IRS hires IT consultant—is he the next CIO?

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

"This is a complicated position where you have to keep a lot of balls in the air." As Congress was putting the final touches on a bill to reform the IRS, which lawmakers passed July 6, the agency was tapping a consultant to help it with systems modernization.

“This is a
complicated position where you have to keep a lot of balls in the air.”





As Congress was putting the final touches on a bill to reform the IRS, which lawmakers
passed July 6, the agency was tapping a consultant to help it with systems modernization.


Just days before the lawmakers cast their votes, the IRS named Paul J. Cosgrave as a
consultant to the commissioner for modernizing information and telecommunication systems,
a job widely seen as a stepping stone to the service’s vacant chief information
officer post.


Even the phone message at Cosgrave’s New York office directed callers to the IRS
CIO office, “as I’m more likely to be at that number.”


Cosgrave could be named to the job after President Clinton signs the IRS reform bill,
IRS and industry sources said. IRS commissioner Charles Rossotti informed congressional
leaders of Cosgrave’s appointment two weeks ago.


The IRS reform bill, which is awaiting the president’s signature, calls for the
most extensive overhaul of the tax service in nearly half a century.


Among other things, the bill would give the IRS commissioner new personnel oversight
authority, including the ability to hire top executives at salaries of up to $175,400.


If ultimately chosen as the IRS’ next CIO, Cosgrave would succeed Arthur A. Gross,
who left the service in April to work with a nonprofit organization.


As a consultant, Cosgrave will advise the service on the design, development,
implementation and operation of IRS systems, Rossotti told Congress. Cosgrave “brings
to the IRS the experience and vision we need to continue the process we have begun of
modernizing our information technology systems,” Rossotti said in a memorandum to
lawmakers.


Cosgrave this year began his own consulting business, Strategies4Success, in New York.


In February, he left his job as president and chief executive officer of Claremont
Technology Group Inc., a systems integration company in Beaverton, Ore. He had held the
Claremont post since 1994.


Cosgrave is also a member of the board of the Information Technology Association of
America in Arlington, Va.


“He’s incredibly smart,” ITAA president Harris N. Miller said.
“This is a complicated position where you have to keep a lot of balls in the
air.”


Cosgrave joins the IRS at a turbulent time. The reform law follows a year of intense
criticism from lawmakers and taxpayers who have decried aggressive tax collection tactics
by revenue agents.


The complaints, as well as long delays in the service’s systems modernization,
resulted in the formation of a bipartisan commission led by Sen. Robert J. Kerry (D-Neb.)
and Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). The commission’s recommendations led to the IRS
overhaul bill.


Miller noted that Rossotti and Cosgrave are two men with more information technology
and business experience than knowledge of the tax code. He speculated on what that might
mean for the IRS.


“If they can’t fix it, maybe it’s so broken that nobody can fix
it,” Miller said. 

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.