Member of the Month Program
Member of the Month September 2008 Member of the Month - Kathy D. Vosburg, EA
Devoted member, Kathy Vosburg, Chesterfield, MI, joined the NATP team in 1994. Kathy's commitment to NATP and its members has been extraordinary. In addition to serving on the Michigan Chapter Board of Directors for numerous years, she is a State Assistant Volunteer and an Education Committee member. Kathy also keeps members current on Michigan tax legislation activity by producing an e-mail update, plus has instructed several Michigan Chapter classes. Congratulations Kathy &
thank you for your dedication to NATP! Q. Please give a summary of your background in the tax industry – how you got started, if you were in another line of business before, etc. Include current tax-related activities and areas of specialization. If you have a tax business, please let us know where it is located/how many staff you employ/any other information you think is pertinent. A. I began working as a tax consultant in 1981 after having taken a leave from accounting work to be an at-home mother. After three years of motherhood, I needed a challenge and thought the seasonal work fit my career goals. After having worked for a large tax preparation company for eight years, I decided to open my own business as a sole proprietor in Chesterfield, Michigan. In 1996 I became an Enrolled Agent. I own a referral-only business and specialize in clergy and licensed in-home day care operators with more than 250 clients residing in six different states. E-file and e-mail are essential tools in my practice. Q. Please give a summary of how you found out about NATP and what benefits you find the most valuable – include any NATP activities you've participated in (Education, Mentoring, Instructing, etc.). A. At the time I decided to open my own business, I wanted to be affiliated with an organization that would provide tax support and advice so I joined NATP. I've found the classes to be very informative and practical. After taking the NATP class in preparation for the Enrolled Agent exam, I was very fortunate to pass all four parts of the exam at the same time. I serve on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Chapter of NATP, serve on the Education Committee, and produce an e-mail update on Michigan tax legislative activity for our members. I have also taught a few classes for the Michigan Chapter and volunteer as a State Assistance Volunteer. Q. What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing tax professionals today? What could NATP do to better prepare them for those challenges? A. The biggest challenges facing tax professionals today are the increasing number of "free" tax services and the increasing number of clients who are in financial difficulty. The so called "free" services have taken away some of my clients, especially those who are trying to save money in these tough economic times. However, I've also gotten new clients who have made mistakes while trying to prepare their own returns. NATP could consider marketing to taxpayers who are online searching for free tax services with links to "find a preparer" in their zip code. Q. What are your future career goals? A. I plan to continue preparing taxes until my grandchildren want to take over my business. The oldest grandchild is only four years old, so I think I'll be doing taxes for a while! Q. Did you ever have a "defining moment," an embarrassing moment, or another memorable experience related to your career in the tax industry? A. One of my tax clients is a state representative. Upon completion of his tax return, he was very unhappy with the outcome of his state return. When I explained how the state tax code applied to his situation, he decided the statute needed to be changed. He drafted a bill to change the tax law to make that particular situation more favorable to the taxpayer. Another time, I contacted my own state representative to complain about a tax law that was unfair to military reservists who rent out their homes while they are on active duty. The legislator introduced a bill to change the law and asked me to testify at the committee hearing. Q. Please share any information that you'd like about your family, hobbies, community involvement, etc. In other words, your life outside of the tax industry! A. I serve on the board of our local Compassion Pregnancy Center, am a member of the Chesterfield Township Historical Society, and am a member of Anchor Bay Rotary. I am also a Macomb County Commissioner serving in my third term as an elected official. This is election year for me, so I will be busy this fall on my re-election campaign. I am blessed to be married for 35 years to my wonderful husband, Duane, who is very supportive of my career. We are both involved in our church where I play piano/keyboard. We're very proud of our three sons and their wonderful wives and our two grandchildren. You can contact Kathy at kvosburg@sbcglobal.net
NATP's Member of the MonthDo you know someone who has been a loyal NATP member for at least three years? We want to recognize these members by featuring a biography on them in NATP's Members Only section! Do you know a member who fits this description? Maybe it is a coworker, or the person who introduced you to NATP, or maybe it's a member who recently retired from the tax profession who you feel receives some type of recognition for all those years as a tax professional. Submit as many people as you would like. You don't need to find the person with the most volunteer experience or the longest tax preparation experience. Applications are very simple to fill out. Basically, we need the name of a person and why you think they should be Member of the Month. - Click here to download the nomination form in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf).
- This is a fill-in form. Please fill it out by entering the information while you have the form open in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Save your completed form and e-mail it as an attachment to jenniferp@natptax.com (if you use Adobe Acrobat Professional)
- Or, you can print the form off and fax it to 800.747.0001
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