Senior Tax Executive Conference draws sell-out crowd.

For the second time in two years, TEI's Senior Tax Executive Conference was sold out. Held at The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, the two-day technical and networking program provided tax department leaders with top-notch technical presentations and, equally important, unparalleled opportunities to interact with their peers from other companies and "the best and the brightest" from the practitioner community.

According to TEI President Judy Zelisko, the conference was kept purposefully small. "To encourage dialogue, we limited the total number of participants, and based on the comments we received, we satisfied the 'Goldilocks Rule'--the size was just right." Ms. Zelisko said that two of the highlights were the luncheon address by Deborah Nolan, Commissioner of the IRS's Large and Mid-Size Business Division, and the presentation was George Buckley, Chairman and CEO of Brunswick Corporation.

"We were delighted that Debbie could travel to Colorado to participate in the conference. Her comments on recent LMSB initiatives were both informative and provocative. Her willingness to engage the corporate community, even where we disagree (for example, on corporate e-filing), is both welcome and refreshing."

According to Ms. Zelisko, George Buckley's candor and humor touched a chord with the participants. "I've had the pleasure of working with George for several years, so it did not surprise me at all that his comments on 'The Real Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley: Life as a CEO in 21st Century America' resonated with my tax colleagues."

Evaluations for the Senior Tax Executive were uniformly positive. With respect to the handout material for the conference, one participant (Tom Gottwalt of Metris Companies) wrote, "This stuff is priceless! I'm going to share it with [my company's] CEO, CFO, and Controller, among others." This and similar reactions have prompted the Institute's Continuing Education Committee to schedule a similar conference in 2006. According to Ms. Zelisko, the location of the conference has not yet been selected, but interested members should mark May 18 and 19 on their calendars. "I'm confident that after the conference TEI will be 'three-for-three' in selling out.

Among the topics covered during the 2005 conference were the following:

* Prospects for Federal Tax Reform

* What Hath 404 Wrought: Lessons Learned and Best Practices from Sarbanes-Oxley Reviews

* Planning under the American Jobs Creation Act--Repatriation

* Planning under the American Jobs Creation Act--Domestic Manufacturing

* Compensation and Other Staffing Issues

* State and Local Developments--Prospects for Federal Legislation

* Preserving the Privilege

* Tax Planning in 2005--Untapped Opportunities

* The Uses and Limits of Technology--Schedule M-3 and Corporate E-Filing

* Candor, Confidences, and Circular 230--What STEs Need to Know

* Tax Shelter Fallout

* FAS Exposure Draft--Bringing Clarity to Uncertain Tax Position

* Tax Department Involvement in the Legislative Process

* Tax Planning Overseas