2007-2008 goals and objectives: teamwork, excellence, and integrity.

On August 14, 2007, the Board of Directors of Tax Executives Institute adopted the following goals and objectives for the fiscal year.

Founded in 1944, Tax Executives Institute has grown from an organization of 15 tax professionals to a professional association of more than 7,000; from one location in the United States to 54 chapters around the globe; and from a single country to 28. For more than six decades, TEI has devoted itself to enhancing and improving the tax system and to serving its members, their employers, and society generally. It has done this by facilitating interaction among, and the training of, members and their staffs, by effectively advocating its members' views, and by promoting competence and professionalism in both the private and government sectors.

The letters T, E, and I stand, of course, for Tax, Executives, and Institute, but since the organization's founding, TEI's activities have been marked by many principles and attributes that begin with those letters:

T ... for timely, technological, transnational, and more than anything else--TEAMWORK.

E ... for educational, expanding, ethical, empowering, and more than anything else--EXCELLENCE.

I ... for innovative, intelligent, inclusive, and more than anything else--INTEGRITY.

Regardless of which word one associates with the three letters of TEI's name, for 63 years the Institute has succeeded because it has done more than be characterized by one attribute (or three). It has succeeded by adapting to changing times, by "being involved," and by standing up for in-house tax professionals. During the coming year, TEI will build upon the success of its first six decades--and enhance its own brand--by undertaking a number of initiatives to advance its traditions of teamwork, excellence, and integrity.

Teamwork

Build a larger, more inclusive team of tax professionals throughout the world.

* Explore the establishment of separate chapters in China, Australia, India, Mexico, and South America. (The South America Chapter might be organized in Miami.)

* Establish a mechanism for reaching out to tax students (directly or through tax professors). For example, consider (a) creating a special student or professor membership, which would allow students to attend chapter (or Institute) programs at a discount; (b) expanding chapter scholarship programs; and (c) providing discounted (or complimentary) Tax Executive subscriptions to students and professors.

* Review TEI's current five-year...