Franchise Tax Board

Executive Staff Biographies

Selvi Stanislaus

Selvi Stanislaus was appointed Executive Officer of the Franchise Tax Board on January 11, 2006. Selvi is FTB's fourth executive officer and is the first woman to hold the post.

Selvi oversees the second largest tax department in the nation, with more than 6,000 employees in California and its three out-of-state offices.

After graduation from the Sri Lanka Law College as an Attorney-at-Law, Selvi worked in the private sector, and thereafter in the Chambers of Sri Lanka's President's Counsel.

After establishing herself in Sri Lanka, she and her husband chose to pursue the vast opportunities in the United States. They immigrated to California in 1986, where Selvi returned to law school, completing a J.D. with Honors and an LL.M in Tax Law. After another period in the private sector, she joined the State Board of Equalization's legal staff in 1996 to pursue her passion in tax law. In April 2005, Selvi was appointed the Acting Assistant Chief Counsel of the Tax and Fee Programs Division of the Legal Department, formulating legal policies affecting every tax and fee program in California administered by the Board, which collects nearly $53 billion annually in taxes and fees.

In her spare time Selvi is actively involved in doing pro-bono work in Northern California's large East Asian community. She is also a part-time Professor at the local Law School where she teaches Tax Law.

Lynette Iwafuchi

Lynette Iwafuchi is an assistant executive officer responsible for providing broad program and policy direction for the programs and laws administered by the FTB.

Iwafuchi began her career with FTB in 1975 as a tax auditor. She has served in a number of management roles including Public Affairs Officer, director of the Personal Income Tax Audit Bureau, Taxpayer Services Bureau, and Processing Bureau, chief of the Filing Division and assistant executive officer of the Audit Branch, and Audit, Department Oversight and Child Support Automation Branch. She continues to act as an executive sponsor of the Child Support Automation Project.

She graduated from California State University Sacramento with a degree in accounting and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1981.

Geoffrey S. Way

Geoffrey S. Way is the chief counsel for the FTB. The chief counsel provides advice and counsel to the department with respect to the department's legislative program, forms review, contract and general counsel matters, as well as the department's non-tax programs. The chief counsel oversees the Legal Division attorneys who issue legal rulings and public notices and who are responsible for the department's regulation program.

Way has worked for FTB since 1992 in a variety of technical and management assignments in the Legal Division, the Legislative Services Bureau, and the Administrative Services Division. Prior to joining Franchise Tax Board, he was engaged in private practice in Sacramento for ten years. His areas of practice expertise included business transactions, real estate, estate planning and exempt organizations. Way majored in history at Westmont College and received an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law.

Cathy Cleek

Cathy Cleek is the chief information officer for the FTB. She develops information technology policy and formulates the department's vision and strategic direction for its use of technology. She represents the department's technology interest to the State and Consumer Services Agency, the State's control agencies and other departments. She is also the project Sponsor for California Child Support Automation System and the division chief of FTB's Technology Services Division.

Cleek started her career with the FTB in 1983 as a tax auditor. Since that time she has held a variety of positions in the audit, collections, filing divisions as well as leading major technology projects for FTB. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Project Management Professional (PMP). She earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a Master's degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University.

Lisa Crowe

Lisa Crowe is the Franchise Tax Board's chief of the Administrative Services Division.

Crowe joined FTB in 1985 as a tax auditor. Since then she has held a variety of positions including supervisory duties in Franchise Tax Board's Audit Division and managerial positions in the Filing Division. In 1994 she was appointed Bureau Director and has held Division Chief roles in the Filing Division (1997 thru 2004) and Accounts Receivable Management Division (2004 thru 2007).

Crowe is a Certified Public Accountant, holds a master's degree in taxation from Hayward State University and a bachelor's degree in accounting from California State University, Chico.

Bill Jones

Bill Jones is the FTB's chief of the Accounts Receivable Management Division.

Previously, Jones worked in the Accounts Receivable Division for the last 11 years where he held numerous bureau director positions including the Field & Complex Account Collection Bureau, the Revenue Recovery Services Bureau, and the Special Programs Bureau.

Jones brings a unique blend of experience, and knowledge of FTB's collection functions to his role. His direct exposure and involvement in all aspects of debt collection further enhances his ability to lead Accounts Receivable Division for the second largest tax agency in the country.

Jones earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from CSUS and has completed graduate level coursework in Public Administration. Jones is also a graduate of the California Leadership Institute.

Debbie Langsea

Audit Division Chief Debbie Langsea directs the nationwide examination of 300,000 income tax audits of individuals and businesses. Since joining the FTB in 1980, Langsea has held a variety of assignments, including directing the e-filing activities and program development for the Electronic Processing section. She served as Audit Manager, responsible for tax audits, protests and policies for the $3.5 billion Protective Claims Program in 2005 and $1.4 billion Voluntary Compliance Initiative in 2004.

She has testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on California's efforts to combat the tax gap and tax shelters and spoken to federal, state, and local agencies, including tax groups, on tax compliance issues. Langsea received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the California State University, Sacramento, and volunteers for nonprofit organizations involving children.

Anne Miller

Anne Miller is chief of the FTB's Filing Division, responsible for filing program policy and operations, taxpayer services, and gaining compliance from nonfilers. She has held a variety of positions including director of the Audit Technology and Support Bureau and director of the Financial Management Bureau.

Miller is a licensed CPA, holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Administration with an Accounting concentration from California State University, Sacramento, and a Master's degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University.