Former IRS Acting Commissioner Werfel Joins Consulting Firm

Danny Werfel, the former acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, who stepped in last year to try to turn around the agency in the aftermath of a series of scandals, has now joined the Boston Consulting Group’s public sector practice as a director.

Werfel was brought in from the Office of Management and Budget and appointed to head the embattled agency on a temporary basis after the former acting commissioner, Steven T. Miller, stepped down amid revelations that the IRS’s Exempt Organizations unit had given extra scrutiny to applications for tax-exempt status from groups with terms such as “Tea Party,” “Patriot,” “Progressive” and “Occupy” in their names.

Other scandals involving lavish spending at some IRS conferences and video spoofs of TV series such as “Star Trek” and “Gilligan’s Island” also brought unwelcome attention at congressional hearings. After working to address some of the concerns, Werfel was replaced last December by a permanent commissioner, John Koskinen, who was also brought in from outside the agency.

During his tenure at the IRS, Werfel appointed the IRS's first chief risk officer, deployed an agency-wide risk management program, and executed a number of steps to restore public trust, including an expedited way for groups seeking tax-exempt status to temporarily self-certify themselves pending a decision by the IRS, if they agree to operate within certain limits for political and social welfare activity..

"Danny brings an exceptional track record and understanding of the challenges facing government agencies today," said Sharon Marcil, a senior partner who leads BCG's Washington, D.C.-based Public Sector practice in North America. "His ability to deliver results at the highest levels of complex government organizations and drive tangible improvements in areas of organizational and operational effectiveness will be a great asset for our clients."

Prior to the IRS, Werfel spent 16 years with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, where he provided leadership for policy and implementation in all aspects of federal financial management, eventually taking on the role of Federal Controller -- the government's chief financial officer. After that, he assumed the responsibilities of the Deputy Director for Management at OMB, where he was responsible for leading a broad array of management initiatives across government in areas such as information technology, procurement, performance management, and personnel policy.

"This is an exciting time to join BCG," Werfel said in a statement. "For more than 50 years, BCG has been at the forefront of providing innovative solutions to help clients improve their performance. BCG can help solve the most critical challenges facing our government by drawing on its decades of commercial experience to bring world-class best practices, coupled with a deep understanding of the unique challenges in the public sector."

Werfel is a fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration and formerly was a member of the IRS Oversight Board, the Government Accountability and Transparency Board, and the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board.

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