May 6, 2020 | Stimulus Measures to Date: What's Working, What's Not, and What's Needed 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Cara Griffith
President and CEO, Tax Analysts

Cara provides strategic oversight for the direction of Tax Analysts. She has been instrumental in developing strategies to improve the Tax Notes suite of products and to aggressively pursue transparency in the administration of tax systems. Previously, Cara managed the editorial department, including the flagship daily news publications and weekly magazines. Griffith has written for a broad range of tax policy publications, including Tax Notes State, The Tax Adviser, The Hedge Fund Law Report, and The Hill. She regularly speaks at tax conferences and other events on tax issues, on a variety of technical tax issues as well as the need for transparency in tax administration.

Griffith has a BA in political science and a BA in international studies from the University of Evansville and a JD from the George Washington University Law School.

Michael J. Desmond
Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service

Michael J. Desmond is the 48th Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, where he oversees a staff of more than 2,000 employees, including approximately 1,500 attorneys.  Mr. Desmond began serving as Chief Counsel on March 4, 2019, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate on February 27, 2019.  As Chief Counsel, he is also an Assistant General Counsel in the Department of the Treasury.  After serving as a law clerk for the Hon. Ronald S.W. Lew in the federal district court in Los Angeles, Mr. Desmond began his legal career with the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  After serving in the Tax Division, he joined McKee Nelson, LLP, where he was elected partner in 2004.  In early 2005, Mr. Desmond joined the Office of Tax Policy at the Department of the Treasury, where he served as Tax Legislative Counsel through 2008.  Following his tenure at the Treasury Department, he spent several years as a partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California.  In January 2012, Mr. Desmond started his own boutique tax firm in Santa Barbara, California, where he practiced until his nomination as Chief Counsel in 2018.  Mr. Desmond has held several offices with the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association and served as a Regent for the American College of Tax Counsel.  He also served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School of Law.  Mr. Desmond was born in Santa Monica, California and is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

Rochelle L. Hodes
Principal, Washington National Tax Office, Crowe LLP

Rochelle Hodes is a Principal in the Washington National Tax Office at Crowe. She has over thirty years of experience in federal tax practice and procedure, including federal tax dispute resolution and tax policy services. Rochelle advises clients on a broad range of tax matters relying on her deep knowledge developed in private practice and the federal government. Rochelle is a contributing author for “IRS Practice and Procedure.” In 2017, Rochelle was named a “Tax Person of the Year” by Tax Notes. 
 

Prior to becoming a Principal at Crowe, Rochelle was Associate Tax Legislative Counsel in the Office of Tax Policy at the U.S. Treasury Department. While at Treasury, she worked on a variety of matters, including the new partnership audit regime, crypto-currency and the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Rochelle began her career as an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service Office of Chief Counsel. Before returning to Treasury, Rochelle spent several years in private practice in the Washington D.C. national tax office of two major public accounting firms. Her experience includes assisting clients in resolving federal tax disputes, obtaining private letter rulings, and addressing and responding to regulatory and legislative changes in tax policy. 

Raymond J. Stahl
Principal, National Tax Department International Tax Transactions Services, EY

Ray Stahl joined EY in April 2020 as a principal in the National Tax Department International Tax Transactions Services group in Washington, DC. Prior to joining EY, Ray was a special counsel in the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (International) (ACCI) at the IRS. In that role, he was responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of international tax guidance. Most recently, Ray was one of the principal drafters of international guidance under the TCJA, including guidance relating to for the section 965 transition tax, the new foreign branch basket, the new partnership/ECI regulations under section 864(c)(8), and other provisions. Before joining the IRS, Ray worked in the tax practice at Ropes & Gray LLP in Boston and Washington, D.C.