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Understanding the IRS and Treasury 2009 Business Plan Compensation & Benefits Issues
William F. Sweetnam, Jr.
Partner,(Former Benefits Tax Counsel, Office of the Tax Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Groom Law Group
Before joining Groom in May 2005, Bill was the Benefits Tax Counsel in the Office of the Tax Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Benefits Tax Counsel is the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy with regard to all aspects of employee benefits taxation and related matters, including pensions, health care and executive compensation. Bill was the Treasury's primary contact with Congress with regard to the IRA and pension provisions in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Bill also led the team at the Treasury in its guidance efforts with regard to consumer-directed health care (such as Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements) and the new executive deferred compensation rules.
Prior to the Treasury Department, Bill was Tax Counsel on the Majority Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, under the chairmanship of Senator William V. Roth of Delaware. At the Committee, he was responsible for tax matters in the areas of employee benefits (pensions, medical plans, and executive compensation), retirement savings vehicles (such as IRAs), insurance and tax-exempt organizations (including charitable giving). During his tenure, Bill was involved with the Retirement Savings and Security Act (which unanimously passed through the Finance Committee), the Patients’ Bill of Rights and the IRS personnel flexibility provisions in the IRS Reform and Restructuring Act.
Bill is admitted to practice in New York and Washington, D.C.
Helen H. Morrison
Deputy Benefits Tax Counsel
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Helen H. Morrison is the Acting Deputy Benefits Tax Counsel in the Office of Benefits Tax Counsel for the Department of the Treasury. Prior to joining the Treasury Department, Ms. Morrison was a Partner and the Employee Benefit Practice Leader in the Chicago office of Deloitte LLP, and prior to that a Partner in Employee Benefits Practice of McDermott, Will & Emery.
Ms. Morrison’s practice focuses on executive compensation, qualified retirement plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and business succession planning. She is a frequent speaker and author on these topics.
Ms. Morrison received her bachelor’s degree in 1979 from Trinity College, Hartford, CT. In 1985, she received her juris doctor degree, cum laude, from Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago-Kent College of Law. She was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1985, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Hector M. Laffitte of the U.S. District Court in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 1985 to 1987.
Marty Pippins
Employee Plans Technical Guidance Manager
Internal Revenue Service
Marty is the Manager of the Employee Plans Technical Guidance and Quality Assurance group at the Internal Revenue Service. From 1999 to 2003, Marty was the manager of Actuarial Group 2. Marty has worked for the IRS as an actuary since 1987, received his certification as an Enrolled Actuary in 1996, and has served on the Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries, including a term as Chairman.
Marty received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 1982. Marty attended college on a Naval ROTC scholarship, and served as a surface warfare officer in the US Navy from 1982 to 1986.
Elizabeth E. Drigotas
Principal
Deloitte Tax LLP
Elizabeth Drigotas is a Principal in the Washington, D.C. office of Deloitte Tax LLP, focusing on employee benefits and executive compensation. Prior to joining Deloitte Tax, Ms. Drigotas worked as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the Benefits Tax Counsel for the U.S. Treasury Department. During her tenure there, she participated in a number of regulatory projects including golden parachute regulations, incentive stock option regulations, section 401(k) and (m) regulations, regulations permitting individuals over age 50 to make additional contributions, and regulations applicable to ESOPs (employee stock ownership plans). She is a frequent speaker and writer on issues concerning employee benefits and compensation.
Elizabeth received an A.B. in History from Bowdoin College in Maine, and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a member of the Employee Benefits Committee, Section of Taxation, American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the Maryland State Bar Association
Understanding the IRS and Treasury 2009 Business Plan Compensation & Benefits Issues
Speaker Firms and Agencies:
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
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