J. Mark Iwry, Former Treasury Department Official, Joins Brookings

J. Mark Iwry, who was the Benefits Tax Counsel at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1995 to 2001, has joined the Brookings Institution as a nonresident senior fellow in the Economic
Studies program.

“We’re very pleased that Mark’s joining us, especially as the debate over federal tax policy intensifies on Capitol Hill, the importance of America’s private pension system becomes increasingly evident, and corporate pension plans come under greater scrutiny,” said Robert Litan, vice president and director of the Economic Studies program at Brookings.

At Brookings, Iwry will collaborate with William Gale and Peter Orszag on a project based on
retirement savings.

During his time at the Treasury Department, Iwry advised Treasury Secretaries Robert E. Rubin and Lawrence H. Summers on retirement savings and other employee benefits policy and was the principal executive branch official responsible for tax policy and regulation relating to the nation’s tax-qualified pension and 401(k) plans and other employee benefits.

Iwry represented the Treasury Department and the executive branch in testimony before various congressional committees regarding policy and legal issues relating to pensions, health care, and other employee benefits. He received the Secretary of the Treasury’s Exceptional Service Award as well as a special IRS award that cited him for his contributions to the U.S. tax system.

During his time in government, Iwry was widely recognized for his work with the business, financial, professional, and nonprofit communities to expand coverage while simplifying and rationalizing the laws and regulations governing pensions and benefits. He has regularly advised members of Congress and their staffs on both sides of the aisle as well as congressional committees.

Before joining the government, Iwry was a partner in the law firm of Covington & Burling, specializing in pensions, executive compensation, health care, and other employee benefits. He has been an adjunct professor at George Washington University National Law Center, chair of the D.C. Bar Employee Benefits Committee, a member of the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform, and a member and former staff director of the bipartisan Presidential Transition Study Group at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Iwry is an honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Among other publications, he is a co-author of The 401(k) Handbook (Thompson Publishing, 1991) and has lectured widely on pension and employee benefits issues.