IRS/Practitioners Forum - Webcast

A proud lifelong Oregonian, Codi Trudell has over 20 years of public civil service working in Oregon local and state government. In 2021, Trudell became Oregon's first Taxpayer Advocate in the Oregon Department of Revenue. As the Taxpayer Advocate, she works to be a voice and resource for Oregon's taxpayers. A graduate of Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in political science, Trudell applies her policy background to provide fair and equitable access to Oregonians' economic opportunities, programs and services.

edited 12-15-25

Meet John Higgins, CPA.CITP, the visionary founder of Higgins Advisory, LLC, specializing in guiding accounting, finance and tax professionals through digital transformation. By blending strategic advice, education, and coaching, John empowers these professionals to master today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. He began his career with a local CPA firm, then founded and sold two successful technology advisory startups, and served as a national technology practice partner at a top ten firm. Today, John is dedicated to helping professional firms navigate the disruptive application of artificial intelligence technologies.  He has been recognized as a Top 25 Thought Leader by the CPA Practice Advisor magazine for the past 15 years.

(3/4/2026)

Valerie is an attorney with the law firm of Samuels Yoelin Kantor in Portland, Oregon where she heads the firm's tax department. She speaks about topics (usually tax topics) that interest her. She is a fellow of the both the American College of Tax Counsel and the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel. She also co-wrote a very exciting book you should read called Oregon Estate Planning with Forms, which is going into its third edition this January.

(11-10-25)

Eric Wieland puts his mastery of tax law and sharp attention to detail to work in the areas of estate planning, business planning, taxation, and trust and estate administration. The belief that no two clients are alike and no set of legal circumstances or objectives are the same is at the heart of his specialized, individual approach.

Eric's work representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service in examinations, administrative appeals, and collection proceedings as a student attorney in the University of Washington's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic honed his skills in negotiation, client counseling, and written and oral advocacy.

After graduating with honors from the University of Portland with a degree in Business Administration, Eric earned a Master of Arts in Teaching while participating in the Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education volunteer program associated with AmeriCorps and spent two years as a high school and middle school teacher and coach. He earned his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law where he was awarded Order of Barristers. He then achieved a LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Washington School Of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Oregon and Missouri.

(8/19/19)

Velena McRae

Velena L. McRae is an award-winning leader, visionary, speaker, and philanthropist who is a shining example of purpose-driven leadership, civic engagement, and visionary philanthropy.
 
With over 30 years of service with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Velena is a key member of the Leadership Cadre within the Communications Stakeholder Liaison Field Division. Her work bridges government and community, fostering crucial engagement with payroll and tax professionals. Her dynamic presentation style, coupled with her exceptional relationship-building acumen, has made her a sought-after presenter and trainer.
 
Velena's heart for community shines through as Founder and President of the JV McRae Foundation, Inc. Under her leadership, the foundation empowers underserved populations with resources and hope.
 
Velena holds an MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a certificate in Business Analytics from Texas A&M-Commerce, in addition to a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

(10/2/26)

David Higgins works as an IRS Tax Specialist in Seattle, WA serving as the primary IRS contact to practitioners, industry, and business organizations throughout Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, and Alaska.

David educates on a variety of tax topics to all taxpayer communities, including employers, community groups, small business resource partners and tax practitioner organizations.

(4/3/26)

 

Christian Perrier specializes in helping people with their technology so that they can achieve success in their business. He has spent the last 15 years working with organizations to allow them to harness the power of new technology while defending themselves against cyber-attack. As the Vice President of Technical Solutions at Fixed Fee IT, Christian oversees the security posture, policies, and management of a SOC II Type II audited organization and has experience with SEC, FINRA, HIPAA, PCI, SOC, and NIST compliance standards. He has a passion for helping people and organizations navigate the ever-changing world of cybersecurity and implementing solutions to keep themselves protected.

(1/14/21)