J. Richard Harvey

Distinguished Professor of Practice

Biography

Since August 2010, Dick Harvey has been the distinguished professor of practice at Villanova Law in the Graduate Tax Program. He also has over 40 years of multifaceted tax experience including: (i) senior government official in the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service during the Reagan, George W. Bush and Obama administrations; (ii) tax partner and leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ U.S. Banking and Capital Markets Tax Practice (retired); and (iii) professor at both Bucknell University and The College of New Jersey.   

Immediately prior to joining the Villanova faculty, Harvey was the senior advisor to the IRS Commissioner advising on tax administration and policy issues. He was a liaison with the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Tax Policy, Congressional staff and the Department of Justice, and also coordinated efforts among various IRS groups including the Chief Counsel’s Office and LB&I (formerly LMSB). He was significantly involved in a wide range of issues including highly publicized IRS efforts to address off-shore tax evasion and increase transparency by business taxpayers.

In his role at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Harvey provided CEOs, CFOs and tax directors of the largest multi-national financial institutions with guidance and counsel regarding the leading tax and accounting issues. He is a nationally recognized expert in the financial accounting for income taxes (e.g., FAS 109, FIN 48, and IFRS). In addition, Harvey provided extensive tax consulting advice to companies around the world on various technical tax issues.

From 1986 to 1988, Harvey was the senior accountant in the U.S. Treasury Department, Office of Tax Policy, and participated extensively in the negotiation and implementation of the 1986 Tax Reform Act.  He is a frequent speaker, including major speeches to the Canadian Tax Foundation, Multistate Tax Commission, American Bar Association, Tax Executive Institute, Wall Street Tax Association and Institute for International Bankers. 

Harvey has also testified before Congress on the international tax planning done by Apple, Inc. and other multinational companies. An expert in offshore tax operations by US multinational corporations, Harvey appeared as a witness at the invitation of Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In addition to Harvey, witnesses included Timothy D. Cook (Chief Executive Officer, Apple, Inc.) and senior U.S. Treasury officials. View a 4-minute highlight of his testimony or read his written testimony. 

Practice Experience

• Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the IRS
• Tax Partner and Leader of PwC's Banking and Capital Markets Tax Practice
• Senior Accountant, U.S. Treasury Department Office of Tax Policy
• Joined the faculty in 2010