Gabe Nugent, formerly with Barclay Damon LLP, is now serving in the role. Nugent had been serving as the university’s deputy general counsel and succeeds Daniel French as general counsel. 

French is a Barclay Damon partner and co-chair of the firm’s white collar & government investigations practice area and the higher-education practice area, Barclay Damon said in a July 28 release. French has returned to practicing law full time at the Syracuse–based law firm. 

As general counsel, Nugent will lead the Syracuse University Office of University Counsel (OUC). The OUC represents the university on all legal matters, including the provision of legal services and advice to the board of trustees, the chancellor, and all units and duly authorized representatives of the university. 

Nugent joined the Syracuse University community in 2014 as deputy general counsel. In this role, he was responsible for managing several complex issues for the school, including NCAA compliance and enforcement, Title IX, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and others, Syracuse University said in a July 27 announcement.

“The issues facing universities and colleges have grown more and more complex over the years,” Nugent said. “The Office of University Counsel is staffed with individuals who have broad experience and capacities, necessary to manage the ever-changing compliance environment and the federal and state regulations that govern higher education institutions. I have been proud to work alongside them and am thrilled to take on this leadership position.”

During his 17-year tenure at Barclay Damon, Nugent made administrative contributions that include serving alongside French as the co-chair of the white collar & government investigations practice area since 2012, as the former managing director of the firm’s Syracuse office and a member of the management committee, and as leader of the commercial litigation practice group.

“It is with great pride and sincerest congratulations that we share that Gabe will be starting this new role,” Connie Cahill, Barclay Damon’s managing partner, said in the firm’s release. “We are so thankful to have worked alongside Gabe and wish him well in this next chapter of his career.”

In the Barclay Damon announcement, Nugent acknowledged French and his time at the law firm.

“I am honored and excited to step into this role, though I certainly have big shoes to fill in the wake of Dan’s distinguished service.” Nugent said. “Although it is with great nostalgia that I depart from Barclay Damon, I know that I’m leaving the firm’s robust Higher Education Team in a very strong position to continue providing outstanding legal service to an already distinguished and growing list of higher education clients.”    

SYRACUSE — Linda Gabor, partner at Syracuse–based Grossman St. Amour CPAs PLLC, was recently appointed to the board of trustees of the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York. 

The Health Foundation is an independent private foundation that advocates for continuous improvement in health and health care for the people and communities of Western and Central New York. The board of trustees provides leadership, oversight, and strategic guidance in pursuit of the Health Foundation’s vision of a healthy Central and Western New York where racial and socioeconomic equity are prioritized and all people can reach their full potential and obtain equitable health outcomes, according to a Grossman St. Amour news release. 

Gabor has been with Grossman St. Amour since June 2007. She is a CPA in New York state and a certified fraud examiner, or CFE. She leads the firm’s audit practice, employee benefits plan practice, and peer review practice. 

Gabor’s other community service commitments include servings as advisory board member of Maureen’s Hope Foundation, and a member of 100 Women Who Care CNY. She is a graduate of Le Moyne College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics. 

“We’ve had so many questions about it recently, says Jessica LeDonne, director of policy and legislative affairs at The Bonadio Group, which offers accounting, tax, and consulting services from offices in Albany, Batavia, Buffalo, East Aurora, Rochester (HQ), Syracuse, and Utica. The questions range from “Am I eligible?” to “What do I need to do?”

IRA makes tax credits available to businesses, tax-exempt organizations, state/local/tribal governments, other entities, and individuals across an array of clean-energy projects.

They include credits for the production of clean energy and investments in clean energy, including sources such as wind, biomass, geothermal, solar, hydropower, and more. Tax credits are also available for domestic manufacturing of clean-energy components like solar panels, commercial clean vehicles, alternative-fuel vehicles, and more.

Many businesses will be able to take advantage of the investment tax credit, which includes a broad array of projects a business might undertake, such as installing solar panels or even adding electric vehicles to its fleet, as it works to reduce its carbon footprint, LeDonne says.

“If a project has already begun, it may likely qualify,” she says. Some projects may qualify for up to 30 percent of the project cost if certain conditions are met. While the base credit is 6 percent, projects that meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements may qualify for the 30 percent.

One big change that comes along with the IRA is that groups typically left out on tax credits can now take advantage of these clean-energy credits, LeDonne notes. The inclusion of a new elective or direct-pay option opens these tax credits to government entities and tax-exemption organizations that would have otherwise been left out since they do not owe federal income tax. 

“This is something new in the Inflation Reduction Act,” she says. The details of how this new system will work are still being ironed out, but the Internal Revenue Service laid out proposed steps in June and recently wrapped up a public comment period on them. LeDonne expects the IRS to release final details after reviewing the comments.

As proposed now, entities wishing to use the direct-pay option need to submit a pre-filing registration and the IRS will assign them a registration number. That number is used in subsequent filings, and entities will file a specific form to claim the tax credit.

The direction payment option treats the credit amount like a payment toward federal taxes, LeDonne says. Since those entities don’t pay federal taxes, the credit is then refunded to them just like an overpayment would be.

“All of this is proposed regulation, so it’s subject to change,” she adds. 

While it can sound complicated to apply for these tax credits, LeDonne doesn’t think it will be overly burdensome. Businesses with what they believe is a qualifying project can start getting ready now by documenting the project and keeping all project receipts.

To learn more about the Inflation Reduction Act and clean-energy tax credits, businesses should consult with their legal and accounting professionals to start, LeDonne says. They can visit the IRS website for information and updates.