Ben Barudin

Deloitte

Ben Barudin is a Managing Director for Deloitte Tax LLP. Currently a member of Deloitte’s Tax Management Consulting group, he has more than 20 years of experience working in corporate tax, tax technology, and process improvements. He specializes in assisting clients with unique process and technology issues faced in the tax lifecycle by offering services ranging from optimizing spreadsheet technology through 3rd party ASC740/Compliance system implementations. Ben is certified with both ONESOURCE and Corptax products and has successfully led more than 30 system implementations. Ben works primarily with large US multi-nationals in the technology, e-commerce, energy, services, and retail industries.

Clark Calhoun

Alston & Bird

Clark Calhoun represents clients in state tax controversy and litigation matters in Georgia, California, and other states before state and city taxing authorities, state trial and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has an unusually broad range of experiences in state and local taxes (SALT) that are off the radar of many multistate practitioners, and he has worked extensively in representing clients in appeals from state transfer pricing assessments, in helping buyers and sellers to resolve complex SALT exposure issues that arise in public and private M&A, and in advising businesses and insurers on policies involving SALT risks.

Daniel DeJong

KPMG

Daniel B. De Jong is a Managing Director in the State & Local Tax Group of KPMG’s Washington National Tax practice. In that role, he works with various practice groups developing thought leadership and training on state and local tax issues.  He also provides technical support for KPMG’s state and local tax practice on new and developing tax changes and in controversy matters. He previously served as Tax Counsel for Tax Executives Institute (TEI) where he focused on state and local tax issues and global indirect tax issues.

Nikki Dobay

GreenbergTrauig

Nikki Dobay is nationally known for her deep experience and understanding of state tax policy and the legislative process. She also advises her clients on sophisticated multistate tax issues as well as the consequences and planning opportunities related to corporate M&A transactions and oversees state and local tax controversy matters, ranging from audits to appellate litigation, and involving sales and use taxes, income and franchise taxes, property taxes, and constitutional issues.

Diane Dorr

Clifton Larson Allen

Diane is the Northeast practice leader for the state and local tax (“SALT”) practice at CLA, having previously served as the national SALT practice leader for 2024 and 2025.  In her current client service role, she builds client relationships and manages SALT teams that include the delivery of a variety of SALT services to CLA’s clients. With over 25 years of experience in multi-state tax matters, she specializes in sales/use tax consulting for a diverse client base, including start-ups and multi-nationals, both domestically and for non-US headquartered companies. Diane has spent significant time collaborating with companies as they integrate newly acquired businesses into their structure and undertake transformation of processes, compliance, and technology through domestic and inbound restructuring. Diane joined CliftonLarsonAllen in 2023. Prior to joining CLA, she spent over 12 years at KPMG in New York City and 9 years with Deloitte in Boston and New York City.

Olga Goldberg

Pierce Atwood

Olga J. Goldberg is a SALT Partner at Pierce Atwood LLP based in Portland, Maine. Olga advises clients in complex state and local tax matters. She represents clients on tax controversies from the administrative level through litigation and appeal or settlement. She also counsels businesses of all sizes on multistate transaction planning and tax compliance. Olga’s practice covers all types of state and local taxes, including corporate income, business profits, franchise, sales and use, gross receipts, and property tax, with a focus on New England taxes. Olga regularly speaks and writes on a wide range of state and local tax matters, and is actively involved in IPT, ABA, NASBTS, ISA, and COST.

Jonathan Hale

CT Department of Revenue Services

Jonathan Hale is the Tax Unit Manager for the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services where he oversees audit operations involving multistate and complex corporate tax matters. With nearly 20 years of state service, Jonathan has extensive experience in corporate taxation, audit administration, and tax compliance initiatives. Prior to his current leadership role, he specialized in transfer pricing and intercompany transaction audits as a Revenue Examiner, focusing on issues involving multijurisdictional businesses, income sourcing methodologies, and complex corporate tax structures. In his current position, he manages audit programs, staff development, and the review of significant corporate tax issues affecting a broad range of industries.

Leonore Heavey

Council On State Taxation (COST)

Leonore Heavey is Senior Tax Counsel for the Council On State Taxation (COST) and is COST’s lead advocate for the Northeastern states. Before joining COST, Leonore was the Louisiana Senate’s Chief Revenue Counsel where she served as the Senate’s tax advisor and lead drafter of Senate tax legislation. She began her SALT career at the Louisiana Department of Revenue and served in numerous roles during her tenure in the Policy Services, Tax Administration, and Audit Review divisions. Her undergraduate degree in Agriculture and masters in Agricultural Economics are from Washington State University. She earned her LLM in Taxation from the University of Denver and her JD from the University of Idaho College of Law.

Brendan Hughes

Akamai

Brendan Hughes is a tax senior manager at Akamai Technologies.  Brendan currently leads state and local direct tax activities at Akamai – including income tax compliance, provision, and controversy matters.  Additionally, he oversees state and local tax M&A and due diligence activities.  Brendan has managed several state tax projects at Akamai, including income and non-income tax refund reviews, sales taxability studies, income tax sourcing studies, and letter ruling requests.  He also led the integration of Alteryx workflows for a variety of state tax processes.  Brendan is a member of the New England SALT Forum’s Board of Advisors and is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts.  He obtained a B.S. in Accounting from St. John Fisher University and a M.S. in Taxation from the University of Denver.

Nicole Johnson

BlankRome

Nicole Johnson is a partner at Blank Rome in New York.  She works with clients to resolve state and local tax controversies at the audit, administrative, and judicial levels and advises clients on state and local tax law in transactional matters. Nicole frequently presents on state and local tax matters. Prior to joining Blank Rome, Nicole was a partner at a leading Am Law 100 firm and served as a local state and local tax manager at one of the big four accounting firms.

Carolyn Kupiec

Sullivan & Worcester

Caroline has an extensive tax controversy and litigation practice representing taxpayers in front of federal and state taxing authorities at all levels of the audit, controversy and litigation process. Caroline has significant experience representing both individual and business clients before the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board, and in helping life science and technology clients navigate Massachusetts’ state and local tax landscape. Caroline also has in-depth federal tax controversy and litigation experience, having clerked in the chambers of the Honorable Joesph H. Gale of the United States Tax Court prior to her time at Sullivan, and having represented many individual and business clients before the Internal Revenue Service and in front of the United States Tax Court since.

Stephen LaRosa

AstraZeneca

Stephen LaRosa is the executive director who oversees U.S. state & local taxes at AstraZeneca.  Steve is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (“CTCPA”).  He served as the chairperson of the CTCPA State Tax Committee and previously received the CTCPA Jack Brooks Leadership Award and the Committee Member of the Year Award.  Steve is also a member of the National Multistate Tax Symposium, Council on State Taxation, and New England SALT Forum advisory boards. Steve also serves on the tax committees of various business organizations.  

Jill Libby

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Jill is a Partner in PwC’s State and Local Tax Practice specializing in corporate income tax and taxation of flow through entities. During her tenure with PwC, Jill has consulted with many multi-state and multi-national organizations on state and local tax matters, including reorganizations, due diligence on mergers and acquisitions, state tax controversy, voluntary disclosure agreements and state tax provision preparation and review. She assists clients in a variety of industries in meeting their quarterly and annual state and local tax compliance obligations. Jill currently maintains a portfolio of clients in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, technology, professional services, and retail sectors.

Doug Lindholm

Council On State Taxation (COST)

COST, with a membership of over 500 multistate corporations, is dedicated to preserving and promoting equitable and nondiscriminatory state taxation of multi-jurisdictional entities. Prior to taking the helm at COST, Mr. Lindholm served as Counsel, State Tax Policy for the General Electric Company in Washington, DC, and as Senior Manager in the Washington National Tax Office of Price Waterhouse LLP. He has written numerous articles on federal, state, and local tax issues in a wide variety of publications; testifies frequently before state legislatures and Congress on state tax issues; offers commentary on radio and television; and is a frequent keynote speaker at national tax conferences and seminars.

Kateryna Melnikova

CBIZ

Kateryna Melnikova is a Senior Manager who joined CBIZ MHM, LLC’s National State and Local Tax Practice based in Greenville, South Carolina in May 2024. Kateryna focuses on helping clients with complex direct and indirect state tax matters. Kateryna has experience in dealing with a wide variety of state tax issues including state apportionment sourcing analysis, non-business income testing, impact of interplay with federal tax reform (incl. TCJA & CARES Act), tax controversy, assessments, voluntary disclosure agreements, and appeals. In 2014, she began her career at PwC in Boston, MA and later, in 2019, joined RSM US LLC in Boston, MA. She kept up-to-date of tax law changes through diligent research and monitored legislative developments to advise clients effectively. Her contributions extended to supporting M&A activities by conducting comprehensive due diligence on acquisitions, covering a range of state tax implications. She also developed thought leadership content and conducted training sessions on state and local tax matters, showcasing her expertise and leadership within the firm, as evidenced by her selection for the leadership development program for high-performing female managers.

Jessica Morgan

Ernst & Young

Jessica Morgan is a Senior Manager specializing in US state and local taxation. Part of EY National Tax, Jess supports the firm’s state income tax and transactions practice, providing thought leadership and technical expertise to EY service teams and clients. Jess helps businesses plan for state tax and accounting impacts of transactions, from acquisitions and divestitures to corporate reorganizations. She has assisted companies in aligning their tax profile to their strategic objectives through nexus and apportionment studies, federal conformity analyses, and entity structuring. Jess supports inbound investment, consulting on US site selection and the state tax implications of US legal entity formation and establishment of commercial domicile. She advises multinationals with respect to taxability, application of US-international tax treaties, and audit defense. Jess also partners with the firm’s US State Policy Services team, advising businesses and government as to the effects of new global economic developments on current state tax law and administration. She is a frequent speaker and writer on the state tax implications of international tax reforms, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and the OECD BEPS 2.0 proposals.

Alexis Morrison-Howe

Deloitte

Alexis focuses on the multistate tax impacts of complex corporate transactions, debt issues, combined reporting, and apportionment. She is a leader in identifying and analyzing the multistate impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and is the architect of the firm’s state tax reform technology tool. Alexis is the Jurisdictional Technical Lead for Massachusetts, helping clients navigate issues related to combined reporting, market sourcing, and debt/equity challenges. Alexis previously practiced at Deloitte United Kingdom where she focused on US international tax issues.

Brian Oliner

Federation of Tax Administrators

Brian currently serves as General Counsel to the Federation of Tax Administrators, a position he has held since September 2023. Prior to that he served in the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, the last 14 years as Principal Counsel to the Office of the Comptroller of Maryland. In addition to his service as an assistant attorney general, he represented business clients in private practice and started his career as a prosecutor in Baltimore City. He is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Professionals and recipient of the 2024 Tax Excellence Award from the Maryland State Bar Association, Taxation Law Section. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1985. He is admitted to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia, the federal district courts of Maryland, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Robert Ozmun

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Robert (Rob) is a Boston based PwC National State and Local Tax partner. In his 32 years of public accounting experience, he has specialized in working with large multinational organizations to identify opportunities and/or solve state and local tax issues. Rob has significant experience serving clients in the consumer products, manufacturing, pharmaceutical/life-science and retail/e-commerce industries Rob leads PwC’s efforts around federal/state conformity and the state tax implications which were magnified due to the 2017 TCJA, 2020 CARES Act and 2022 IRA and which continue to impact corporate taxpayers today. Rob is a national resource for PwC’s Tax Accounting Services Network, dealing with the state and local implications of ASC 740 including the impact of legislative changes. Rob also leads PwC SALT L&D and continuing education program for the firm. Rob regularly presents at nationally recognized tax associations, including the Council on State Taxation (COST), Tax Executives Institute (TEI), and New England Tax Forum on State/Federal conformity and/or ASC 740 topics. Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Michigan State University. He is a CPA and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Richard Pomp

University of Connecticut School of Law

Richard D. Pomp is the Alva P. Loiselle Professor and Board of Trustee Distinguished Professor of Law at UConn Law School. He is also an adjunct professor at NYU Law School in the LL.M. Program in Taxation. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. He has taught at Harvard, New York University, Columbia, University of Texas, and Boston College. Professor Pomp has been qualified as an expert witness in more than 35 states and the federal district courts and has appeared in more than 120 cases. He serves as counsel and a litigation consultant to law firms, corporations, accounting firms, and state tax administrations. He has participated in various capacities in U.S. Supreme Court litigation.

Neena Savage

Rhode Island Department of Revenue Division of Taxation

Appointed in December 2015, Neena S. Savage, Esq., oversees the Division of Taxation. Savage previously served as the Assistant Tax Administrator, a position she held since February 2015. Prior to joining the Division of Taxation, Neena was deputy director and executive counsel for the R.I. Department of Business Regulation and held various other positions during her 18-year career at DBR. Savage was an associate with Edwards & Angell and a staff attorney for Rhode Island Legal Services before beginning work at DBR. In all, she has more than 30 years of experience in the legal field. Savage holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Texas A&M University and a juris doctorate degree from American University.

Lou Schatz

Shipman & Goodwin

Louis Schatz is Chair of Shipman’s State and Local Tax Practice Group and, from 2007 to 2017, served on the firm’s Management Committee. A past chair of the Tax Section of the Connecticut Bar Association, Lou draws on his decades of experience in federal and Connecticut tax matters to help clients understand the real-world impact of complex tax laws and regulations, make effective tax-planning decisions, and resolve disputes with tax authorities. In addition to being a tax-specific counsel, Lou serves as a trusted, primary relationship partner for many of his clients. He has developed strong relationships within the accounting community and has a deep understanding of the connection between business performance and tax strategy. Lou uses these insights to help clients identify and assess potential opportunities and challenges and engage appropriate counsel and other advisors to address a broad range of legal, financial and business issues.

Matthew Schnall

Morgan Lewis

Matthew D. Schnall represents clients in a variety of complex business-related tax matters, including mergers, acquisitions, and other transactional tax matters for public and privately held companies; the formation, structuring, and restructuring of investment funds; and real estate development, leasing, and joint ventures. He represents clients in federal and state tax controversy matters, from audits to administrative appeals to tax litigation. Matt’s federal tax practice covers a full range of corporate, partnership, and international tax issues. He also has a robust state and local tax (SALT) practice, covering issues including corporate and personal income taxes, franchise taxes, sales and use taxes, property taxes, and constitutional issues.

Marc Simonetti

State Tax Law

Marc Simonetti advises and represents business clients nationwide on state and local tax matters including income, franchise, sales and use, and gross receipts taxes. He handles controversies from audit through litigation and appeal, developing practical strategies and defending client positions. He leads all phases of litigation including discovery, depositions, motions, trial, and appellate advocacy in state courts across the country. He advises Fortune 100, mid-size, and startup companies on planning, compliance, and digital economy issues. He also counsels on mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, and tax-efficient structuring, and supports clients on tax policy initiatives across legislative and regulatory arenas nationwide matters effectively.

Geoffrey Snyder, Commissioner

Massachusetts Department of Revenue

Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder is responsible for administering the tax, child support, and municipal finance laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Snyder has several decades of senior-level leadership experience in the financial industry and previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of Administrative Affairs and Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at DOR from 2016 into 2019. In his role as Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Snyder provided oversight of finance, human resources, facilities management, the Office of Ethics and Employee Responsibility, internal audit, labor relations, and risk management functions.

Lindsey M. Stepp, Commissioner 

New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration

Lindsey M. Stepp is currently Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration and a member of the Board of Directors for the Federation of Tax Administrators.  Lindsey received her Master of Business Administration degree from Plymouth State University, after receiving her B.S. in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Lindsey served as Director of Business Services for the Information Technology Services Department at Plymouth State University, and previously worked at the Department of Revenue Administration as a Financial Analyst. Lindsey began her career at Ernst & Young LLP as an International Tax and Transfer Pricing Consultant.

Marilyn Wethekam

Council On State Taxation (COST)

Marilyn A. Wethekam, Esq. is Of Counsel to the Council On State Taxation.  COST, with a membership of approximately 500 multistate corporations, is dedicated to preserving and promoting equitable and nondiscriminatory state taxation of multi-jurisdictional entities.  Ms. Wethekam, Prior to joining COST, was a partner at HMB Legal Counsel in Chicago where she had a national SALT practice representing multistate and multinational corporations in all areas of state tax advising clients on multistate tax issues involving income, franchise, and transaction taxes.   Prior to going into private practice, Ms. Wethekam was tax counsel for both Mobil Oil Corporation and Montgomery Ward & Co. where she developed an understanding of the complex issues encountered by multistate and multinational corporations.

Jamie Yesnowitz

Grant Thornton

Jamie Yesnowitz is a Partner serving as the State and Local Tax (SALT) leader within Grant Thornton’s Washington National Tax Office. In this role, he serves as a national technical expert for Grant Thornton’s SALT practice, devoting significant time to complex client matters. He follows current developments and hot topics in the SALT world, including state corporate income and sales tax legislation and policy, state income tax conformity to federal income tax provisions, and state corporate income tax apportionment rules and filing methods. Jamie has twenty-seven years of broad-based SALT controversy and consulting experience at the national and practice office levels in large public accounting firms in Washington, DC and New York. Prior to entering the field of public accounting, Jamie practiced law as a corporate and securities attorney in New York.