IRS Chief To Red Cross

Now that tax season is officially over, it looks like IRS Commissioner Mark Everson has found something new to do with his time. The New York Times reports that the American Red Cross is set to announce today that Everson has been named its new chief executive. Everson has been a key player in the Bush administration's management reform efforts. He started as controller at the Office of Management and Budget at the beginning of President Bush's first term before being named deputy director for management at OMB in 2002. Among other efforts, led OMB's initiative to create a traffic light-style score card rating the performance of federal agencies. Everson took the top job at the IRS, which carries a five-year term, in May 2003.

Update, 4:50 p.m.: The Red Cross has put out a statement on Everson's hiring. And here's the text of his message to IRS employees:

E-Mail to All Employees from Commissioner Everson

Subject: A Personal Message

I am writing to share with you the news that I will be leaving the Internal Revenue Service in coming weeks to become the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross. I look forward to continuing my career in public service in this new and exciting role.

I look back over the last four years with great pride and satisfaction. Together, we have rebalanced the organization, bringing to life the equation: Service + Enforcement = Compliance. This has been no small feat, and I thank all of you for doing your part to restore credibility to our enforcement programs while continuing to improve taxpayer service over this period. We have also made significant strides in modernizing the IRS.

Building on the work of Commissioner Rossotti, this has been a successful phase in the IRS’s history. I believe the agency is poised to continue progress on a variety of fronts. I have faith in the strong leadership of the IRS; my confidence extends to you, the employees, who have demonstrated tremendous dedication and hard work.

It has been a singular honor to lead this organization; I will always regard being Commissioner of Internal Revenue as a highlight of my career. I wish you and your families all the best.

Mark W. Everson