IRS Appoints New Acting Commissioner

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

02 August 2007

The Internal Revenue Service announced today that Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support, Linda Stiff, will assume the position of Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement and in that capacity will serve as IRS Acting Commissioner upon the departure in mid-September of Kevin M. Brown, the current Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement and Acting Commissioner.

Replacing Stiff as Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support will be Richard Spires, who currently serves as IRS Chief Information Officer.

As Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support, Stiff has overseen development of policy for IRS personnel services, technology and security. She has also been responsible for the accounting of tax revenues collected by the IRS. Previously, Stiff served as Deputy Commissioner of the IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Division and as Director of Compliance for the IRS Wage and Investment Division.

As CIO, Spires has maintained overall strategic and operational responsibility for the IRS Modernization and Information Technology Services (MITS) organization, which supports the US federal tax administration system. In his new capacity, Spires will continue to oversee, and will remain significantly involved in, the IRS modernization effort. Prior to becoming CIO, Spires served as the Associate CIO for Applications Development and also led the IRS Business Systems Modernization (BSM) program. Prior to joining the IRS, Spires was Chief Operating Officer and Director of Mantas, Inc., a software vendor.

Brown, whose brief stint at Acting Commissioner will end on September 10, will join the American Red Cross as its Chief Operating Officer where he will join former IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson, who became the organisation's President and CEO in May 2007.

"Kevin has a proven track record as an effective manager. He is a personable leader with sound judgment and a man of great integrity," said Everson. "In filling this crucial position, Kevin further strengthens the senior team that I will depend on to lead the American Red Cross."

Brown has served as the Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) since Everson stepped down from the post of Commissioner.

Prior to that, he served as the chief operating officer of the agency, Chief of Staff and Commissioner of the IRS Small Business/Self Employed Division, one of the agency's four operating divisions.

Before joining the IRS, Brown worked for the Department of Justice as an attorney of the Tax Division's Appellate Section, and as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Appellate Matters.

Recommended