Invited
Edward Killen
J.D.
Commissioner, Tax Exempt & Government Entities (TE/GE)
Internal Revenue Service
Edward Killen is the Deputy Commissioner of the Tax Exempt & Government Entities (TE/GE) business operating division, where he is responsible for administering the tax laws governing employee retirement plans, tax-exempt organizations, tax-exempt bonds, Indian tribal governments, and federal, state and local governments. Prior to assuming the TE/GE Deputy Commissioner role in October 2019, Edward served as the IRS Chief Privacy Officer, leading Privacy, Governmental Liaison and Disclosure (PGLD). In this role, Edward was responsible for managing a multi-faceted privacy program and ensuring compliance with the Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Federal Records Act, and Internal Revenue Code 6103. In this role, Edward represented the IRS's interests in multiple aspects including privacy compliance, records management, information protection, disclosure, data sharing, and combating identity theft. Edward previously served as the Director, Governmental Liaison, Disclosure and Safeguards in PGLD, where he provided oversight of the policies and procedures regarding access to and disclosures of Federal Tax Information (FTI) under IRC Section 6103. This encompassed responsibility over: IRS compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), data exchanges with federal, state and local government agencies, and safeguarding FTI in the custody of those exchange partners. Edward also served in other leadership positions, including the Director, Office of Safeguards within PGLD, and Senior Advisor to the IRS Deputy Commissioner of Operations Support, to whom he provided authoritative counsel and advice. Prior to that, he was on a long-term assignment to the IRS Services and Enforcement Affordable Care Act Program Office, where he played a key role in the initial scoping of IRS's responsibilities under the act. Previously, he was Chief of the Enterprise Continuous Monitoring Branch of the W&I Security Program Management Office. Edward began his federal service career as a Presidential Management Fellow, with an initial appointment to the Social Security Administration Office of Hearings and Appeals. In 2003, he transferred his appointment and joined the IRS as a policy analyst within W&I Strategy and Finance. He led the development of the W&I business plan and was part of a small group that stood up the initial Identity Theft program office within IRS. His numerous and diverse detail assignments across IRS, include assignments within IRS Counsel's office, the 2008 Economic Stimulus Program, and the Internet Strategy team. Edward has a Master's Certificate in project management from the George Washington University School of Business, a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Valdosta State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He's a member of the Florida Bar Association and the United States Tax Court.