I wanted to take this opportunity to notify you of some changes at Policy and Taxation Group (PATG), and formally welcome Tyler Deaton to the team. Tyler will replace Jeff Cook-McCormac as Senior Advisor to the organization.
For some time, I have been planning my retirement from GenSpring at the end of 2014. This year, I’m excited to take on a broader strategic oversight role with PATG and will invest more of my energy into securing estate tax relief and ultimate repeal.
Very recently, Jeff accepted a new job opportunity after six years with PATG. During his tenure, he led PATG’s successful efforts to prevent an increase in the estate tax rate, preserve valuation discounts, and lock in the $5 million estate tax exemption indexed to inflation, providing families with the long-overdue certainty and permanency they need to plan. Jeff has kindly offered to provide guidance and support to PATG during a transition period through the end of March, after which he will continue to be involved as a Supporter of the organization.
I know we will all greatly miss Jeff’s leadership and are thankful for everything he has done to lead this organization successfully; we wish him nothing but the best and are eager to hear of his forthcoming accomplishments. The board and I are excited to welcome Tyler to the team, and we are confident that he will be a strong leader who will continue to grow the organization, working to achieve our founding goals.
Tyler comes to PATG with a background in bipartisan political efforts and coalitions, working on both sides of the aisle in areas like education, immigration and healthcare reform. Tyler has been involved in solving complicated legislative issues like educational tax credits for businesses as well as navigating negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on the implementation of a public-private health insurance exchange.
Tyler has worked closely with Jeff for several years and is able to hit the ground running with the extraordinary team in place at PATG – a team that remains intact and who you can expect to hear from in the coming weeks. Key team members include: Brandon Audap, our Senior Director of Legislative and Political Affairs; Christine Hall, our Director of Development; and Emily Harlan, our Deputy Director of Development.
If you have any questions about this transition or anything else, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We will continue to keep you informed on the progress of the estate tax in this new session of Congress, and we hope to see you this spring in D.C. for our annual Spring Supporters Meeting (details to come)!
Best regards,
Pat