Selvi
Stanislaus
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, FRANCHISE TAX BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS, SELVI STANISLAUS has headed the
second-largest tax department in the nation. As the first wom-
an to lead California’s Franchise Tax Board, she oversees more
than 6,000 employees and roughly three-quarters of the state’s
general fund revenue.
“That’s money that goes to pay for services that all Cali-
fornians enjoy, and it’s an awesome responsibility that often
keeps me up at night,” Stanislaus says.
The lessons she learned from her family, a long line of pub-
lic servants, has fueled her passion to help others — dating
back to her childhood in Sri Lanka, when she would help her
father, an accountant, complete tax returns pro bono for mem-
bers of the community. She would grow up to attend law school
and work in the Chambers of Sri Lanka’s President’s Counsel.
In 1983, Stanislaus was caught in the middle of a violent
ethnic conflict that sparked a civil war in Sri Lanka. During the
insurgency, many of the homes on her street were burned. She
immigrated to the U.S. with her husband in 1986 to escape the
race riots. “We were drawn to the United States by the prom-
ise of freedom and opportunity,” she says. “I’m grateful for this
country and for the life we have created here.”
Once in California, she completed her juris doctorate at
Lincoln Law School of Sacramento, earning a secondary degree
in tax law from McGeorge School of Law. After working briefly
in the private sector, she joined the State as the acting assis-
tant chief counsel for the Board of Equalization’s five-member
board on California’s tax and fee programs. She was appointed
to her current position in 2006.
Stanislaus works with a nine-member executive team that
oversees the FTB’s governance structure, which includes filing,
auditing and technology. Decisions are reached by consensus
and based on the department’s best interest.
“I like to think that the structure at FTB is flat, instead of
top-down. In other words, when we all sit around the table, I
believe each person speaks with equal weight,” says Stanislaus,
adding that the strongest leaders are those who have a desire to
see others succeed. “Those are the types of individuals I want
on my leadership team.”
Her team is currently working on the second phase of a
three-phase rollout, updating FTB’s technology to function
more efficiently by expanding document imaging, eliminating
paper and re-engineering how tax returns are processed.
In 2006, Stanislaus received the IRS Commissioner’s Award
for her work in federal and state initiatives. She was also rec-
ognized as one of the nation’s Doers, Dreamers and Drivers by
Government Technology magazine in 2011.
“I’m proud to be the first woman to lead the Franchise Tax
Board, but that’s not what drives me to do the job each day,” she
says. “Instead, I’m determined to find new ways to better serve
the people of California. I never forget who I ultimately answer
to: the citizens of our state.” n
– Laurie Lauletta-Boshart
Words of Wisdom: Find your passion and then find a way to make it work for you.
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