Former Commissioners for the Department of Revenue
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Eugene Rodgers |
Charles Dorfman |
Eugene L. Cliett |
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Cheryl Weiss |
Christine Murphy |
Alfred Outlaw |
Nancy Kammerdeiner |
Keith J. Richardson
Revenue Commissioner
Keith J. Richardson has been part of Mayor Michael Nutter's management team since February of 2008 as the City of Philadelphia's Revenue Commissioner. As Commissioner, Keith J. Richardson is responsible for the direction of the revenue-generating arm of the City, managing a department with a $39.5 million budget and 537 employees that annually collects $3.9 billion of revenue billed by the Tax and Water Revenue Bureaus.
The Commissioner brings a wealth of talent to the City. He has successfully directed and managed for the State Department of Revenue, the Bureau of Compliance where he led the planning, development, coordination and evaluation of tax programs to ensure their compliance with the Commonwealth's legislation and policies. During his tenure there, the Commissioner increased revenue collections by 42% during fiscal year 2005-06. He was a key leader in the development of new legislation by which the State Department of Revenue has acquired highly effective new enforcement tools for wage garnishment and developed a clearance module to assist with all applicants for the PA Gaming Control Board. The Commissioner is a strategic thinker and developed strategic alliances and partnerships with multiple entities both inside and outside of State government.
The Commissioner has a background in matters of finance, having effectively managed financial matters in the private sector as well. His time with North Philadelphia Financial Partnership gave him broad knowledge of underwriting, portfolio management and internal controls, as well as community development.
The Commissioner has excellent credentials that enable his management skills. He graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh PA in 1988 with a BS in Business Administration. He enhanced his skills in this area by completing an MBA from Eastern University in 1999. He expanded his experience in academia by functioning as an Adjunct Professor with Eastern University and Rosemont College. He is also active with various civic and fraternal organizations.
Frank Breslin
Deputy Revenue Commissioner (Tax Revenue Bureau)
Frank Breslin was appointed as the Deputy Revenue Commissioner for the Tax Bureau on May 11, 2009. Mr. Breslin is responsible for directing the Compliance, Taxpayer Services and Information Technology Divisions. Through his career, Mr. Breslin held various leadership positions, including Compliance Operations Manager and most recently, Revenue Compliance Program Director. In these roles, he worked to implement and utilize technological advances to reduce the tax gap and increase taxpayer compliance. He brings knowledge and expertise gained from over 25 years of experience in tax compliance to this position.
Mr. Breslin is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Michelle L. Bethel
Deputy Revenue Commissioner (Water Revenue Bureau)
Michelle L. Bethel was appointed to the position of Deputy Revenue Commissioner in charge of the Water Revenue Bureau in July of 2008. She holds a B.S. degree in Accounting with a Minor in Public Relations from Kutztown University and a MBA in Human Resource Management from the University of Phoenix.
Prior to her appointment as Deputy Revenue Commissioner, Ms. Bethel worked for the PA Department of Revenue in Harrisburg for 14 years. During her tenure she worked in various positions such as Tax Account Collections Technician, Work Leader, Supervisor, PC & LAN Administrator, Research Analyst, Information Technology Manager, Collections and Customer Service Call Center Assistant Manager, Bankruptcy Division Chief, Enforcement Division Chief, and Assistant Director for Administrative Services.
Ms. Bethel has extensive knowledge with customer service, collections, and compliance issues gained through working in increasingly responsible management positions. She also is a certified customer service and diversity trainer. Ms. Bethel is a native of Harrisburg, PA and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., a Public Service Organization.
Frances Ruml Beckley
Chief Counsel
Frances Ruml Beckley joins the staff of both the Law Department's Tax Unit and the Department of Revenue as Chief Counsel. Ms. Beckley is currently the Secretary and Chair-elect of the Philadelphia Bar Association's State and Local Tax Committee.
Ms. Beckley previously worked for the Tax Unit in the Major Taxes division. She also has experience at large firms (including Drinker Biddle and Ballard Spahr) representing taxpayers in Federal, as well as State and local tax matters. Last fall she was an adjunction professor in Temple Law School's Graduate Tax Program. She has her AB from Harvard College, her JD from Yale Law School, and her LLM (Taxation) from New York University Law School. Immediately after law school she clerked for the Honorable Jose Cabranes (before his elevation from the District of Connecticut to the Second Circuit) and the Honorable Walter Stapleton (Third Circuit)
Delores U. Davis
Administrative Services Director
Delores U. Davis serves as the Administrative Services Director for the City of Philadelphia's Revenue Department. Ms. Davis' excellent leadership and management skills are utilized to manage the departmental budget, human resources, the outgoing mail center and the information technology liaison. Ms. Davis originally joined the Revenue Department in September 2008 as the Special Assistant to the Revenue Commissioner.
Prior to her appointment to the Revenue Department, Ms. Davis worked for the City of Philadelphia's Office of Human Resources for 19 years. During that time, Ms. Davis held a variety of leadership positions including her most recent role as a Strategic Staffing Program Manager. In this role, she provided programmatic leadership, managed the performance measurement process for hiring services and identified and implemented improvements to the City's hiring process.
Ms. Davis has many years of experience in pay evaluation, job design, labor relations, project management, recruitment, and employee testing and selection. She also has a passion for professional mentorship programs.
Ms. Davis received a B.A. in Business Administration with a minor in Accounting from Western Connecticut State University.
Andrea L. Mannino
Special Assistant to the Revenue Commissioner
Andrea L. Mannino serves as the Special Assistant to the Revenue Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia’s Revenue Department. Ms. Mannino is responsible for guiding the success of special departmental projects and business process initiatives.
Ms. Mannino joined the Revenue Department in April 2007 as a member of the Research Group. Ms. Mannino has extensive experience using advanced database methods in developing departmental reports and tracking department initiatives. Her in-depth knowledge of both the Tax Bureau and Water Revenue Bureau databases and reporting mechanisms will be invaluable in her new position.
Ms. Mannino has a Master’s Degree in Economics from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of New Hampshire.
Tilahun Afessa
Director of Policy, Planning, & Outreach
Mr. Tilahuan Afessa was appointed on September 20, 2010 as the new Director of Policy of the Department of Revenue. He is responsible for legislative affairs and the development and coordination of initiatives including building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders for the Revenue Department.
Mr. Afessa started his professional career in 1980 working as a Finance Assistant for the Philadelphia Urban Coalition. After a brief tenure as an adjunct lecturer teaching accounting courses at Temple University, he joined the Business Tax Audit Division of the Revenue Department in September 1984. He worked in the Tax Audit Division as an office auditor, field auditor, office audit supervisor and field audit supervisor. He joined the Technical Advisory Unit of the Revenue Department in 1995 and served as a member of the Advisory Staff until May, 2008. From May 2008 to November 2008 he served as a Manager of the Tax Audit Division of the Revenue Department. In December 2008, he transferred back to the Technical Advisory Unit and served there until his most recent promotion to Director of Policy.
In addition to membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Mr. Afessa has earned a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Temple University and a Masters of Science degree in Taxation (MST) from Philadelphia University.
Tom Wismer
Director of Accounting Operations
Effective April 11, 2012 Tom Wismer was named the Director of Accounting Operations for the Department of Revenue. He is in charge of the Electronic Government Unit and the Accounting Control and Payment Processing Divisions.
Mr. Wismer joined the Department of Revenue in 1981 right out of Drexel University after earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. He worked as an Accountant in Water Revenue until 1987 when he was appointed Accounting Supervisor of Accounting Control for Tax Revenue. In 1997 he was appointed Accounting Transaction Supervisor. In 2003 when the Real Estate Tax System was merged into the Tax system he was appointed Revenue Accounting Manager.
Mr. Wismer has been a part of the Revenue Department for over 30 years and has gained through experience a considerable amount of knowledge regarding the City of Philadelphia's Tax Operation.
Michael Isard
Research Director for Finance and Revenue
As Research Director, Mr. Isard directs and manages a Research group within the Department of Revenue. This group applies advanced database methods and technology to taxpayer information and water customer information
Mr. Isard has been an employee of the City of Philadelphia since 1989. He has worked with the Controller's Office as an Auditor and Financial Forecaster.
Mr. Isard is a licensed CPA who has attended the University of Michigan and holds a BS in Business Accounting from the State University of New York.
Paul C. Danella
Director of Taxpayer Services
Mr. Danella has nine years of service with the City of Philadelphia. He was promoted to Director of Taxpayer Services in 2007 and is responsible for the day to day operations of the customer support area of the Revenue Department. Taxpayer Services consists of seven units: Intake, Telephones, Correspondence and Research, Bill Services, Judicial Sales, Clerical Support, and Incoming Mail.
His previous positions were held within the Department of License and Inspections as a Manager, Assistant Manager and Administrative Specialist.
Mr. Danella holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Widener University and a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Penn State University.