How Deep Does Your Representation Go?

I’m writing this a week after the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) Fly-In Day, and as I wrap up this issue, all I can think about is how important representation is. Our fly-in event allows us to represent our clients’ needs before Congress, not the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This is our opportunity to explain what is needed for us to adequately represent our clients. We also represent our states and the NAEA. The levels of representation are numerous.

Personally, I have attended prior fly-ins since 2014, representing the state of Virginia. This year, it was for Texas. There are definitely differences between the two states, but it didn’t matter because we were representing our taxpayer clients and the NAEA. The issues we discussed require bipartisan support, so we all needed to speak to our respective leaders to achieve that.

Immediately following the Fly-In was the Schuldiner/Smollan Leadership Academy (SSLA). I had the pleasure of teaching alongside Raven Deerwater, EA, Terry Durkin, EA, and Lonnie Gary, EA. Although Angelic Radic, EA, an instructor whose presence was greatly missed, could not attend, she significantly contributed to the preparation of the topics. This experience is unique within the NAEA, and I encourage anyone interested in leadership to sign up for future sessions. With 15 graduates this year, I am hopeful for the future of NAEA’s leadership after seeing how well this class engaged and completed tasks. Leaders represent the NAEA, and it’s imperative they are well-trained to ensure future leaders are not deterred from getting involved.

The future is never certain, and an election year makes it even harder to predict, but I’m confident that the NAEA has extremely competent leadership and some of the smartest members in the world (that is not a typo or artificial intelligence (AI) talking), so I’m sure we will be just fine in the years to come.

I hope you enjoy this issue, which centers on topics related to representation. We strive to be inclusive in our tax offerings and ensure that everyone who wishes to contribute has the opportunity to submit. Submissions on all topics are accepted at any time. If a deadline is missed or if the topic fits better in another issue, it will be placed accordingly. All contributions are welcome, and I hope you enjoy the diverse range of topics from your colleagues.