Letter from the President

Greetings! I hope your fall semester is off to a terrific start.

During the summer, one of the ATA planning items is committee assignments. The ATA continues to be successful largely because of the significant amount of time and talent our volunteers invest in a variety of ATA activities and events. Thank you to all who have served in the ATA in the past and to those who will do so throughout this year.

The ATA is investing in the future of the tax profession by sponsoring its second “Why Tax?” video competition. The competition requires students to prepare a one to three minute video that encourages a tax career track. Our Big 4 firm sponsors are again funding cash prizes for winners and dedicating staff time to judging submissions. The deadline for students to upload their videos and submit application materials is November 5. Send students to the ATA website for more information. Perhaps you have already faced that inevitable question after the semester’s first exam, “Is there extra credit for this class?” Maybe this is the year to change your answer from “no” to “Well, as a matter of fact, there is a video competition…”

The August annual meeting marked the start of the new academic year and provided an opportunity to present research and connect with colleagues. Thank you to Susan Jurney and her committee for developing relevant and engaging ATA sessions at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, and for arranging an interesting luncheon speaker, U.S. Tax Court judge Albert J. Lauber. The annual meeting also allowed us to celebrate our members’ achievements in research, teaching and service. The following members were recognized at the annual meeting ATA lunch:

• Ray M. Sommerfeld Outstanding Tax Educator - Gary McGill, University of Florida
• ATA Outstanding Service Award - Nancy Nichols, James Madison University
• ATA Outstanding Manuscript Award - Brad Blaylock, University of Oklahoma
• ATA/PWC Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation - Benjamin P. Yost, Boston College
• ATA Teaching Innovation Award - Susan Convery, Severin Grabski, and Edmund Outslay, Michigan State University
• JATA Best Paper Award - Chelsea Rae Austin, University of South and Ryan Wilson, University of Oregon
• JATA Conference Discussant Award - Jake Thornock, Brigham Young University
• JLTR Outstanding Manuscript Award - Kerri Tassin, Missouri State University
• Marty Escoffier Hospitality Award - Lynn Jones, Georgia State University

Congratulations to all the recipients!
Looking ahead, I encourage you to join other ATA members in Washington, DC, February 21st to 23rd, for the Tax Educator’s Conference (committee chair Michaele Morrow) and Doctoral Consortium (committee chair Sean McGuire) on Thursday and for the Midyear Meeting (committee chair Pete Lisowsky) on Friday and Saturday. The meeting site, the Mayflower Hotel, is situated in the vibrant downtown district of the city, near Dupont Circle and the White House. Please be aware that the Saturday schedule is different from past years; the Midyear Meeting will end at 12:30 p.m. Pete and his committee are finalizing what promises to be another high-quality ATA meeting program. Here are some highlights:

• Plenary Session “Tax Policy in the Period of Fiscal Crisis” with panelists Len Burman (Urban Institute and Syracuse University) and William Gale (Brookings Institution and Tax Policy Center)
• Luncheon: Celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of the JATA Conference
• Sessions on tax technical topics, teaching and research

Consider submitting your teaching or research work for possible inclusion on the program. Sessions are a worthwhile experience for presenters, discussants, and attendees.

Finally, please nominate ATA members for one of our organization’s annual awards, officer positions, and key committee member positions. Deadlines range from mid-December to March 1, 2019.
If there is any way I can be of service to you during the upcoming year, please let me know. I look forward to seeing many of you in Washington, DC!

Kim Key
ATA 2018-2019 President
Auburn University