

• Position: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants volunteer leader Jay Starkman

The AiCPA's Tax Executive Committee bestowed the 2011 Arthur J. Dixon Memorial Award on Jay Starkman. David Lifson, a former chair of the committee and previous Dixon award recipient, presented the award at a luncheon in Washington, DC, on November 9.

Starkman is a widely recognized expert on tax simplification and the history of U.S. taxes. His book, The Sex of a Hippopotamus: A Unique History of Taxes and Accounting, has been described by The Wall Street Journal as the "only readable book about taxes." Starkman began his career in New York with Price Waterhouse and Touche Ross and as the comptroller of a commercial finance company. He then moved to Atlanta to work with Arthur Young. In 1979, he began his own firm in Atlanta from which he still practices.

Starkman has been a dedicated AICPA volunteer leader for more than 25 years. He has chaired the Tax Simplification Committee, the Member Tax Practice Improvement Committee, and the Tax Court Practice by CPAs Task Force. He also has served on the Tax Executive Committee, Tax Policy Committee, Task Force on IRS Restructuring Issues, Tax Reform Task Force, State and Local Advisory Group, Tax Shelter...