Chair Time

Chair Time
An interview with Leon Metzger, chair of the Taxation of Financial Institutions and Products Committee

Leon Metzger, chair of the Taxation of Financial Institutions and Products Committee since 2001, has seen his committee grow from a handful of people to a group of over 40 skilled professionals. He attributes his success more to chance than to having a set plan, but with lots of determination and a goal to succeed, there’s more to his committee than Lady Luck.

In August 2001, Metzger was short one CPE credit, which led him to attend a CPE session at a Real Estate Committee meeting. Not only did this fulfill his 40-credit quota, but it inspired him to organize the same types of committee meetings on topics of interest for full rooms of participants.

Metzger decided he was going to “clone the Real Estate Committee.” And so the Taxation of Financial Institutions and Products Committee was born.

“I want to give to others what I didn’t have,” Metzger said about the opportunities his committee offers.

What started out as simply going around the room having members introduce themselves, grew to delegating assignments, discussing current events and holding successful conferences, all bolstered by high attendance and participation at meetings and on proposals.

Not only does Metzger’s committee have technical speakers at its meetings, it also holds virtual meetings, in which committee members share current developments by e-mail and conference calls.

When asked what he got out of serving as a committee chair, he responded that what’s important is what the members get out of participating in his committee.

Metzger, whose term as committee chair ends in May, looks forward to taking on a role in a new committee, a spin-off of the existing Taxation of Financial Institutions and Products Committee, intended to deal with nontax issues in the field. The proposed committee will focus on the accounting and regulatory aspects of financial products.

Metzger thanks Don Kiamie, then chair of the Real Estate Committee, for his inspiration and continued success.

Steven Kaplan, who is currently the Taxation of Financial Institutions and Products Committee’s vice chair, will take over for Metzger in the next fiscal year, beginning June 1. Because Kaplan currently chairs one out of every three committee meetings, while Metzger critiques, Metzger is sure the committee will continue to thrive under Kaplan’s lead.

Whether you chalk it up to luck or goal-driven determination, Metzger has succeeded in his mission: “…to focus the committee on what is good public policy rather than putting clients and industry first.”