Deadline Extended: Submit your nominations for the 2024 awards by May 10th at midnight!
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Associate Deputy Comptroller
for Tax
for Leadership and Service
FTA Award Recipients
District of Columbia
Office of Tax and Revenue
Collection and Enforcement Director
for Leadership and Service
FTA Award Recipients
in Tax Administration Award
FTA Award Recipients
Office of Tax and Revenue
in Tax Administration Award
FTA Award Recipients
Department of Revenue Administration
in Tax Administration Award
FTA Award Recipients
in Tax Administration Award
FTA Award Recipients
Principal at Ryan (retired)
Achievement Award
FTA Award Recipients
USDOT Program Analyst (retired)
Achievement Award
FTA Award Recipients
Colorado Department of Revenue
Achievement Award
FTA Award Recipients
FTA Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
View award winners and submit nominations for the Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service Award and other recognitions
Nominate a Program of Excellence
Submit your good ideas and favorite programs throughout the year
You can update submissions as programs mature or yield new results. There is no limit on how many great ideas you can submit, or the categories (compliance, management, etc).
Please send any questions or comments to awards@taxadmin.org
Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Nominate an oustanding leader in tax administration
The Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service is a distinguished honor recognizing tax administration leaders who possess exceptional vision and innovation, commitment to open communication and continuous learning, and willingness to adapt and embrace change.
Nominees for the Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership must be a current FTA member agency employee and cannot be the agency head. To nominate an individual, an agency head should email a nomination letter to leadershipaward@taxadmin.org. In your email, list nominee’s:
- Career highlights and accomplishments
- Leadership of activities that involve other agencies or other states
Leadership award nominations are selected by the FTA Board of Trustees executive committee.
Send questions or comments to awards@taxadmin.org.
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
The Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration recognizes FTA member organizations leading the way in tax administration through projects and initiatives created to improve processes, transform systems and revolutionize how they work and deliver for the citizens they serve.
Award Videos
This video library is filled with interviews and presentations that deliver you into the fine details of these incredible projects as you meet the amazing minds who had the vision and initiative to bring them to life.
Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
The Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award was created by the FTA Tobacco Tax Section to be presented to a career government or industry employee who has dedicated their career to tobacco tax administration and enforcement.
Charles Mills was the Director of Petroleum Alcohol Tobacco Tax Unit for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance who lost his life on September 11, 2001, while helping to evacuate others out of World Trade Center Tower 2.
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
The Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 1998 to recognize Mr. Beck’s 40 years of guidance, support, encouragement, leadership, and mentoring to government and industry in the Motor Fuel Tax Administration.
FTA Award Recipients
View recent award recipients and programs of excellence in tax administration by year below. View acceptance videos
2025
2025 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Phillip Ashley
Associate Deputy Comptroller for Tax Administration, Texas Comptroller for Public Accounts
Radee Skipworth
Director, Collection and Enforcement Administration, Office of Tax and Revenue, Government of the District of Columbia
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue
Criminal Investigation Division Community Working Group for
FTA Members
NH Department of Revenue Administration
New Hampshire Timber Tax Educational Campaign: Raising
Awareness and Compliance for New Hampshire’s Timber Tax
Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
Anthony Muller
Colorado Department of Revenue
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Oscar L. Garza
Principal at Ryan (retired)
Michael Dougherty
USDOT Program Analyst (retired)
2024
2024 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Debra Conn
Washington State Department of Revenue Assistant Director of Taxpayer Account Administration
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Division
Data Analytics Automated Oil and Gas Compliance Tracker
Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Chuck Ulm
State of Maryland
Scott Bryer
State of New Hampshire
2023
2023 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Kathleen McColgan
Philadelphia Department of Revenue First Deputy Revenue Commissioner
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Washington State Department of Revenue
Leading with Data: Enterprise Recruitment and Retention
Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
Joe Noland
State of Ohio
Steve Gentry
RJ Reynolds Company
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Christy Dixon
State of Oklahoma
John Manning
State of Utah
2022
2022 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
Richard Parrot
State of California
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Tracy Halubka
State of Montana
Jim Oliver
State of Kentucky
2021
2021 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Sharonne Bonardi
Comptroller of Maryland
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Indiana Department of Revenue
Employee Engagement and Audit Conference Pandemic Response
Illinois Department of Revenue
We want to give you money! (Earned Income Tax Credit Initiative)
Washington State Department of Revenue
Managing a massive influx of city partners into Washington State’s Business Licensing Service
Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
Jerry Leonard
State of Oklahoma
Jim Oliver
State of Kentucky
Sally Staufer
State of South Dakota
2020
2020 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Kevin Milligan
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
Karey Barton
Texas Office of the Comptroller
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Indiana Department of Revenue
Privacy Training and Awareness
Indiana Department of Revenue
DORway (agency intranet)
Michigan Department of Treasury
Treasury Inclusion & Diversity Program
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
Intelligent Mail Barcode Project
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
Transformation of the License Renewal Experience
Philadelphia Department of Revenue
Government Video: the Broccoli of YouTube
Philadelphia Department of Revenue
Delivering Real Estate Tax Help to Your Doorstep
New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration
Strategic Approach to Public Outreach
Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Software Registration and Approval Process for XML Filing of Withholding and Information Returns
Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
Don Anderson
State of Idaho
2019
2019 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Diane Hardt
Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Cindy Mongold
State of Kansas
Bill Gray
Sinclair Oil
2018
2018 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Michael Chertude
Washington State Department of Revenue
Barry Conover
Utah Tax Commission
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Alabama Department of Revenue
for its Income Tax Refund Fraud Individual App
Florida Department of Revenue
for its SCORE Partnership Team program
Maryland Office of the Comptroller
for its Impact of Age Demographics on Tax Filing and Revenue solution
Washington State Department of Revenue
Managing a massive influx of city partners into Washington State’s Business Licensing Service
Illinois Department of Revenue
We want to give you money! (Earned Income Tax Credit Initiative)
Washington State Department of Revenue
Managing a massive influx of city partners into Washington State’s Business Licensing Service
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Richard Little
IRS and Deloitte
2017
2017 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Tony Mastin
Oklahoma Tax Commission
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Iowa Department of Revenue
FTA Award for Outstanding Research and Analysis
Wisconsin
FTA Award for Outstanding Technology Applications
South Dakota
FTA Award for Outstanding Technology Applications
California Franchise Tax Board
Honorable Mention
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Martin Cano
State of Texas
John Penacho
Sprague Operating Resources LLC
2016
2016 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Doreen Warren
Idaho Tax Commission
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Kentucky Department of Revenue
FTA Award for Compliance
Washington State Department of Revenue
FTA Award for Management and Organization
Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Honorable mention for their management and organization initiative
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Rosemary Cleary
State of Connecticut
Robert Bray
States of Arizona and Ohio
2015
2015 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
John Vecchiarelli
Colorado Department of Revenue
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Virginia Department of Taxation
Taxpayer Service and Education
New York State
Taxpayer Service and Education
Washington State Department of Revenue
2015 FTA Award for Training
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Carol Player
State of South Carolina
Donna Alderman
State of North Carolina
2014
2014 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Mack Gillim
Kentucky Dept. of Revenue
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Outstanding Technology Applications
New York State Department of Taxation & Finance
Outstanding Technology Applications
Washington State Department of Revenue
Outstanding Research
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Peter Steffens
State of Florida
Lou Feletto
State of California
2013
2013 Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service
Janet Shimabukuro
Washington State
Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance
Management for its enterprise-wide approach to risk management
Washington State Department of Revenue
Compliance
North Carolina Department of Revenue
Compliance Programs receive an honorable mention
Minnesota Department of Revenue
Compliance Programs receive an honorable mention
Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award
Doug Burdick
FuelQuest
Rollie Marr
State of Illinois
