Service and Duty to Our Profession.

AuthorHowren, Robert L.
PositionTax Executives Institute - President's page

Being an in-house tax professional means service to our employers and to the system of taxation of which we are a part. We are duty-bound to add value, skill, and competence to both, yet how we choose to fulfill those obligations is a matter of personal choice.

For me, joining TEI as a young tax professional and, over time, becoming an active member of the Institute reflected my commitment to enhance our profession by being part of an organization dedicated to those purposes. And involvement in TEI is a (and perhaps the) way to improve our profession overall. I am blessed with the opportunity to serve as TEIs 2017-2018 international president and will endeavor to lead our organization with purpose and principle.

I have chosen as the theme for my goals "Getting Connected, Staying Engaged, & Having Fun," all of which reflect essential characteristics of what TEI is all about. Being connected means establishing rapport and creating your own network. This can be in your own chapter or region or within your industry, to connect with your peers, and to share common issues and ideas. Engagement means involvement--leaning in to own a TEI project (or a piece of one), while having fun that, well, doesn't require much explanation!

In the coming year, we will address the broad range of goals, projects, and initiatives set out below. Pick one (or more) with which to connect, engage, and have fun! Executive Committee liaisons are noted beside each goal.

Expand TEI's Membership: Our membership recruitment campaign, Access Granted, concluded the first year of a three-year campaign, welcoming nearly 700 new members (with 200+ applications pending) at year end. In year two, we will explore how to accelerate these efforts to expand our ranks further. (Colleen Brown, ccbrown@barrick.com)

Member Communications: Leverage TEI's new web capabilities to create targeted communications and messaging. (Dave Gillman, david.gillman@tdsinc.com)

Mentoring: Could a mentorship program benefit Tax Executives Institute? If so, how could it be designed and implemented? What would its key elements be? (Rita Makaris, rita.makaris@som.com)

Social Responsibility/Community Involvement Toolkit: "Giving back" to the communities in which we work and live is a central element of TEI's efforts to improve our profession. Giving back can take many forms; creating a catalog of "projects" can leverage our experience and broaden our commitment. (Kathy Castillo, taxkat@comcast.net)

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