IRS board starts the search for Rossotti's successor

IRS board starts the search for Rossotti's successor

The IRS Oversight Board is looking for a successor to Charles O. Rossotti, the 45th commissioner, who will retire next year.

Working with the Treasury Department, the board is developing a detailed set of specifications for the job, board chairman Larry R. Levitan told the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee yesterday.

More than a month ago, the board hired Russell Reynolds Associates, a New York executive recruiting company, to come up with a set of qualified candidates, he said.

The IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 requires the board to recommend a suitable IRS commissioner to the administration.

'We hope to send to the White House the names of qualified people in a month,' Levitan said, adding that more names could be sent as the search progresses.

Rossotti took over as commissioner in November 1997, pledging to turn the IRS into an organization that consistently provides top-quality service to taxpayers.

He came to the IRS from American Management Systems Inc., a Fairfax, Va., IT consulting firm that he helped found in 1970. From 1965 to 1969, he held various systems analysis positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

To modernize the tax agency, Rossotti focused on better service and revamping of business practices. IRS also embarked on a $15 billion modernization program with the goal of delivering electronic services to every taxpayer by the end of the decade.

Levitan said the board is looking for someone with 'excellent leadership skills, strong communication skills, an understanding of technology and lots of patience.'

Stay Connected

Sign up for our newsletter.

I agree to this site's Privacy Policy.