Midyear Conference was a microcosm of TEI.

• Author: Penney, David M.
• Position: President's Corner - Conference news - Conference notes

The 62nd Midyear Conference, which is highlighted in this issue, was a true microcosm of TEI and the reasons the organization remains vibrant and relevant nearly seven decades after its founding. The conference exemplified not only TEI's educational and networking activities and benefits, but also our outstanding advocacy work. Stated simply, there is a symbiosis between and among the Institute's education, networking, and advocacy activities. The Midyear Conference proved that, over and over again. Let me explain.

There can be no doubt that, on the education front, there is no better bargain than TEI. Dollar for dollar, and minute for minute, it is top-notch. (This is true not only at the Institute level, of course, but also locally.) The Midyear Conference confirmed this truism. From a plenary Washington Update session on Monday with current or present Hill staffers to concurrent sessions on "Federal and State Tax Traps of a Mobile Workforce" and "Debt vs. Equity in Related Party Transactions," our registrants had their choice among myriad sessions. Regardless of which committee was in charge of a session--Federal, International, State & Local, Financial Reporting, Corporate Tax Management, Canadian, or IRS Administrative Affairs--registrants received full value. I was especially gratified by the involvement of so many members as moderators or speakers at our spring meeting. Their practical perspective--born of experience--lent real credibility to the discussions that would otherwise have been missing.

Special note should be made of the sessions of our Corporate Tax Management Committee. First, Mitch Frank of J.C. Penney moderated a session entitled "World Class Tax Department: What Does It Look Like?" Two Chief Tax Officers--Claire Babineaux-Fontenot of Wal-mart and Teri Wielenga of Allergan (who currently serves as the Institute's Treasurer)--joined Mitch and Mark Schutzman of PricewaterhouseCoopers in a discussion of best practices; they also candidly shared their views (rooted in experience) of the challenges posed by the economic downturn and the attendant budget constraints.

The second CTM session, which addressed "Demonstrating the Value of the Tax Brand to Management," was also without equal. Randy Harvey of Con-Agra (who served last year as one of our Regional Vice Presidents) moderated an interactive session involving TEI members Warrenetta Baker of Capital One and Kathleen Fanning of Xerox. These three CTOs were joined by Mark...