27th Annual Tuesday & Wednesday, January 23 24, 2018 Hya Regency Columbus, Columbus, Ohio Ohio Tax Workshop AA Roundtable: Priceless Insights on Ohio Policy Impacts of Federal Corporate Tax Reform, Potential for Ohio Tax Reform, Soaring Costs of Medical Management & Medicaid Expansion and Ohio s Tax & Spending Direction for the New Biennium Tuesday, January 23, 2018 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Biographical Information Thomas M. Zaino, JD, CPA, Managing Member, Zaino Hall & Farrin LLC 41 South High Street, Suite 3600, Columbus, OH 43215 614-349-4810 Mobile: 614-598-1596 tzaino@zhftaxlaw.com Tom is Managing Member and founder of the Firm. He assists clients with multistate business tax issues and represents many multistate and multinational companies and their owners and executives, before various state departments of revenue across the country, as well as before the Ohio Department of Taxation, other federal and state agencies, municipal tax authorities, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, Ohio Supreme Court, and the Ohio General Assembly. Tom recently served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and The Ohio Society of CPAs. He is Treasurer of the Manufacturing Policy Alliance. Prior to founding the Firm, Tom was an attorney with a multistate law firm where he served as Chair of the Multistate Tax Practice Group, as Managing Member of the Columbus Office, and as member of the Board of Directors. From 1999 to 2003, Tom served as Ohio Tax Commissioner and a member of Governor Bob Taft s cabinet. As Tax Commissioner, Tom led the Ohio Department of Taxation, which is responsible for administering most state-collected taxes, several locally collected taxes, and for supervising the real property tax. His role included guiding the development of Ohio's tax policy Prior to his role as Tax Commissioner, Tom was a tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. At PwC, Tom represented clients in a wide variety of federal and multistate tax matters. Tom was also a founding member of the firm s National VISION Team, a special project management service provided to large clients to assist in the implementation of significant business process and legal entity changes.
Biographical Information Senator John Eklund - Senate District 18 Senate Building, 1 Capitol Square, 1 st Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-7718 eklund@ohiosenate.gov Senator John Eklund is currently serving his second term as State Senator for the 18th District, which is comprised of portions of Geauga and Lake Counties as well as all of Portage County. Eklund's long and noted legal career in Northeast Ohio has allowed him to cultivate a valued understanding of several issues that the General Assembly oversees. For the 132nd General Assembly, Senator Eklund has been tapped to serve as Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. In addition, Senator Eklund is a member of the Finance Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Public Utilities Committee, the Rules and Reference Committee, and the Finance General Government Subcommittee. He has been appointed to the ABLE Account Program Advisory Board, which advises the State Treasurer s Office in delivering an effective program to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families throughout Ohio. He also serves on the Great Lakes Commission, the Interstate Compact on Juveniles, the Joint Committee on Gaming and Wagering, the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission, and the Attorney General s Joint Study on Drug Use Prevention Education. When not tending to legislative duties in Columbus, Eklund is a Senior Counsel at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP where he has worked for more than 35 years. Throughout his legal career, much of his work has been centered on areas pertaining to anti-trust litigation, trade regulation, price fixing, class actions, and mergers and acquisitions. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee School of Law and holds a bachelor's degree from Union College. He has been named an Ohio Super Lawyer in antitrust litigation, is listed in Best Lawyers in America for Antitrust Law, and is recognized as one of America s Leading Lawyers in Chambers USA. Senator Eklund is active in his community, having served on a number of boards and organizations, including the United Way Services of Geauga County Board of Trustees, the Munson Township Scholarship Committee, and the Geauga County Republican Party Executive Committee, the Munson Township Zoning Commission, the Chagrin River Land Conservancy Board of Trustees, the Cleveland Athletic Club Board of Trustees, and the Advisory Board of The Ohio District Court Review. Senator Eklund resides in Munson Township with his wife, Meg. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Amanda, and seven grandchildren. Senator Peterson and his wife Lisa are the proud parents of Sarah, Hannah and Todd. The family lives on their farm in Fayette County. They are active in church, 4-H, FFA and other community activities.
Biographical Information Senator Charleta B. Tavares Senate District 15 th, Assistant Minority Leader Senate Building, 1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-5131 tavares@ohiosenate.gov Charleta B. Tavares (D-Columbus) was re-elected and sworn in on January 5, 2015 as the State Senator for the 15 th District and Assistant Democratic Leader in the Ohio Senate. A committed public servant, she has served since 2011 as the State Senator, which includes, Bexley and parts of Grandview Heights as well as the historic neighborhoods of the city of Columbus. She currently serves as the Senate ranking member on both the Ways and Means and the Health and Human Services Committees. In addition, she also serves as a member of the Finance, Finance Subcommittee on Corrections, Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee, Joint Committee on Agency Rules and Review, and serves as Co-Chair of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission. Tavares previously served as member of Columbus City Council from 1999-2010. Prior to joining Council, Tavares left a legacy for the citizens of Ohio during her 5 ½-year tenure in the Ohio General Assembly as the State Representative in the 22nd House District. Tavares is the first African-American and Democrat female to serve in the state legislature from Franklin County, Ohio (House and Senate) and the first African- American woman ever to hold a leadership position in the history of the Ohio General Assembly. Tavares was recently selected to serve as the President/CEO of Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. (CNHC). A federally qualified primary healthcare system to provide access to services that improve the health status of families including people experiencing financial, social, or cultural barriers to health care. Tavares recently served as Executive Director of the Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence (MACC), a statewide non-profit membership organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of care in Ohio's health care system and to incorporate culturally competent models of practice into the systems and organizations that provide services to Ohio's diverse populations. Tavares legislative priorities include: the elimination of health, education and criminal justice disparities; investment in Ohio s infrastructure; consumer protection; and addressing family stability. She is a native of Columbus. She attended Eastmoor High School, Spellman College in Atlanta, GA, and The Ohio State University.
Biographical Information State Representative Tim Schaffer, Ohio House of Representatives 77 South High Street, 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 614-466-8100 Rep77@ohiohouse.gov A lifelong resident of Central & Southeast Ohio, Representative Tim Schaffer is currently serving Fairfield County in his fifth nonconsecutive term in the House of Representatives 77th district. He also served eight years representing the 31st district in the Ohio Senate. He currently serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Aging and Long Term Care Committee. He previously chaired the House Public Utilities Committee as well as two committees in the Senate: Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee and the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. He has also chaired the House Commerce and Labor Committee, and he was the state s first legislative chairman of the Homeland Security, Engineering and Architecture Committee after the 2001 terrorist attacks on America. Representative Schaffer has worked tirelessly at the Statehouse to fight government corruption, reduce taxes and protect our children from sexual predators. Additionally, Representative Schaffer has worked to bring and keep numerous economic development projects to his House and Senate districts, protecting and creating hundreds of job opportunities. As the former chairman of the Senate Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee, he helped oversee legislation that continues to reduce Ohioans tax burden and encourage economic development. In the Senate, he also served as vice-chair of the Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, and served on the Energy and Public Utilities Committee and the Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee. These positions allowed him to play a key role in developing policies that protect Ohio's air and water quality along with its abundant natural resources, keep energy prices and taxes in-check, maintain a strong infrastructure, and ensure state labor policies encourage, rather than hinder, job creation. Representative Schaffer earned a Bachelor's degree in double majors Political Science and Communications from Mount Union College, where he was a starting fullback on the Ohio Athletic Conference championship soccer team. In addition to his legislative duties, Representative Schaffer has a private sector career as an association executive and has served as chairman of the Fairfield County Republican Party. Various awards and honors include Watchdog of the Treasury, NFIB Guardian of Small Business, Champion of the Ohio Quarter Horse Congress, Friend of Philanthropy, Ohio Development Association Distinguished Service Award, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation s Friend of Agriculture Award, National Federation of the Blind Distinguished Service Award, MS Society of America Advocate of the Year, Business First 40 under 40 and the Fairfield County Republican Party Statesmanship Award. Representative Schaffer and his wife, Lori, reside in Lancaster.
Biographical Information State Representative Jack Cera, Ohio House of Representatives 77 South High Street, 10 th Floor, 10th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-3735 Rep96@ohiohouse.gov Representative Jack Cera represents House District 96 which encompasses all of Jefferson and Monroe Counties and part of Belmont County. He first served in the legislature from 1983-1996. He returned to the legislature in 2012 and recently served as the Assistant Minority Whip in the 131st General Assembly. Currently, he is the Ranking Member on the House Finance and Appropriations Committee. He also serves on the House Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ways and Means Committees. Additionally, he is a member on the State Controlling Board, a legislative panel tasked with oversight of state spending. He also is serving on the Bipartisan Congressional Redistricting Work Group Panel. Representative Cera is a 1974 graduate of Bellaire High School where he excelled in the classroom and on the football field. His 97-yard interception return for a touchdown was a school record for over 20 years. He was recruited to play football at Brown University, but his playing days ended after one year due to injury. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brown in 1978. Representative Cera is married to his wife of 30 years, Becky. They have two daughters: Jaclyn, a graduate of Waynesburg University with both a Bachelor s Degree and a Master s Degree; and Bethany, a student at the University of Charleston and member on the softball team. Recently, a son-in-law was added to the fold when his eldest daughter Jaclyn married USAF Captain Brent Yocum, a young man from Smithfield, Ohio. They currently reside in Texas. Representative Cera serves as a strong voice for his district and promises to be an advocate for economic development, local governments, education, health care, and Ohio s working families and the elderly. As the Marcellus and Utica gas drilling activities continue throughout the district, Rep. Cera will continue efforts to maximize the economic benefit while protecting the local infrastructure, property rights, and environment. Previously, Rep. Cera worked with local officials on many water, sewer and road projects and will continue to advocate for the need to improve the district s infrastructure. Rep. Cera was instrumental in starting the Roadwork Development Fund which directed gas tax funding to economic development for the first time and for the expansion of the flood warning system following the deadly floods of 1990. Representative Cera carries on the tradition of maintaining an open door policy during work hours at his Columbus office, and allocates Mondays, Fridays and evenings for meetings in the district.