Merytt Haney, Class of 2024
This past week I had the pleasure of attending Deloitte’s 20th annual Multistate Tax Conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference brought together industry experts, policymakers, advisers, and educators to discuss the future of tax decisions and the implications of these decisions. Along with the educational panels came the opportunity to network with professionals, that in just four short months I will call my peers. This experience highlighted the direction the work I will be doing is headed and how I can ensure that the direction is positive.
One of the panels that I thoroughly enjoyed was between Douglas Lindholm, President and Executive Director of Council On-State Taxation, and Richard Pomp, Professor of Law at the University of Connecticut. This lively debate emphasized the thought process that goes into writing and executing new tax law, as well as the implications that come from that, specifically from the corporate lens. I was engrossed in the debate as I teetered back and forth between whose ‘side’ I was on. As I reflect, I think that teetering is what makes conversations such as this one so worthwhile, because there are numerous perspectives that lead to these policy decisions.
In addition, the opportunity to participate in networking events was wonderfully insightful. At the welcome reception I was able to meet with partners of Deloitte where I learned about the steps they took to get their career. I was also able to meet with accountants from various non-profits that emphasized how using their technical skills to make an impact was an essential part of having a career for them. Having this opportunity to hear from so many successful and impactful tax leaders will help me in the future be a better leader and mentor to those around me.
In conclusion, I am very grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference. I am looking forward to taking this knowledge and applying it to my career moving forward. The biggest takeaway I had from this experience is that while your job may seem miniscule at times, it is having an impact on others in a much larger way and it is important to be mindful of that impact when making decisions.