GOVERNOR’S OFFICE NEWS RELEASE
LAS VEGAS – Today Gov. Brian Sandoval announced he has named William Chisel as director of the Nevada Department of Taxation, effective Monday, Sept. 12. Chris Nielsen, who had been serving as interim director, will return to his post as deputy director of the department.
“Bill Chisel’s experience as chief of internal audits uniquely prepares him to serve as director of the Department of Taxation,” Governor Sandoval said. “Bill has an in-depth understanding of the state’s budget, management and operations and will be able to lead the department to efficiently collect revenues owed the state, while working closely with the taxpaying businesses who comprise his new customer base. I particularly wanted accounting expertise in this leadership post, so Bill’s credential as a Certified Public Accountant played an important factor in my decision.”
“I want to thank Chris Nielsen for his outstanding work during Legislative session and over the summer,” Sandoval said. “Chris has steadily guided the state’s efforts to assist the City of North Las Vegas as they work through their financial situation, restarted the state’s mining audit program, and engaged stakeholders at every level. His background as a lawyer will be a wonderful component to Director Chisel’s experience.”
William Chisel, currently chief of the Division of Internal Audits, assisted in developing the 2012-2013 performance based budget. Chisel’s recommendations resulted in about $145 million in taxpayer benefits over the last three years and increased the significance of audit findings from $1 to $55 million per year. He has made presentations to the Executive Branch Audit Committee as well as the Board of Examiners. Chisel also developed standardized system of internal controls for the state and reduced time spent per audit by one third.
Prior to his current position, Chisel was a senior auditor at the Nevada Gaming Control Board, where he managed the Audit Division’s Northern Nevada research and development department. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Chisel is also a Certified Public Accountant.
