Speakers
Alex Brosseau
Deloitte, Senior Manager, Tax Policy Group
February 21, 2025
Plenary Session:
Post-Election Policy and Legislative Update
Alex Brosseau is a Senior Manager in the Tax Policy Group of Deloitte Tax LLP’s Washington National Tax office. In that capacity, he monitors tax policy developments in Congress and the White House on behalf of the firm and its clients.
From 2012 to 2015, Alex served as Senior Analyst for Tax Policy on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee where he was the primary tax adviser to the committee’s two previous chairpersons, Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Senate Finance Committee member Kent Conrad of North Dakota.
While on the Budget Committee, Alex led tax and revenue policy for the committee’s majority during many negotiations including those related to tax extenders, tax reform, and the Senate-passed fiscal year 2014 budget resolution. He also played a significant role in the policy discussions that led to enactment of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.
Prior to his time on Capitol Hill, Alex worked in client service at Deloitte Tax LLP, focusing primarily on clients in the financial services and real estate industries.
Alex is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He received his Master of Science in taxation from American University (Washington, DC) and his Bachelor of Arts in accounting and economics from the University of Saint Thomas (Saint Paul, Minnesota).
Aruna Kalyanam
EY, Partner Global and Americas Tax Policy Leader
February 21, 2025
Plenary Session: Post-Election Policy and Legislative Update
Aruna is the EY Global and Americas Tax Policy Leader. She works closely with Washington Council Ernst & Young, QUEST and the US National Tax Department on US legislative and tax policy developments.
Based in Washington DC, she has decades of experience serving in government as a tax policy professional for the executive and legislative branches. More recently, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax and Budget in the US Treasury Department, Aruna was instrumental in passing several pieces of major tax legislation and driving billions of dollars in economic growth and investment. She previously spent two decades on the House Ways and Means Committee and worked on every major piece of tax legislation since 2001.
Aruna earned a JD from the Washington College of Law at American University, and a BA from Washington University in St. Louis.
How Aruna is building a better working world
“Tax laws are increasingly viewed by policymakers as more than just a proxy for companies’ revenue obligations – they are evolving across the globe every day and in every way. That means the role of tax policy plays an increasingly important factor in business decision-making at the highest levels. I look forward to helping companies seize opportunities and avoid potholes that are present in the ever-changing global tax landscape.”
Scott McCandless
PwC, Partner, Tax Policy Services
February 21, 2025
Plenary Session: Post-Election Policy and Legislative Update
Scott McCandless is a principal in PwC’s Tax Policy Services (TPS) practice within the Washington National Tax Services office. He provides strategic advice on legislative and regulatory policy issues focusing on tax and trade. Additionally, Scott is one of the trade policy leaders of the firm’s cross line-of-service Global Trade Services group. Scott also is co-host of Policy On Demand, PwC’s app-enabled video insight platform, including the flagship Inside Tax Policy and Trade Talks programs.
Prior to re-joining PwC in 2014, Scott served as Tax Counsel to U.S. Congressman Tim Griffin of the House Ways & Means Committee. Scott advised Congressman Griffin on a wide range of tax and trade matters including tax reform proposals.
Previously, Scott spent 2011 and 2012 serving as Tax Counsel to U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, a senior Member of the Senate Finance Committee. Scott handled the Senator's broad portfolio of tax and trade issues.
Prior to joining Senator Snowe, Scott was a director in PwC’s Washington National Tax Services practice where he provided strategic advice as well as legislative, executive branch, and regulatory representation for domestic and international clients of PwC on a broad spectrum of issues including taxation and international trade, with a focus on energy tax policy. Scott has authored several articles published in Tax Notes on energy tax policy issues.
Scott is a graduate of Emory University School of Law and he began his career as a Law Clerk to the Honorable R. Kenton Musgrave at the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York.
Jessica Theilken
KPMG, Managing Director
February 21, 2025
Plenary Session: Post-Election Policy and Legislative Update
Background
Jessi is a managing director in the Income Tax & Accounting division of KPMG’s Washington National Tax practice, supporting the firm’s Accounting Methods and Credit Services practice. During her 15 years at KPMG, Jessi has worked extensively in tax compliance, tax provision, and accounting methods consulting.
Professional and Industry Experience
Jessi provides tax services and consulting needs for a variety of clients in multiple industries, including:
- Energy and Utilities
- Food Products
- Engineering, Procurement, and Construction,
- Industrial Products and Manufacturing
- Software
- Retail
- Services
Technical Skills
Jessi has experience assisting clients with other accounting methods consulting services such as inventory capitalization, LIFO, fixed asset capitalization and repairs, intangible asset capitalization, expense recognition, revenue recognition, accounting period changes, and other general tax accounting method issues. Jessi serves as a tax technical consultant for mergers and acquisitions, interpretation of new tax laws and guidance, correction of erroneous accounting methods, determining tax impacts of systems and financial accounting changes, and cash tax savings strategies. Jessi also consults on issues related to the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax. Jessi also has experience in assisting clients to oversee their entire Federal tax operations, from tax provision reporting to completion of their Federal tax return, including providing accounting methods services such as Section 199 calculations, IRC §263A, and accounting method changes.