Crossing the finish line--but never finished.

AuthorSilbiger, Mark
PositionPRESIDENT'S LETTER

Remember the last time you caught up with an old friend, and the conversation was so easy and comfortable, you totally lost track of time? You became so engrossed that a ten-minute chat turned into an hour. That's how my TEI presidential term has been: a totally rewarding experience where, in the blink of an eye, the year has come to an end.

Leading TEI has always been a professional goal for me. Almost from the start of my tax career, I dreamed of having the opportunity to serve my peers and profession atop the preeminent association of in-house tax professionals worldwide. I am honored to have served in the twenty-fifth year of my TEI membership, representing the Cleveland Chapter as its first TEI international president. (While I wish I could say that I planned my term to coincide with the return of that other "favorite son of Cleveland," that would be a stretch; his return was totally serendipitous. Go LeBron! Go Cavs!)

Setting TEI's strategic course is one of the presidents most important responsibilities. Developing Institute goals requires a balance between the priorities of the incumbent and the needs of the organization. And, in virtually every instance, the president is not writing on an entirely clean slate, as projects and initiatives commenced in an earlier year remain to be completed in the next. So, as I worked through my goals, and with history in mind, several themes began to emerge. First, I wanted to complete the work of my friends and predecessors Carita Twinem and Teri Wielenga to start a TEI chapter in Latin America. Next, I wanted to focus on getting members further connected with other members--a core mission of TEL And third, I wanted to focus efforts and resources to expand the TEI membership base by creating greater value and thus make TEI that much more attractive of a membership organization.

So, how did we do?

Emerging Tax Professionals

We have focused our efforts to attract and retain the emerging tax professional. By creating a subcommittee of the Corporate Tax Management Committee and introducing emerging tax professional programming at both Institute and regional conferences, we have begun to lay the foundation for broadening our membership base. But much more needs to be done. We cannot expect TEI as an organization to be appealing to emerging tax professionals solely based on its past accomplishments or current value proposition. We must refine and in some cases reinvent who we are to create value...

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