Charles Aull, Senior Policy Analyst, Public Affairs, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Charles Aull is the Senior Policy Analyst at the Kentucky Chamber, where he leads the organization’s public policy and economic research. He previously served as the Director of Government Affairs and Director of Public Policy Development at Greater Louisville Inc., The Metro Chamber of Commerce. He holds a PhD in History from Indiana University and has written and published widely on various issues related to government, history, and public policy.

Jennifer Barber, Office Member-in-Charge, Frost Brown Todd LLC
Jennifer Barber is a state and local tax attorney. Her practice includes advising national and local clients with tax planning, serving as counsel in administrative and judicial disputes, and negotiating economic incentives. She has been named to Best Lawyers In America®, Super Lawyers®, and Martindale Hubbell’s Registry of Preeminent Women Lawyers. She was recognized by Business First of Louisville as “Enterprising Woman to Watch” and “Forty Under 40” for her impact on state, local and economic development. She has been published extensively on topics relating to state and local taxation. Jennifer recently served as United States Delegate to the United Nations where she delivered formal statements on behalf of the U.S. government and advised on foreign policy, particularly in the areas of human rights and humanitarian aid.  

JD Chaney, Executive Director/CEO, Kentucky League of Cities
J.D. Chaney is the Executive Director/CEO of the Kentucky League of Cities.  J.D. has worked for KLC for nearly 21 years in a variety of roles over the course of his career representing Kentucky’s city governments, including management of the association’s legal and legislative functions.  He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Montana and returned home to complete his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law and Masters of Business Administration degree from Eastern Kentucky University.  J.D. has authored and successfully advocated for numerous laws impacting Kentucky’s cities and participated in number of court cases on behalf of city governments.  J.D. lives in Richmond with his wife, Colleen, and two daughters, Adaleen and Evaleen.

Chris Coffman, Member, Frost Brown Todd LLC
Chris is a member in the Louisville office of Frost Brown Todd LLC. His practice concentrates on tax planning and civil tax audits and controversies. Chris has represented clients in administrative proceedings before local and state taxing authorities and the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, he has represented clients before the United States Tax Court. Chris also helps lead Frost Brown Todd’s multi-disciplinary Opportunity Zone Service team. He has been recognized as a thought leader in this developing area of law, counseling business, community, and state leaders across the firm’s multi-state footprint. Chris has advised business owners, developers, fund managers, and governmental entities in all stages of an Opportunity Zone investment.

Richard Dobson, Executive Director, Office of Sales & Excise Taxes, Kentucky Department of Revenue
Richard Dobson is the Executive Director of the Office of Sales & Excise Taxes in the Kentucky Department of Revenue, a position he has held since September 2004. He is also very involved with maintaining multi-state Streamlined Sales Tax efforts; serving in many capacities.  He is a Past President and former Secretary/Treasurer of the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board and is currently the Chair of the State and Local Advisory Council. Mr. Dobson has been with the Department for over 30 years.  He has previously served as Supervisor of the Sales & Use Tax Section in the Division of Compliance & Taxpayer Assistance, and as a Tax Consultant in the Division of Tax Policy, Department of Law. His areas of expertise include sales and use tax, telecommunications taxes and other transactional excise taxes. Mr. Dobson serves as a Department of Revenue representative before the Kentucky Claims Commission; he provides drafting and analysis of tax legislation; he delivers presentations to tax practitioners and various professional and interest groups for the Department regarding tax trends, issues and administrative practices; and directs his Office to ensure proper implementation of legislative mandates. He resides in Frankfort with his wife, Barbara.

Tim Eifler, Member, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC
Tim is a Member in Stoll Keenon Ogden's Louisville office and has been with the firm since 1994. He serves as the chair of the Tax practice and is also a member of the Business Litigation practice with a focus on Appellate Law and Class Action. He is involved in all aspects of the firm's tax practice, but has concentrated in complex state and local tax planning, audit defense and federal, state and local tax controversies. A significant portion of Tim's practice has also focused on tax-motivated transactional matters and the negotiation and implementation of state and local tax incentives, including tax credits, wage assessments, sales and use tax refunds and property tax abatements.

Lucas Hankins, CPA, Senior Manager, Crowe LLP
Mr. Hankins has spent the majority of his career in state and local taxation assisting a diversified mix of middle market, large corporate, and partnership clients with compliance projects, financial accounting, audit defense, and credits and incentives maximization.  He currently acts as Crowe’s Georgia SALT Resource as he did for ten years with his previous firm.

Erica Horn, CPA, JD, Tax Associate Director, Dean Dorton
Horn has over 30 years of professional experience. She has spent the majority of her career advising clients on state and local tax issues. She has represented Kentucky and multi-national companies in tax controversies before the Kentucky Department of Revenue, Kentucky Claims Commission (formerly Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals) and the state and federal courts of the Commonwealth. Through her advice and advocacy, Erica has saved her clients millions of dollars in Kentucky taxes. Erica has experience in a wide-range of industries including construction, equine, manufacturing, and warehousing and distribution, and is a prolific speaker and author on state and local tax topics.

Jessica S. Johnston, CPA, Executive Director, Department of Revenue, Office of Income Taxation
Jessica S. Johnston was appointed Executive Director of the Office of Income Taxation in August, 2020. Jessica graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky and is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA). She has specialized in income tax throughout her career at the department working in a myriad of roles in the Office of Income Tax, the Division of Protest Resolution, and the Office of Tax Policy and Regulation. Most recently Jessica held the position of Director of the Division of Corporation Tax. She is actively involved in CASA of Lexington, is a member of the Kentucky Society of CPA, and an alumnus of the Leadership Central Kentucky Class of 2016-2017.

Chaz Lavelle, Partner, Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP
Chaz has a Masters in Law in Taxation and concentrates his practice in tax law.  He has been named to Best Lawyers in America for over 20 consecutive years, and has been named either Louisville "Lawyer of the Year" in Tax Law or in Litigation and Controversy - Tax several times.  He was Tax Counsel in two US Court of Appeals (the level just below the US Supreme Court) taxpayer victories involving captive insurance taxation.  He has represented taxpayers before the IRS on a wide variety of taxes, including income, estate and gift, black lung, insurance and airplane excise taxes, penalties and interest.  He represented the Sixth Circuit for six years on the American College of Tax Counsel Board of Regents.  He lectures around the nation on captive insurance taxation. Chaz is a past Chair of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

Mark Loyd, Partner & Chair, Tax & Employee Benefits Department, Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP
Mark A. Loyd is a Partner and Chair of the Tax and Employee Benefits Department of Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP. He is licensed to practice law in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, U.S. Tax Court, federal courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to joining BGD, Mark managed the state and local tax function for the U.S. subsidiary of British American Tobacco. Mark is also a Certified Public Accountant and has an MBA. Mark is Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Rated, the highest rating available, and is a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. He has presented for national tax organizations, including COST, IPT, TEI, and ABA, and written extensively for publications including The Kentucky CPA Journal, The Tax Lawyer, and State Tax Notes.

Thomas B. Miller, Commissioner, Department of Revenue
Tom Miller was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Revenue in December of 2019 by Governor Andy Beshear after serving as Commissioner of Department of Revenue for Governor Steve Beshear from 2008-2016.  Tom has also served under two other governors, as Commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions.  Prior to his work in state government, he had over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Daniel Mudd, Member, Frost Brown Todd LLC
Daniel G. Mudd is a Member at Frost Brown Todd and part of its Regional State Tax and Incentives Team. Daniel’s practice focuses on state and local tax planning, controversy and incentives matters. Daniel is also a leader of the Firm's Manufacturing Industry Team, and heads up its Consumable Goods Subteam which oversees all hemp, alcohol, tobacco, food and beverage clients.  He currently serves on and is involved with multiple professional, industry and community organizations, including the Independent SALT Alliance (ISA), Greater Louisville Inc.’s (GLI) Business Competitiveness Committee, and its Tax Reform Task Force, to name a few.  For these efforts, Daniel has been selected for Louisville Business First’s Forty Under 40 Award, and as a Kentucky Rising Star® for Tax.

Tom Niedzielski, Senior Manager, Crowe LLP
Bio coming soon.

Bailey Roese, Associate, Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP
Bailey Roese is a partner in Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP’s Louisville office and represents taxpayers in federal, state, and local tax controversies. Selected as a Kentucky Super Lawyers® Rising Star for 2018-2021 in the area of Tax law, Bailey regularly advocates for clients in the state courts and administrative tribunals of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, as well as the United States Tax Court. Her expertise encompasses income tax, sales tax, property tax, trust and estate tax and excise tax, and she advises clients in the manufacturing, retail, tobacco and alcohol industries, as well as many others. She also assists clients with their tax planning and compliance needs.

Eric Scott, Managing Director - Tax Services, Ernst Young
Eric is a senior manager in Ernst and Young’s Central Region Tax Practice with an emphasis on a wide variety of technical topics including accounting for income taxes, federal income taxes, state and local income taxes, and issues unique to C corporations and partnerships.  He has been with the firm for 13 years.  He has served as a lecturer on multi-state tax issues for seminars sponsored by the Kentucky Chapter of TEI, the Kentucky Society of CPAs and other educational organizations.

Kate Shanks, Sr. Vice President, Public Affairs, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Kate Shanks is Sr. Vice President of Public Affairs for the Kentucky Chamber. She has been with the Chamber for more than five years and focuses her work on energy, environment, small business, and competitiveness issues. She is a lifelong resident of Kentucky and earned both a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Conservation and Management and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining the Chamber, Kate spent nearly 12 years working for state agencies focused on energy and environmental policy and regulation and has held multiple positions relating to communications, outreach, policy analysis and design, and legislative affairs.

Katie Smith, Deputy Secretary and Commissioner, Department for Financial Services, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development
Katie Smith, CPA, is an economic development professional with more than 18 years of experience at the Cabinet for Economic Development.  In the fall of 2021, Katie was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet in addition to her role as Commissioner of the Department for Financial Services.  As Deputy Secretary, Katie is responsible for promoting the development and overall administration of executive policies designed to support and promote economic development within Kentucky.  As Commissioner, Katie oversees the incentive program administration and compliance in addition to the personnel, finance and resource management matters of the Cabinet.  Katie and her staff serve the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, the committee responsible for approving incentives for economic development projects. Prior to joining state government, she served as an auditor with a national accounting firm for three years and an internal auditor and financial analyst for a manufacturing headquarters for two years, both in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Mark Sommer, Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLC
Mark F. Sommer is a Partner of the Firm and tax attorney resident in the Louisville office of the law firm of Frost Brown Todd LLC, where he serves as Practice Group Chair of the Tax, Employee Benefits & Estates Practice Group and leads the Firm’s Tax and Incentives Teams. Now in his 32nd year of private practice, Mark’s comprehensive practice focuses on controversy, litigation and planning relating to tax matters, primarily state and local tax matters and incentives. Mark is a long-time Fellow in the American College of Tax Counsel and is recognized as a “Super Lawyer” in Kentucky. Mark has also been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America for twenty five years and recently doubly recognized as 2018 “Lawyer of the Year” for in Tax Law and also in Litigation & Controversy – Tax. Mark was honored by State Tax Notes as one of its two “Practitioners of the Year” in 2015 and one of its “Persons of the Year” in 2013 making him the first person so recognized two times. Mark has written extensively in the area of state and local taxation and is a frequent speaker and lecturer on state and local tax matters. Mark obtained his JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and his BSBA from Xavier University.

Robin Teeters, CPA, Senior Manager, VonLehman CPA & Advisory Firm
Robin Teeters is a Senior Manager with VonLehman CPAs in Ft Wright, Kentucky.  She leads the State and Local Tax practice for the firm.  Her 30+ years of multi-state tax experience in both in-house and public accounting roles gives her an in-depth understanding of the challenges businesses face.  Robin earned her accounting degree at Xavier University and is a current member of the Law Committee of the Kentucky Society of CPAs.  She lives in Cincinnati with her husband and enjoys visiting her college-student children in Dayton, OH and Charlotte, NC.

Patrick Thomas, Senior Associate, Frost Brown Todd LLC
Patrick represents clients in civil tax collection and examination matters, in both administrative proceedings and litigation before federal and state courts. He also advises clients on federal, state, and local tax matters, to help clients mitigate and avoid costly downstream civil tax disputes. Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Patrick founded the Notre Dame Law School’s Tax Clinic, where he supervised upper-level law students representing clients in IRS disputes. He designed and taught the Clinic’s seminar, which focused on lawyering skills, tax procedure, and federal and state tax law. Patrick is the co-editor-in-chief of the ABA Tax Section’s treatise, Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS; he also received the Section’s Public Service Fellowship. Patrick earned both his J.D. and B.A. from Indiana University – Bloomington.

Jared Walczak, Vice President of State Projects, Tax Foundation
Bio coming soon.

Robert C. Webb, Member, Frost Brown Todd LLC
Robert has established a reputation as a litigator in civil and criminal tax litigation matters, white-collar criminal defense, and business litigation. Over the past twenty years, he has resolved thousands of civil and criminal tax matters at the federal, state and local level. Robert has worked at the Department of Justice Tax Division in Washington, D.C. while pursuing his Masters of Law (LL.M.) in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.. Robert has taught federal taxation of entities at Bellarmine College, authored the Criminal Tax Practice Monograph for the University of Kentucky College of Law and speaks annually at the American Bar Association Criminal Tax Institute. Robert is a member of the firm’s white-collar group and tax controversy and litigation practice group. He has represented taxpayers in tax controversy matters from Connecticut to California. Robert has handled civil and criminal tax cases throughout the United States. He regularly represents clients in civil and criminal tax controversies before the IRS and in the United States Tax Court, United States District Court and the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals. He has led the defense of federal and state criminal offenses at the investigatory, grand jury, and trial levels in such areas as criminal tax fraud, mail and wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen goods, criminal and civil RICO, health care fraud, criminal antitrust, money laundering, gambling, and environmental matters. Robert regularly conducts internal investigations for public companies involving computer fraud and document destruction issues, and designs and implements records management systems.