The year in review.

This past year was an exciting year for TEI and for me personally. Last August, TEI's Board of Directors adopted an overall theme for the year ("Be Effective, Stay Effective") and identified five general areas in which our effectiveness would be challenged and validated. The specific objectives we adopted relate to TEI's principal areas of activity--education, networking, and advocacy--but also included items focused on core membership services and effective management. With such an ambitious agenda, it is hardly surprising that we did not accomplish all that we set out to do. But a review of the accomplishments set forth below demonstrates that TEI continues to be a growth-oriented, high-achieving organization of dedicated volunteers and staff.

Be Current, Stay Current ... Through Quality Education Programs on Tax Developments and Tax Management Issues

For sixty years, TEI has rightly prided itself on the quality and cost effectiveness of its educational programs. Given the pace of change and the ever-expanding scope of the tax executive's role, it is more important than ever for TEI members to stay informed, and I am pleased to report that TEI stepped forward in a number of important ways.

During the past year, TEI held a full complement of conferences, seminars, courses, and telephone/web conferences. All in all, 2,957 individuals registered for our programs (the number participating is likely considerably more because only one individual need register for a telephone seminar in order for a whole department to "attend"). Our conferences continue to attract top-level keynote speakers, such as Secretary of the Treasury John Snow, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, IRS Commissioner Mark Everson, IRS Chief Counsel Don Korb, and SEC Chief Accountant Donald Nicolaisen, with their remarks being broadcast by C-SPAN or other media outlets.

One aspect of our 2004 Annual Conference deserves mention. I was delighted that 20 former TEI presidents joined us in New Orleans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our founding. From a group of 14 New York-based tax professionals in 1944 to more than 5,800 tax executives worldwide today, TEI has grown into a truly global organization. The past Institute presidents who attended last fall's conference (and all our former leaders) pursued and built upon the vision of Paul Smith and TEI's other founders; they kept the organization relevant, focused, and member-driven. That Morris Rinehart (our 1964-1965 president) attended the New Orleans meeting--and addressed the conference--was a special treat.

While the conferences are the hallmarks of TEI's educational curriculum, two other programs merit attention--our FAS 109 Seminar in November 2004 (which attracted 349 registrants) and our Senior Tax Executive Conference in May (which sold out and garnered excellent ratings). I was especially pleased that Brunswick Corporation's Chairman a...

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