Melanie Krause, the current Internal Revenue Service (IRS) chief operating officer, recently was named acting IRS commissioner, effective Friday. Krause will replace Acting Commissioner Doug O’Donnell who is retiring.
“On behalf of the Treasury Department, I want to thank Doug O’Donnell for his decades of public service and dedication to the nation’s taxpayers,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said. “He has been a remarkable public servant, and I wish him the best in retirement. At the same time, Melanie Krause and the agency’s leadership team are well positioned to serve during this critical period for the nation in advance of the April tax deadline.”
Krause became COO in April 2024 and oversaw operations for several departments including the Office of Chief Procurement, the Chief Risk Office and Facilities Management and Security Services. She began working with the IRS in 2021 as the chief data and analytics officer. She also has served as acting deputy commissioner for services and enforcement from November 2022 to March 2023 and as deputy commissioner of operations from January 2024 to April 2024.
In addition, Krause worked in the federal oversight community for 12 years.
O’Donnell worked at the IRS for more than 38 years in a variety of roles.