The Executive Sponsor is not a board member, and does not participate in day-to-day operations or decision-making roles; however he/she is expected to be active in the organization and serve as an advisor to the ERG leadership.
Executive Sponsor
James (Jim) Clifford is the Director of the Customer Account Services (CAS) organization in the Wage and Investment (W&I) Division. The W&I Division is the largest single entity in IRS and serves as the cornerstone of IRS filing season operations, employing nearly 35,000 individuals in 25 customer contact centers nationwide during the peak filing season. CAS accomplishes its mission through four key operations – Submission Processing, Accounts Management, the Joint Operations Center, and Electronic Products and Services Support.
Prior to this assignment, Jim served as the Director, Accounts Management in the W&I Division. In this role, Jim was responsible for an organization of over 17,000 employees providing America’s taxpayers tax law and account-related assistance via telephone, correspondence, and web from 10 campuses, 15 remote call sites, and headquarters locations, nationwide.
Previously, Jim served as the Director, Compliance in the W&I Division. He led an organization of approximately 6,000 employees resolving delinquent returns, unpaid balances, unreported income, and examinations.
A native of Boston, Jim began his Internal Revenue Service (IRS) career in 1991 as a Revenue Officer in Brockton, MA. Jim was a member of the Executive Readiness Class of 2005 and the December 2007 Candidate Development Program. Following graduation, he was appointed the Field Director, Compliance Services in Austin, TX. In May 2011, Jim accepted the position of Director, Reporting Compliance, and provided strategic direction and oversight for all W&I Exam, AUR, and Innocent Spouse programs.
Jim is passionate about supporting our military veterans. He is one of the founding members of the Military Outreach for Service-IRS (MOS-IRS) employee organization. He also led the effort to bring the Warrior Internship Program (WIP) to the IRS.
Jim is a graduate of Boston College, Boston Massachusetts, with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Sciences degrees in Economics and English. He has also pursued studies in Law and Accounting. He and his wife, Gail, have three beautiful children, John, Emma, and Michael.