PwC Appoints Maureen Pechacek as Minnesota State and Local Tax Leader

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC US today announced the appointment of Maureen Pechacek as the State and Local Tax (SALT) leader for the firm's Minnesota market, effective immediately.

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Pechacek rejoins the Minneapolis office from San Diego, California where she worked as a partner in PwC's national tax practice, focusing on state tax matters, leading teams across the country to provide services to some of the firm's largest multinational clients. A native of Minneapolis, Maureen returns to the region where she started her tax career nearly three decades ago.

"Maureen is a seasoned tax professional who brings a wide breadth of experience that includes helping multinational companies solve complex tax, business and accounting issues," said Jeff Bjustrom, PwC's Minneapolis Tax leader. "Her addition to the Minnesota market indicates the continued expansion of our tax practice and the firm's commitment to advancing valuable talent in an effort to provide extraordinary service to our growing roster of clients. Maureen returns to our market with a proven track record, and I am confident that her strong leadership skills will be an asset to our robust tax practice."

As the new Minneapolis SALT Leader, Pechacek will oversee a team dedicated to helping clients manage state and local tax requirements. In addition, Pechacek and her team will assist companies by identifying state tax opportunities that are consistent with overall client business objectives and by identifying appropriate state tax opportunities that are consistent with good business practices and states' applicable tax laws and rules.

"We are excited to have Maureen rejoin Minnesota's Tax practice and look forward to working with her to continue delivering high-quality work for our clients. We welcome her back to Minneapolis and to our team," continued Bjustrom.

Pechacek brings more than 30 years of state and local tax experience with proficiencies in various multistate services such as refund reviews, tax planning, restructuring and implementation, audit and controversy assistance, ASC 740 provision analysis and compliance services. Her primary focus is on multistate income taxes, but she also possesses a broad range of skills in the franchise and net worth tax, credits and incentives, sales and use tax, and unemployment tax areas. Her clients span multiple industries, including financial services, manufacturing, utilities, and government contractors, as well as retail and services companies.

"It is an honor and privilege to be back in the Minneapolis marketplace and I am looking forward to being part of one of the fastest growing offices at PwC," said Pechacek. "I look forward to working with the market and being part of a team that delivers outstanding quality service.  It feels great to be part of the business community where I started my career and the place I've always thought of as home."

Pechacek is a nationally recognized lecturer on state and local taxation for numerous tax associations, including the Council on State Taxation, Tax Executives Institute, Institute for Professionals in Taxation, Paul J. Hartman Memorial Tax Forum, Edison Electric Institute, National Restaurant Association, New York University, Georgetown University and numerous state CPA societies.

Pechacek was honored to receive the 2010 New York University award for Outstanding Achievement in State and Local Taxation. She is currently on the Advisory Board of the Paul J. Hartman Institute, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.  In addition, Pechacek is a past member of the Council on State Taxation Executive Committee and a former adjunct professor of the M.B.T. program at the University of Minnesota. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin and a master's in business taxation from the University of Minnesota.

A lifelong advocate for women, Pechacek is a leader in PwC's Women's Networking Circle and most recently co-led  PwC's "Lean In" program for the Minneapolis office, which brought together women of all levels to discuss how to pursue their ambitions in and out of the workplace.

Prior to joining PwC, Pechacek worked at Arthur Andersen where she was hired from 3M in 1987 to establish the Twin Cities state and local tax division.  She went on to lead the firm's national SALT restructuring practice and became the first female partner in the firm's Minneapolis office in 1992. When the firm dissolved in 2002, Pechacek led a team of more than 100 SALT professionals throughout the country to join PwC's national SALT practice.

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SOURCE PwC US