De Lon Harris

Prior to joining Skadden, Mr. Harris held numerous executive positions at the IRS, starting in the IRS Independent Office of Appeals, where he led the design and implementation of the Appeals judicial approach and culture (AJAC) policy, as well as provided leadership in the resolution of tax controversy matters as director of field operations. Earlier in his career, Mr. Harris participated in a one-year fellowship with the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee.

Following his time in Appeals, Mr. Harris was first assigned as director of field operations, Mid-Atlantic for the IRS Large Business & International (LB&I) Operating Division, where he provided executive leadership for large corporate examinations, and later as assistant commissioner of LB&I, in which he led the design and implementation of numerous IRS examination programs, including the LB&I campaign program, the large corporate compliance program and the compliance assurance process. 

Most recently, Mr. Harris served as commissioner of the Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Operating Division, where he managed the administration of service and enforcement examination programs for individual and corporate income taxes, as well as employment, estate, gift and excise taxes. Additionally, he provided direction to the Bank Secrecy Act program and the Office of Promoter Investigations. Mr. Harris led the agency’s enforcement strategies for several high-profile issues, including the research credit, closely coordinating efforts with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel and all business operating divisions, as well as the Department of the Treasury, congressional offices and other stakeholders. In addition, he played a key role in the implementation of recently enacted tax legislation, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, numerous pandemic relief acts and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

During his time as an SB/SE executive, Mr. Harris helped the IRS increase its use of data and behavioral analytics and other technology resources in an effort to increase efficiency and utility of examination resources. With responsibility for a workforce of approximately 10,000 employees charged with administering tax programs affecting over 50 million businesses, Mr. Harris was a key member of the senior executive team at the IRS.