NYSSEA Board Packet October 24, 2020 - GetNetSet.com

NYSSEA Board Packet October 24, 2020

Table of Contents

Meeting Agenda 1

President Report 2

First VP Report 4

Secretary Report and Minutes – June 6, 2020 Minutes (Virtual Meeting) 7

Treasurer Report: P/L and Balance Sheet to June 30, 2020 11

Immediate Past President’s Report 24

Executive Director Report 25

Director Reports

• H. Roger Alwais, EA 27

• Lisa Cancellarich, EA 28

• Daniel Coccia, EA (including Sponsorship update) 29

Brooklyn/Queens Chapter Report 30

Lower Hudson Valley Chapter Report 31

Central Chapter Report 32

Metro Chapter Report 33

Nassau/Suffolk Chapter Report 34

NYS DTF Liaison Committee Report 35

Governance Committee Report 36

Conference Education Committee Report 37

Educating America Report 38

Nominating Committee Report 39

Special Report from the Immediate Past President – Past Presidents’ Council Assignment 40

Association Administrator Scope of Services 42

CE Upload Committee Report 44

Motion – Central NY Chapter 45

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22 Hidden Ridge Common, Williamsville, NY 14221

Members Licensed to Represent Taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service

Contact: Jeffrey R Gentner, EA, Executive Director Email: [email protected]

Phone: 716-616-0104 Web Site: nyssea.org

Michael E Lawrence, EA, President Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA, CFP, 1st Vice-President Mason Wristen, EA, 2nd Vice-President Lynn Senke, EA, Treasurer Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

Board Report

1st Vice President

October 2020 Board Meeting

NYSSEA is powered by volunteers! The work of our officers, committees, and Executive Committee is

tireless, dedicated, and effective. As we approach our first virtual conference, I marvel at the collaborative

efforts and remarkable spirit of all of our volunteers.

I extend special thanks to Mason Wristen, EA, our 2nd Vice President, who is stepping down for personal

reasons. I look forward to continued friendship and collaboration with Mason, as meets his needs, as we move

forward.

As I write this, on October 16, we’ve all been through one of the most challenging tax seasons ever – and our

collective resilience and experience will fuel NYSSEA as we move into a new governance year.

As we continue our journey in our (at least semi-) virtual world, we can turn challenges into opportunities.

Our chapters have stepped up – offering terrific online content with excellent instructors and member response.

These Zoom meetings have worked beautifully and have been well-attended.

We continue to offer connecting opportunities via our various online forums and social media platforms.

Watch our NYSSEA website for breaking news and important announcements.

NYSSEA sponsors include new and old friends. Special thanks to Dan Coccia, EA for leading and

coordinating our sponsorship programs.

NYSSEA’s first virtual board meeting in June proceeded beautifully. Many thanks to Douglas Lee, EA for

his technical expertise and support in hosting the meeting. We will conduct our October board and business

meetings via Zoom.

Our new “virtual reality” opens doors for different types of member events. I look forward to exploring

opportunities as we move into the new governance year. With no geographical boundaries or travel issues,

new worlds open for us. We’ve already benefited from this in our chapter meetings featuring speakers from

distant locations. I’ve also attended meetings and events hosted by other affiliates I never could have attended

in person. NAEA’s Affiliate Council has also held several virtual meetings that were well-attended and

informative.

The plethora of readily available and free or inexpensive CE is not a new challenge for NYSSEA. We’ve had

CPA Academy and other providers offering free CE for many years. However, in our new environment, where

members are unwilling or unable to travel, we must face new questions about how we fit into the marketplace.

Our members may be oversaturated, and we must stand out in the crowd.

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We’ve posted NYSSEA board training materials in our NYSSEA Board Dropbox folder. Several of our

directors recently attended NJSEA President, Mary Sunderland, EA’s, excellent presentation on parliamentary

procedure. It was an excellent refresher and also an excellent reminder that these rules ensure that members’

interests are paramount.

I’ve enjoyed my continued engagement with our Committees and attending the chapter president calls that our

immediate past president, Ken Kohlhof, EA coordinates. We have a terrific group of dedicated volunteers

working mightily for NYSSEA. I thank everyone for their creativity, diligence, and hard work – especially in

such challenging times.

I’ve held regular (virtual) one-on-one meetings with our Executive Director. Jeff, I thank you for your

diligence and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty. You are both responsive and proactive in

all that you do, and I appreciate you greatly.

We look forward to our virtual conference! By the time you read this, we’ll be in full swing.

I repeat my questions for consideration – all about NYSSEA’s health and relevance moving forward:

• Can we respond rapidly and nimbly to our new virtual world where traditional geographic challenges

are no longer an issue?

• Can we attract and retain members who have felt disenfranchised because they could not attend our

live events (either conference or chapter meetings)?

• What can we offer many members who do not attend live events?

• How do we acquire, develop, master, or outsource new technology to meet our changing needs?

As we work together collectively, let us remember that as a board, we speak with one voice – and that one

voice enjoys the collective experience and input of all of our members. We will have different opinions and

points of view – which add value and enhance our service to NYSSEA.

I share these quotes from Pearl Zhu, Digitizing Boardroom: The Multifaceted Aspects of Digital Ready Boards:

“The Board’s role is to pull management out of the trees to see the forest.”

“Silo builds the wall in people’s minds and creates the barrier in organizations’ “hearts.”

“A strategic board has a view of looking ahead, an insight to look deeper, and competency to look beyond.”

“A wise board accumulates rational wisdom, embraces unconventional wisdom and sharpens system wisdom.”

I will do my best to serve with professionalism, trust, and fiduciary responsibility while communicating as

effectively as I can. Please know that I consider communication a two-way street – and my (virtual) door is

always open.

It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as an NYSSEA leader and officer. I appreciate all that our prior leaders

have done to cultivate and encourage me on this journey.

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I will do my best to represent NYSSEA’s and our members’ best interests in all that I do.

Last, I note this is my last report as NYSSEA’s 1st Vice President. I look forward to working closely with

Michael Lawrence, EA and other past presidents as (election results pending) I begin my service as NYSSEA’s

President. I hope, as your President, to serve our members well and to engage the talents of so many of our

members to move NYSSEA forward. I appreciate the honor and the responsibility granted to me by our

members.

Respectfully submitted,

Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA CFP® NTPI Fellow

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NEW YORK STATE SOCIETY OF ENROLLED AGENTS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

June 6, 2020

Zoom Teleconference

Board of Directors Present: Michael Lawrence, EA President; Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA 1nd Vice

President; Mason Wristen, EA 2nd Vice President; Vicki Hermann,

EA Secretary; Linda Senke, EA Treasurer; Ken Kohlhof, EA

Immediate Past President; Jeffrey Gentner, EA Executive Director;

Lisa Cancellarich, EA Director at Large; Salvatore Candela, EA

Director at Large; James Otton, EA Director at Large; Daniel

Coccia, EA Director at Large; Linda Twigg, EA Director at Large;

Rodger Alwais, EA Director at Large; Victoria McGinn, CPA EA

Director Nassau/Suffolk; Karen Bair, EA Director Western;

Michele Eaton, EA Director Metro; Jacquelyn Payne, Director

Lower Hudson Valley; Daniel Magrino, EA Director

Brooklyn/Queens; Brenda Quinn, EA Director Capital; Cosimo

Borzumate, EA Director Central.

Absent: Mid-Hudson Valley no one elected.

Guest: Koreen Jervis, EA, Douglas Lee, EA, Donald Rosenberg, EA,

James Racaniello, EA

Call to Order: The Board Meeting of the New York State Society of Enrolled

Agents was called to order at 9:04 AM by President Michael

Lawrence, EA.

Quorum: Twenty of Twenty-One Board Members Present.

Officer’s Remarks: Michael Lawrence, EA President welcomed everyone to the

meeting. Michael also stated that most of the meeting will be

about our Conference and everything depends on what this board

does. Michael also stated that he wanted to go over some of the

Committee reports and unfinished business. Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA

welcomed and said thank you for everyone coming. Mason

Wristen, EA stated that he attended SSLA and he highly

recommends it to anyone who has not gone. Mason also said that

because of this it made him want to brush up on Parliamentary

Procedure. Vicki Hermann, EA stated that all CE has been

uploaded to date. Linda Senke, EA stated that Alex from Allen

Street Consulting and her are working well to together.

Vicki Hermann, EA made a motion that we move to record this

meeting so I can have the reference on a short-term basis to be able

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to write up the minutes. Seconded by Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA.

Motion approved.

Agenda: Agenda and consent agenda approved with the following items

removed:

1. Finance Committee Report

2. Educating America Report

3. Government Relation Report

4. Governance Committee Report

5. Conference Committee Report

6. Conference Education Report

7. Membership Committee Report

Vicki Hermann, EA made a motion that we accept the minutes

from the January 4, 2020 meeting. The motion was seconded by

Michele Eaton, EA. Motion approved.

Committee Reports: Lynn Senke, EA stated that Conference income and expenses must

be fixed. Linda Twigg, EA stated that some of the chapters had

not responded with a budget so last year's numbers were used.

Vicki McGinn, CPA EA stated that there is nothing happening in

the Educating America Campaign.

Mason Wristen, EA stated due to the Coronavirus Governor

Cuomo extended twice the use of E-Signatures for New York State

Tax Returns. Mason also stated that all the plans for Legislative

Day this year were useless because of the Coronavirus and

everything being canceled.

Michele Eaton, EA stated that President, Secretary, Treasurer, and

Convention Committee requested no changes to their SOP’s.

Michele also stated that once all SOP’s have been reviewed it

should indicate when the SOP was reviewed last.

Michele Eaton, EA made a motion that we agree to add a review

date to every SOP when it has been determined that no changes are

needed. No second needed because coming out of committee.

Motion approved.

Kenneth Kohlhof, EA made a motion that the Governance

Committee update all SOP's and place them in NYSSEA Dropbox

for Board review by September 1, 2020, giving the Board 2 weeks

for review and comment. Finalized SOP's will be submitted to the

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Board at the October 23, 2020 Board meeting for approval.

Seconded by Karen Bair, EA. Motion approved.

Michael Lawrence, EA stated that the event planner is negotiating

with the hotel our options in case we cannot have an in-person

Conference. Michael also stated that the Executive Committee has

instructed the Treasurer to set aside $62,400 in case the hotel won't

let us extend our contract.

Koreen Jervis, EA stated that, as of the Board meeting, we have 36

paid attendees from last year’s Conference and signing up thru the

early bird special.

Michael Lawrence, EA stated that we are obligated to hold our

annual meeting, business meeting, elections, and install our

officers.

Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA made a motion that we move to direct the

Conference and Conference education committees to plan a virtual

Conference and come back to the Executive Committee with

recommendations on content, format, and pricing by June 15,

2020. Seconded by Vicki Hermann, EA. Motion approved.

Kenneth Kohlhof, EA, and Jeffrey Gentner, EA gave us a report on

Electionrunner.com. They stated that they ran a trial and it would

cost us about $65. They also stated that it is easy to use and

inexpensive.

Kenneth Kohlhof, EA made a motion that the Governance

Committee revise the By-Laws to allow for a virtual annual

meeting and “floor” nomination process prior to annual meeting

election and present to the Executive Committee by June 15, 2020.

Seconded by Karen Bair, EA. Motion approved

Kenneth Kohlhof, EA made a motion that the Executive Director

pursue an agreement with Electionrunner.com to facilitate the

annual meeting elections at a cost not to exceed $150. Seconded by

Karen Bair, EA. Motion approved.

Lisa Cancellarich, EA gave another presentation on Memberleap

and Star Chapter membership management software. She

compared the cost, functions, and how easy the software is to use.

Lisa Cancellarich, EA made a motion that we allocate funds to

adopt the Memberleap platform as the new membership platform

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for NYSSEA members. No second coming from Committee. The

motion is not approved.

Rodger Alwais, EA made a motion that the Board table discussion

of Association Management Software. Seconded by Michele

Eaton, EA. Motion approved.

New Business: There was no new business discussed.

Old Business: Michael Lawrence, EA stated that the NAEA board has pushed the

Affiliate Agreement to the back burner and they have no idea what

is happening with this.

Unfinished Business: Closing Mid-Hudson Chapter

LHV Chapter

Memberleap

Strategic Plan

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 3:04 PM

Respectfully Submitted

Vicki Hermann, EA

Secretary

Next Meeting Friday, October 23, 2020.

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Treasurer’s Report – October 2020

To Fellow Members of the Board:

Greetings from the North Country

This past year has been hectic for all of us and all the country. I am writing this after a final “TaxDay”

10/15. Didn’t we just have one?

Our Education, our meetings and our events have all become some type of virtual experience this year

along with our annual conference.

Since our fiscal year ends June 30, and with Covid-19 keeping us apart, we did not have as many spring

events done by the chapters as in previous years. This reflects in the financials presented but does not

affect the bottom line as much as expected. We ended 2019-2020 with a small loss that is due to various

issues including timing, past and future accruals. But I believe now that we have an online bookkeeping

system (thanks to Linda Twigg, EA, Finance Chair and Lisa Cancellarich, EA, BOD Director), the Finance

Committee and the Board can view and watch our finances much more closely.

I have talked with Alex at Allen Street Consulting Inc, who does our weekly bookkeeping, he is also

enjoying the QBO experience. Our President has heard from Allen Street that they are in the process of

doing our Form 990, but I have not seen anything yet. Hopefully, we will have another year of timely

filing (without extensions).

Thanks to all who have helped make my initial year as Treasurer a positive learning experience and, also

to all who have had to put up with my many questions during this past year.

See attached financials that will be presented at our business meeting October, 2020.

Lynn Senke, EA

NYSSEA Treasurer

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NYSSEA Board Report

Immediate Past President October 24, 2020

Members of the Board:

It is with both sadness and jubilance that I write the final Board Reports of my 8-year tour on the Executive Committee. I fully expect the sadness to be short-lived! That is not to say it hasn’t been a tremendously rewarding experience. But all good things come to an end, and I’m now preparing for a new start in Ocala, Florida. Since the June Board Meeting, I have focused on the monthly Chapter Presidents’ Conference Calls, as well as working on Michael’s task of assembling the Past Presidents Council (PPC), along with Phyllis Kubey, EA, and reviewing the [Executive Director] position & the needs of NYSSEA before filling the position going forward. The PPC held Zoom meetings on a series of Sunday mornings and produced the attached recommendations. Personally, I can’t think of any better way to end my term on the Board than having been moderator of the PPC. Respectfully Submitted Ken Kohlhof, EA Immediate Past President

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Report from the Executive Director

October 24, 2020 NYSSEA Board Meeting

As always, I have been working on various NYSSEA activities. I continue to keep website updated as much as

possible with information provided to me from chapters and the board. I continue to manage the Google

Calendar on the NYSSEA Calendar Page that shows all State and Chapter Events, when information is provided.

I am adding information to the Latest News and our Facebook Pages regularly.

With all NYSSEA events going virtual this year, due to Covid-19, I have assisted several NYSSEA Chapters in

hosting successful virtual CE events via ZOOM. It was good practice for the upcoming Annual Conference,

which will utilize ZOOM Webinars for the CE sessions and ZOOM Meetings for all the meetings and social

events. I have spent many hours learning and finetuning the ZOOM settings to meet our needs. I have spent

may hours reviewing schedules, working with both the Conference and Conference Education Committees to

ensure that we have a successful conference. We will have over 100 attendees this year, which exceeds our

projected attendance. Several eblasts and emails are going out to attendees so that they feel comfortable and

successful during this event. I researched a closed-caption application (thank-you, Lisa Cancellarich for

showing me this) that works well with ZOOM for those attendees who would like/need this option. I have also

worked with our conference tech vendor – UltraViolet – to make sure everything runs smoothly and that the

sessions are recorded for those who want to do the on-demand classes via the NYSSEA YouTube.

Other Activities

1. Gathered, edited and combined all Board and Committee Reports for the October 2020 Board Meeting 2. Participated in the monthly Executive Board telephone meetings 3. Communicated via telephone or email with various Board Members on activities, concerns and/or

procedural clarifications 4. Participated in the NAEA Affiliate Presidents Exchange (APEX) conference calls 5. Created and distributed 29 E-Blasts since the June Board Meeting 6. Created 3 NYSSEA Blog posts since the June Board Meeting 7. Worked with the Conference and Conference Education Committees to create E-Blasts for the 2020

Annual conference 8. Created all mailing related to the Annual Conference, which needed to include explicit ZOOM details

and ZOOM registration links 9. Upgraded ZOOM for our conference needs (Webinar), subscribed to REV for closed-captioning 10. Created ads for the NYSSEA Annual Conference to be featured in NAEA publications 11. Updated the Board Installation script and shared it with NAEA President, Don Rosenberg, EA, who will

do the Installation via Zoom on Thursday, October 29 12. Set-up the first meeting of the 2020-2021 NYSSEA Board, to be held via ZOOM on October 31, 2020

and notified members and Board via Constant Contact eblast

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13. Monitored the NYSSEA Facebook Group and Page and invited members to participate 14. Maintained the “Latest News” area on the website home page and added 5 posts since June 15. Attended several Webinars to become more proficient in ZOOM Webinars and ZOOM Meetings 16. Participated in several Committee meetings 17. Worked with both the Central and Nassau/Suffolk chapters to promote/host/moderate Virtual CE

Meetings, including the tracking of attendance and awarding proper CE to attendees 18. Created an online event survey for the virtual CE events and sent survey to attendees 19. Created and Ordered all NYSSEA Awards for the Annual Conference 20. Curated and maintained a special COVID-19 Resource page on the NYSSEA website 21. Met virtually (monthly) with 1st Vice President Kubey 22. By invitation of the Immediate Past President, met via ZOOM with Chapter Representatives during

their monthly meeting to demonstrate the use of Constant Contact

NYSSEA Board Members and Committee Chairs continue to use the NYSSEA Board – Shared Folder in

Dropbox. Currently in the NYSSEA Board – Shared Folder you will find the most current Expense Voucher,

Event Report Form, Motion Form and the NYSSEA Logos, updated NYSSEA Board Letterhead and a 2019-2020

Board Misc. folder, which contains the 2019-2020 Board Contact Information roster and the 2019-2020

NYSSEA Board Meeting Timeline document. There are also folders containing the most current SOPs and

Policies, current Bylaws and Board Packets. I will continue to keep these updated.

REMINDERS:

1. When using any of the documents included in the DropBox, please remember to DOWNLOAD the

document so that you can edit/change it to meet your needs. When you are finished, be sure to save it

to you DESKTOP – not back into the DropBox, since this will alter the generic document in the DropBox.

This happened twice recently. When preparing your reports for the Board Meeting, DO NOT place

them into the DropBox. Attach the reports to an email and send them to me.

2. When NYSSEA Chapters elect new officers, please provide me with ALL the necessary information to

update the website (full name, full address, phone numbers (including FAX, if applicable), elected

position and a recent professional photo, if available)

3. As NYSSEA Executive Director, I created an exclusive email address so that all pertinent

correspondence would be centrally located. Please do not use any other email address for me other

than: [email protected]. I will accept no responsibility for email sent to any other address.


Jeffrey R. Gentner, EA Executive Director NYSSEA October 24, 2020

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Michael Lawrence, EA, President Handel Edwards, EA, PhD, 1st Vice-President Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA, , 2nd Vice-President Salvatore P. Candela, EA, Treasurer Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

Directors Report

Rodger Alwais, EA

Board Meeting October 2020

To the members of the board: What a Year it has been; And it ain’t over yet! We will be virtual at this year’s Conference and with any change there is good and bad. Let’s make the most of it. We are forced to offer virtual seminars; an item we have been discussing for a while. So, lets learn and look to improve – as we always do, a fabulous heritage. I will suggest that we find a way to all get together; many of us miss seeing each other in person, having fond memories, and building friendships along the way. Maybe we will have a hybrid conference in 2021… I am terming out as Director. I appreciate your faith in me. I hope to be working with Nassau Suffolk as Chapter Representative. I miss those days and the friendships I have made over the years. I am also looking forward to the fine leadership of Phyllis Jo Kubey. Sincerely, Rodger Alwais

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October 14, 2020

Lisa Cancellarich and Kathryn Acanfora made phone calls to members to introduce ourselves and remind members that NYSSEA was having a virtual conference this year and that they should attend. We both had some success where members said they were going to register. One member requires closed captions in able to attend due to his disability. Michele and Jeff have been able to add a closed-captioned component to our conference and he will be able to attend. Once conference is over, we are going to continue to reach out to members to simply introduce ourselves and go over the benefits of membership throughout the rest of the year. Kathryn and I have been discussing offering Coffee, Tea and CE virtually in an effort to attract more of our members throughout the state. She and I will be discussing this further after the October 15th deadline and see if we can put some sessions on the calendar. Respectfully Submitted, Lisa Cancellarich

Members Licensed to Represent Taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service 28

mailto:[email protected]






Director At Large Report Sponsorship Chair Report Daniel Coccia Submitted October 14, 2020 for October 24, 2020 Board Meeting Executive Committee Board Liaison: As the elected Director at Large, I have continued to participate in all of the Executive Committee monthly Conference calls as an active member. Sponsorship Program: The revised, single, $500, 2020 Sponsorship Program documentation has been implemented and is posted on our website. Conference Sponsors: We have 5 Sponsors participating in our 2020 Virtual Conference. They have all supplied items for our attendee “Care” packages, ads for the program guide, most have supplied something to share during the zoom waiting room times prior to the educational sessions, email blasts will be on-going as well. This year’s Sponsors are: ADP HRO Solutions, contact is Alfredo Torres. NEW sponsor, seems very eager to get engaged with us. Alfredo works in the Employment and Employee Benefits Services area of ADP. He has also put me in contact with a colleague of his at ADP in their payroll area. He is looking at supplying some educational webinars that we can make available to our members. Gleim, contact is Alexandra Graham, returning Sponsor. TASC, contact is Gene Hamilton. Returning Sponsor, long term supporter of our organization. I am also working with him on an enhanced Preferred Provider Agreement which allows for more opportunities to secure funding for our organization. TaxDome, contact is Victor Radzinsky. Returning for their 2nd year with us. The TaxBook, contact is Austin Vockrodt. Don’t forget our fantastic rebate program, share our NYSSEA Promo Code 252 often and use it when you order your reference materials. They have also provided again with a WebLibrary Plus Subscription that we can auction/raffle off (a $279 value). 2020 Conference Committee: I continue to be an active member of our 2020 Virtual Conference Committee, supporting Koreen. I have participated in numerous conference calls and activities related to structuring this year’s virtual conference. I have also taken the lead on maintaining the Conference Schedule. Western Chapter: Have conducted discussions with Karen Bair regarding sponsoring some virtual activities but have not executed on any.

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NYSSEA Brooklyn-Queens Chapter


Aubrey Chichester, EA, Secretary Dan Magrino, EA, Chapter Representative

Koreen Jervis, EA, President Sofia Sierra, EA, Treasurer

BROOKLYN/QUEENS CHAPTER REPORT October 24, 2020, Board of Directors Meeting

President: Koreen Jervis, EA Secretary: Aubrey Chichester, EA Treasurer: Sofia Sierra, EA Chapter Rep: Daniel F. Magrino, EA

As we close out the month of October (one week left) and look forward to the holidays which are rapidity approaching, we all are praying for things to return to normal sometime soon.

Unfortunately there is nothing for me to report to the board regarding the past 6 months. We have been closed down during the pandemic, as everyone has. What I can relate to the board is the optimism the Brooklyn/Queens’s chapter has that with the return to indoor dinning in New York City on September 30th, we will once again be presenting our Update seminar this coming January at both our locations.

With that said as of this date I have very little else to report regarding the Brooklyn/Queens chapter. I hope all the members and their families have stayed safe during this ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Respectively Submitted on October 15, 2020

Daniel F, Magrino, EA Chapter Representative Brooklyn-Queens Chapter of the NYSSEA

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NYSSEA – LHV CHAPTER REPORT for

October 24, 2020 Board meeting

Current Officers: VACANT, President VACANT, Vice-President VACANT, Treasurer

VACANT, Secretary Jacquelyn Payne, EA, Chapter Representative

The last chapter meeting was May 2019. In an effort to reboot the chapter, John Sheeley is hosting a free 2 CE webinar on November 5th.

Respectfully submitted October 12, 2019 Jacquelyn P Payne, EA LHV Chapter Rep


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mailto:[email protected]






Saturday, October 17, 2020

Central New York Chapter of New York State Society of Enrolled Agents

CE Activity

Start Time - 5:30 PM

Location – Virtual

2020 CE Events for the CNY Chapter of NYSSEA

Even after COVID 19 stopped our face to face meetings, we move to having Board of Director meetings

using Zoom during May. The Board of Directors put into motion in June our Chapter Education program

using Zoom. The Chapter has been very successful with using Zoom for our virtual CE Meetings.

May 20, 2020 Program – No program due to the COVID 19 pandemic

June 22, 2020 Program - Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act presented by George Powers, EA

No Charge 16 Attended

July 20, 2020 Program – Form 1099 Consolidated Statement presented by George Powers, EA

Fee Charged 32 Attended

August – Took a summer break

September 17, 2020 Program – Kiddie Tax: Ins & Outs presented by Kathryn M Keane, EA


September 22, 2020 Program - 1st Time Abatement of Penalties presented by Bill Nemeth, EA


September 24, 2020 Program - Recreating Business Mileage Log/Transcript Analysis Overview

presented by Bill Nemeth, EA


Future Programs

October – NYSSEA Conference

November – NYS Tax Update

December 14, 2020 – 1040 Tax Update presented by Cosimo M Borzumate, EA

January 11, 2021 – TBA presented by Cosimo M Borzumate, EA

Cosimo M Borzumate, EA

Director CNY Chapter

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NYSSEA – METRO CHAPTER REPORT for October 24, 2020 Board meeting

Officers: Emilie Archambeault, EA, CFP, President James Otton, EA, Vice-President Michael D. Meyer, EA, Secretary Fangxia Lin, EA, Treasurer Michele Eaton, EA, Chapter Representative

October 24, 2020 Although Metro chapter has not had any meetings since our last Board report, our Chapter President, Emilie Archambeault, has certainly been active! Emilie called the Metro officers for a zoom planning meeting August 18, 2020, to discuss possible future speakers and to brainstorm for moving the chapter forward in the virtual world. Also, Emilie has been disseminating information about other chapters’ virtual meetings and about the upcoming conference to the Metro contact list, since some of those people don’t get the statewide mailings due to not being members or having opted out of emailings. We continue to hope for in-person sessions to be able to resume, as many of our members have expressed a preference for in-person meetings; however, we now know that we can run virtual meetings very smoothly. Respectfully submitted, Michele Eaton, EA

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Nassau - Suffolk Chapter Report October 24, 2020

Although the pandemic is still limiting our activities, I am happy to report that the Nassau-Suffolk Chapter has joined other Chapters in promoting seminars via zoom. We were delighted to host a seminar on "Form 1040 and the Supreme Court" presented by Frank Degen, EA, USTCP, via zoom. This was a bit different and was well received. Our own Doug Lee, EA is working on an Ethics seminar, more details will be disseminated once Doug finalizes his material. As most of us, we are hoping to be able to meet in person next year. Until then, zoom is doing well as a substitute. I would be remiss if I didn't publicly thank Jeff Gentner for his managing and handling the "back office" part of the seminar. Thank you, Jeff, we couldn't have done it without you! Respectfully submitted, Victoria A McGinn, EA, CPA Chapter Representative

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Liaison, NYS Department of Taxation & Finance

October 2020 Board of Directors Meeting

I have little to report. The NYS Department of Taxation and Finance (NYSDTF) solicited feedback from

NYSSEA as they published guidance for electronic signatures on e-file authorization forms (TR-579).

Kudos to NYSSEA’s government relations committee on their tireless efforts on our electronic signatures bill

– finally signed into law by Governor Cuomo on August 24, 2020.

NYS speaker operations are on hold. However, with the challenge of the pandemic comes opportunity, and

we will advocate for some virtual offerings on NYS tax topics. Whether live, on-demand, or both, some good

content from our NYSDTF friends will add value to our practices. NYSDTF announced that they would have

online educational content available in November on their Tax Preparer Registration page:

https://www.tax.ny.gov/tp/reg/tpreg.htm

We continue to add VALUE by fielding member issues where normal channels, such as the Practitioner

Priority Line, have broken down.

Our worlds have changed, and so has the NYSDTF’s world. I look forward to new and exciting collaborations

as we move forward in uncertain times.


Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA CFP® NTPI Fellow

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https://www.tax.ny.gov/tp/reg/tpreg.htm






NYSSEA Governance Committee Report

for October 24, 2020 Board meeting October 24, 2020 To the Members of the Board: While the Governance Committee still has the SOP review project pending, we pivoted away from that project this summer in order to review our Bylaws and Policies and Procedures to provide for virtual elections. Three options were considered and presented to the Executive Committee; the EC opted for the procedure that de-couples elections from the annual conference, and that option was put to a Board vote by email at the end of August. A quorum of the Board passed the proposal and it now goes to the full NYSSEA membership for a vote. The motion will be presented at the First Business Meeting on October 27, 2020. Because work on the SOP project was temporarily suspended, Governance did not place SOP’s in the Dropbox for Board review as was mandated by a motion passed by the Board in June 2020. If the Board wishes to review that motion for consideration for a later deadline, Governance requests that the Board reconsider the proposal and not make SOP’s available for Board-wide discussion and comment prior to putting the revisions to a vote. The reason we would like to reconsider that proposal is that it has the potential effect of nullifying the work of the Governance committee and leaves SOP’s open for repeated revisions. The purpose of the committee is to review changes to the SOP’s that are submitted by the people who hold those positions, ensure that they conform to and do not violate NYSSEA’s Bylaws, and then put them to a vote. Any new changes to be voted on will be included in a Board report for the meeting when the vote is to take place; the Board receives the reports ahead of the meetings and has time to review those reports in advance of the meeting; and there is time for discussion in the meeting itself prior to the vote. Respectfully submitted, Michele Eaton, EA Chair, Governance Committee Barbara MacDonald, EA and James Otton, EA, committee members

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Conference Education Committee Board Report

October 24, 2020

After much careful planning for a live annual conference at Turning Stone, the novel coronavirus emerged as a serious health threat last March. Thinking back to that time, so little was known about the virus and how it spreads that it was a relatively simple decision to take something of a gamble and pivot our conference to a virtual format. In retrospect, of course, it was absolutely the right decision, and the Conference and Conference Education committees set about figuring out how to make it work. And there may be a silver lining as well: our conference now becomes accessible to a wider audience of members, some of whom may not have attended live in the past due to travel time and/or costs. While we remain firmly committed to offering live, in-person education events, we are pleased to have a viable alternative in place for 2020. The planning for the virtual conference has been ongoing and intensive, including re-writing speaker contracts, replacing two speakers who expressed discomfort with the virtual format, researching a variety of webinar formats, hiring a professional A/V company to help us manage our webinars and produce on-demand versions, revising our conference survey, lining up “Q&A wranglers” to help as moderators on each webinar, putting together test questions for the on-demand versions, and a host of other details needed to ensure smooth running of our conference. It takes a village! We take this opportunity to thank our fellow villagers: Koreen Jervis and Dan Coccia of the Conference committee; Education committee members Henry Grabkowitz, Lisa Cancellarich, Emilie Archambeault, Heather Posey, and Jim Otton, who have taken on many delegated tasks; Vicki Hermann for assistance on researching requirements for offering on-demand CE; Phyllis Jo Kubey for general guidance, feedback, and note-taking on conference calls; and Jeff Gentner for technical expertise/guidance and unflagging admin support. We also appreciate those members who are stepping up to assist with the Q&A part of each webinar. The contributions of this wonderful tEAm cannot be overstated, and we are deeply grateful. Respectfully submitted, Michele Eaton and Jamie Racaniello, Co-Chairs Conference Education Committee

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Educate America Committee October 24, 2020

Since the corona virus has brought most educational institutions to a crashing halt, nothing has been done to promote education leading to the Enrolled Agent credential at present. Respectfully submitted, Victoria A McGinn EA, CPA Chair

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NYSSEA Board Report

Nominating Committee October 24, 2020

Members of the Board: As previously announced September 14th, the following represents the Slate of Candidates for the 2020-2021 Governance Year:

President Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA, CFP

1st Vice President Dan Coccia, EA

2nd Vice President Koreen Jervis, EA

Secretary

Vicki Hermann, EA

Treasurer Lynn A Senke, EA

Directors

Salvatore P Candela, EA, ATA, ABA, RFC Linda M Twigg, EA Eve M Lansing, EA

Respectfully Submitted Ken Kohlhof, EA Nominating Committee Chair

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Michael E Lawrence, EA, President Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA, CFP, 1st Vice-President Mason Wristen, 2nd Vice-President Lynn Senke, EA, Treasurer Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

Special Report from the Immediate Past President – Past President’s Council Assignment

As you are all aware, back on June 26th, Michael Lawrence, EA "tasked both Ken Kohlhof, EA along with

the Past Presidents Council (PPC) and Phyllis Kubey, EA to review the [Executive Director] position and the

needs of NYSSEA before we will fill the position going forward. Compensation for Jeff's services in the

position ends with the contract."

Accordingly, nine past NYSSEA presidents were contacted for availability, including:

Betsey Buckingham, EA

Frank Degen, EA, USTCP

Barbara MacDonald, EA

Sandra Martin, EA

Frank Cornell, EA

Vicki McGinn, EA, CPA

Judy M Strauss, EA

Don Rosenberg, EA

Ann E Kummer, EA, CPA

The group agreed to work with Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA and me. Holding Zoom meetings on Sunday

mornings, I was amazed at the consistent attendance and the remarkable cooperation from such a diverse

group of EAs as everyone worked toward the common goal outlined above.

The three keys points are:

1) The PPC felt a more appropriate title for the position as defined would be: Association

Administrator.

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Michael E Lawrence, EA, President Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA, CFP, 1st Vice-President Mason Wristen, 2nd Vice-President Lynn Senke, EA, Treasurer Vicki Hermann, EA, Secretary

2) The existing Scope of Services was modified, re-worked, tweaked and fine-tuned! The PPC's

recommendation is attached.

3) Finally, the PPC addressed the non-existent employment contract. While their recommendation is

that the final contract be drafted by an attorney, they wish to propose an outline from which the lawyer will

work. Their proposal will be sent under separate cover.

Ken R Kohlhof, EA Florida Tax Prep & Rep 1542 SW 160th Lane Ocala, FL 34473 (O) 631-965-1480 (F) 352-693-3760 (C) 631-965-1480

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NYSSEA Association Administrator (part-time)

Scope of Services

Purpose The purpose of the Association Administrator is to provide a permanent business office and support service for NYSSEA. The contract term will be for two years, renewable by a majority vote of the NYSSEA Board.

Association Administrator Skill Set

• Proficiency in PC-based word-processing, spreadsheet and email programs.

• Preferred ability to serve as Webmaster for the www.nyssea.org web site; at a minimum must understand issues related to web hosting in order to serve as administrative contact with third-party vendors on behalf of the association.

• Experience in setup and management of group meetings including communication with third-party vendors.

• Ability to respond to telephone and email inquiries from members.

• Possess adequate decision-making skills in order to make appropriate referrals as needed responding to inquiries from the general public, the media, and other sources.

• Assume responsibility for day-to-day operations.

General Administration

• Maintain the membership databases on a continuous basis with updates provided by the National Association of Enrolled Agents and as directed by the NYSSEA Board of Directors.

• Ensure that domain registration is kept current and fees for registration and web site hosting are paid on-time.

• Check email daily. Respond or refer as appropriate.

• Use NYSSEA email address for membership and NAEA correspondence.

• Subscribe to and monitor NAEA listserv.

• Maintain copy of corporation papers and current NYSSEA bylaws.

• Ensure publication of meeting minutes, by-laws, and other relevant material to web-site within a reasonable period of time after document production/NYSSEA Board approval.

• Provide offsite backup.

• Maintain contact with National and other State and Local Chapters as directed by the Board.

• Report to the President or designee for any conflict resolution.

• Maintain and update NYSSEA online storage applications (e.g. Dropbox), access and contents.

• Maintain and provide posts to the NYSSEA Facebook group. Verify membership eligibility for NYSSEA social media and online forums.

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Board of Directors • Coordinate logistics for NYSSEA Board meetings, prepare meeting materials

as directed by the Board and procure meeting sites (independently or in conjunction with third-party vendors).

• Attend all NYSSEA Board meetings, either in person or telephonically/via virtual media.

• Provide general advice to Board of Directors, officers, committees and all Chapter Presidents as needed.

Publications, Communications, Web Site • Produce e-newsletters; including design and layout (with supplied content).

• Communicate to membership via e-blasts and email on as as-needed basis, with supplied content.

• Communicate with the NYSSEA Webmaster, adding and removing supplied content in a timely manner, keep Board of Directors list current.

Annual Conference

• Coordinate production of electronic marketing materials: Email announcements, Conference Brochure, and Email reminders, as needed.

• Send the Call to Conference via email to members with names of nominated officers and directors as required by the NYSSEA bylaws with content supplied by the Board and Committee(s).

• Attend telephonic/virtual meetings of the Conference and Education Committees where necessary.

Liaison at other Tax Events • Coordinate logistics for NYSSEA for events planned in conjunction with other

affiliates, outside groups, and others (such as IRS Tax Forums held within NY State) or other events as directed by the NYSSEA Board.

• Maintain any agreements made with outside organizations.

• Assist NYSSEA Chapters by providing membership contact information as directed by the President.

• Other duties as assigned by the Board.

Performance Review Performance review will occur annually as prescribed in the employment contract.

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CE Upload Committee October 11, 2020 To the Members of the Board: Since our last meeting I have been busy with CE uploading and obtaining course numbers for the different chapters and for the Conference. I have also renewed our continuing education for CPA’s with New York State which is due every three years. I will be working on the renewal with IRS to be able to offer education for the year 2020. Sincerely, Vicki Hermann, EA CE Uploading Chair

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10/17/2020

Cosimo Borzumate-Director- CNY

$300 be donated to the NAEA Education Foundation from the NYSSEA CNY Chapter on behalf

of our speakers Bill Nemeth, EA and Kathryn Keane, EA

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Documents

NYSSEA Board Packet October 24, 2020 - GetNetSet.com