Nonprofit Tax Track (E2004444)

Magdalena M. Czerniawski, CPA, MBA, is a Tax Director at Marks Paneth LLP and a member of the firm’s Nonprofit, Government & Healthcare Group. With nearly 15 years of nonprofit industry experience, she provides tax services to a wide array of nonprofits, including charitable organizations, social welfare organizations, professional associations and private foundations.

In addition to providing tax planning and advisory services, Ms. Czerniawski specializes in matters related to ASC 740-10 (FIN 48), the reporting requirements that govern contributions, compensation, unrelated business taxable income, lobbying costs, and public support testing. She also represents her clients as an authorized representative before the Internal Revenue Service and various state agencies. Furthermore, Ms. Czerniawski’s experience includes serving clients with matters related to employee benefit plans, healthcare organizations and hospitals, affordable housing entities, foreign tax filings and payroll tax returns.

Prior to joining Marks Paneth, Ms. Czerniawski was a Senior Tax Manager with a national accounting firm, where she focused on tax consulting and compliance for many of their highest profile clients. She has published various articles on industry-specific tax matters and has served as a speaker for internal and external seminars.

Maria Hooke currently serves as the Director, Exempt Organizations Examinations where she provides executive oversight of the nation-wide examinations program. Prior to this assignment Maria served as the Assistant to the Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Government Entities/Shared Services in the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division (TE/GE). In this role, she provided leadership for the Government Entities Division, including Tax Exempt Bonds, Indian Tribal Governments and Federal, State & Local Governments.

Maria has also served as the acting as the Director of Tax, Forms and Publications in Wage and Investment, the acting Director of Enterprise Case Management in Small Business/Self Employed and the Director of Business Systems Planning in TE/GE. She began her IRS career in 1985 as a Revenue Agent in Miami, Florida. Maria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from St Thomas University in Miami, Florida.

Peter Lorenzetti is the Exempt Organizations Examinations Area Manager for the Northeast Area in the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division of the Internal Revenue Service.

Peter began his career in the Internal Revenue Service in June 1973, as a Tax Auditor in the Examination Division and joined the Employee Plans/Exempt Organizations Division in 1976 as an Internal Revenue Agent – Employee Plans Specialist.

Peter has held increasingly responsible positions in the Service, including Employee Plans Group Manager, Chief of the EP/EO Quality Review Staff, Senior Regional Analyst, Exempt Organizations Branch Chief and EP/EO Assistant Division Chief, prior to assuming his current position as Area Manager. Peter has had several acting assignments as the Director, EO Examinations. Peter has been an Instructor for Adelphi University in its paralegal program.

He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University.

Robert Lyons, CPA, is managing tax director in the Nonprofit and Government Services Group at Marks Paneth & Shron, LLP. Mr. Lyons brings to this role the skills he had developed during more than 30 years of providing tax and consulting services to his clients in the nonprofit, higher education, and public sector industries. His experience includes handling substantial exempt organization tax issues. Mr. Lyons has testified in front of the House and Ways Committee in Washington, D.C., establishing the current treatment of affinity royalty arrangements. He has also been involved in special projects related to unrelated business income for exempt organizations, including but not limited to state filing issues, including settlements, foreign filling requirements for off-shore activities and use of exempt bond proceeds. Mr. Lyons has advised clients on the use of for profit subsidiaries as well as disregarded entities. He has led numerous training seminars for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and served as an adjunct professor in the Kogod School of Business Graduate Department at American University in Washington, DC. He has also authored six books and forty articles to date concerning exempt organization issues. Prior to joining Marks Paneth & Shron, Mr. Lyons was the tax managing director with KPMG, LLP, where he focused on tax and compliance issues for many of their largest clients, including public charities, private foundations, colleges and universities, social services and membership organizations, and cultural institutions. He is licensed to practice in New York State, Florida, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Mr. Lyons holds a B.S.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Florida and a Masters of Science in taxation from American University.