John Koskinen

John A. Koskinen is the former Non-Executive Chairman of Freddie Mac from September, 2008 to December, 2011, retiring from the Board in February 2012. On December 20, 2013, Koskinen was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to head the Internal Revenue Service as Commissioner of Internal Revenue. On December 23, 2013, Koskinen was sworn in as the 48th IRS Commissioner.^[2]

Education

Koskinen graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in physics from Duke University in 1961, where he was a Member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and Phi Beta Kappa; graduated with an LLB, cum laude, (JD) from Yale University School of Law in 1964; and did post graduate work in Cambridge University, Cambridge, England from 1964 to 1965.^[3] John was later named a Significant Sig by the Sigma Chi Fraternity recognizing his remarkable professional contributions to society.

Career

Koskinen served as President of the U.S. Soccer Foundation from 2004-2008. He previously served as the Deputy Mayor of the District of Columbia, the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget, and then later President Clinton's Chair of the President's Council on Y2K, 2000 Conversion, the Year 2000 problem. He presently also serves on the boards of AES and American Capital, Ltd. On March 11, 2009, he was announced as the interim CEO at Freddie Mac. On April 23, 2009, he became the Principal Financial Officer after the death of Freddie Mac's acting CFO. In August, 2009, with the hiring of a new CEO, he returned to his position as non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Freddie Mac.

Prior to entering government service, Koskinen worked for 21 years for the Palmieri Company as Vice President, President, CEO and Chairman, working on the turnaround of large, failed enterprises such as the Penn Central Transportation Company, Levitt and Sons, the Teamsters Pension Fund and Mutual Benefit. Earlier in his career, Koskinen served as Administrative Assistant to Senator Abraham Ribicoff (D-Conn.) from 1969–73, was Legislative Assistant to Mayor John Lindsey of New York City from 1968–69, served as Assistant to the Deputy Executive Director of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (the "Kerner Commission") from 1967–68, practiced law with the firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher from 1966–67 and clerked for Judge David Bazelon, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, from 1965-66.^[4]

Koskinen also chaired the Washington, D.C. Host Committee for the 1994 World Cup and the Duke University Board of Trustees. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.^[5]

On August 1, 2013, the White House announced President Obama will nominate Koskinen as the next commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.^[6] On December 20, 2013, senators voted 56-39 for cloture on Koskinen's nomination, thereby cutting off a Republican-led filibuster of Koskinen's nomination.^[7] Senators then voted confirmed Koskinen in a 59-36 vote.^[8] On December 23, 2013, Koskinen was sworn in as the 48th IRS Commissioner.^[2]

Personal

Koskinen was born July 30, 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio. He is married to Patricia Salz and has a daughter Cheryl and a son Jeffery.^[1] He is a 1957 Graduate of Ashland High School in Ashland, Kentucky.

Koskinen Stadium at Duke University that hosts the Duke soccer and lacrosse teams was named and dedicated in 1999 in honor of the support of John and Patricia Koskinen.^[9]

References