Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ("DEI") Committee

The mission of the DEI Committee is to develop a comprehensive plan that instills mindfulness regarding all aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion, and actively promotes those values through the resources and endeavors of the College and Foundation.

 

Resources

Click Here for the Summary of Working Principles for Admission of New Fellows

View Other DEI Resources (Fellows must be logged in to view this content. If you need your user name and password, email Jenny Cudahy at jcudahy@amercol.org)

Contact us for general information regarding the College's DEI mission and initiatives by email to our co-chairs:
Hon. Erithe A. Smith (erithe_smith@cacb.uscourts.gov)
Paul E. Harner (peharner@outlook.com)

Contact us for technical information, corrections, or other questions about this website by email to Jenny Cudahy (jcudahy@amercol.org).

Paul E. Harner (Co-Chair)New York, NY

Joan N. Feeney (Co-Chair)Boston, MA

Nina M. Parker (1st Circuit Admissions Council Member)Winchester, MA

M. Benjamin Jones (2nd Circuit Admissions Council Member)New York, NY

Karen A. Giannelli (3rd Circuit Admissions Council Member; Communications Subcommittee)Newark, NJ

Paula S. Beran (4th Circuit Admissions Council Member; External Subcommittee)Richmond, VA

Omar J. Alaniz (5th Circuit Admissions Council Member; Communications Subcommittee Co-Chair)Dallas, TX

Richardo I. Kilpatrick (6th Circuit Admissions Council Member; Internal Subcommittee)Auburn Hills, MI

Catherine Steege (7th Circuit Admissions Council Member; Internal Subcommittee)Chicago, IL

Kristina M. Stanger (8th Circuit Admissions Council Member; Communications Subcommittee)Des Moines, IA

Jane Kim (9th Circuit Admissions Council Member; External Subcommittee)San Francisco, CA

David R. Payne (10th Circuit Admissions Council Member; External Subcommittee)Oklahoma City, OK

Leyza Florin (11th Circuit Admissions Council Member; External Subcommittee)Miami, FL

Sheri A. Bluebond (At-Large Member; Communications Subcommittee Co-Chair)Los Angeles, CA

J. Scott Bovitz (At-Large Member; Communications Subcommittee)Los Angeles, CA

Rozanne M. Giunta (At Large Member; Internal Subcommittee)Midland, MI

Paul Hage (At-Large Member; Communications Subcommittee; Reporter)Detroit, MI

Peggy Hunt (At-Large Member; Internal Subcommittee)Salt Lake City , UT

Enrique S. Lamoutte-Inclan (At-Large Member: Communications Subcommittee)San Juan, PR

Laurel Myerson Isicoff (At-Large Member)Miami, FL

Demetra Liggins (At-Large Member; External Subcommittee)Houston, TX

Daniel S. Opperman (At-Large Member; Internal Subcommittee)Bay City, MI

John A.E. Pottow (At-Large Member; Internal Subcommittee)Ann Arbor, MI

Erithe A. Smith (At-Large Member, External Subcommittee)Santa Ana, CA

Kathy A. Surratt-States (At-Large Member; External Subcommittee)St. Louis, MO

Deborah Lee Thorne (At-Large Member; External Subcommittee)Chicago, IL

Maureen A. Tighe (At-Large Member; External Subcommittee)Woodland Hills, CA

Sharon Zemel Weiss (At-Large Member, External Subcommittee)Santa Monica, CA

Internal Subcommittee
 

The mission of the Internal Subcommittee is to make recommendations to the DEI Committee that incorporate the diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives of the College in relation to its corporate governance, infrastructure, and values.   The particular goals assigned to the Internal Subcommittee are to develop and implement: working principles of inclusion and equity to supplement the procedures of the Circuit Admissions Councils, Judicial Nominating Committee, Nominating Committee, Board of Directors, and Committee Chairs in making their appointments to promote and identify nominees of diverse backgrounds to be Fellows, officers, directors, and committee chairs as leaders of the College;  trainings and educational programs in the College’s DEI policy for all Fellows, in particular directors, officers,  members of the board of directors and board of regents, committee chairs, members of the Circuit Admissions Councils, and Freshmen Fellows;  to assist in the development and continuation of the Freshmen Fellows Program; and to review and make recommendations for Bylaws changes to implement any of the DEI Committee’s recommendations.

Rozanne Giunta, Chair (rgiunta@wnj.com)

External Subcommittee

The External Subcommittee makes recommendations to the Committee regarding the development and support of “pipeline” programs that advance the College’s DEI objectives in the greater bankruptcy/insolvency community; reviews and makes recommendations specifically designed to assist CACs in creating pathways to excellence for diverse bankruptcy/insolvency professionals; and monitors the DEI activities of other like organizations such as ABI, NCBJ, IWIRC, and the newly formed Bankruptcy Consortium Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinating Committee.

Jane Kim, Chair (jkim@kbkllp.com)

Communication Subcommittee

The Communications Subcommittee reviews and makes recommendations with respect to all communications relating to the DEI Committee’s objectives, programs, projects, as well as content on the DEI page of the College’s website and relevant social media.  This Subcommittee also assists and supports the Internal and External Subcommittees in the planning and implementation of College sponsored DEI programs.

Omar Alaniz, Co-Chair (oalaniz@reedsmith.com)
Hon. Sheri A. Bluebond, Co-Chair  (sheri_bluebond@cacb.uscourts.gov)



Professional Pipeline Grants from the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation

The Pro Bono and Grants Committee of the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation expanded its role in 2023 to fund grants supporting initiatives to promote diversity in the insolvency industry. 

In 2024, the Foundation and the DEI Committee awarded $56,000 in grants to six grantees in five states. Click here for the list of Professional Pipeline grants awarded in 2024.

Grants 

ACB Scholars

ACB Scholars

The American College of Bankruptcy partners with Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization (JTB) to provide stipends to six law students participating in JTB’s Summer Judicial Internship Project (Project). The Project, a collaboration between JTB and the Judicial Resources Committee of the United States Judicial Conference, provides highly qualified law students, from socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds underrepresented in the legal profession, with summer judicial internships in the chambers of federal appellate, district, bankruptcy, and magistrate judges, as well as select state appellate judges

These "ACB Scholars" will be introduced at the Fall All-Fellows meeting. Click here to see the impact this program has had on the lives of one of our scholars.

2022 ACB Scholars      
Cameron Love: Emory Law School
Brian Lozano: City University of New York School of Law
Yuree Nam: Syracuse University College of Law
Myoungin Isaac Oh: Washington University School of Law
Sequra Washington: Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad College of Law
Deiona Camargo: University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law

2023 ACB Scholars
Tanner Bowen: Harvard Law School
Hans Brownstein: University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
Vasily (Vas)Levin: University of Florida School of Law
Joseph Ulloa: University of North Texas Dallas College of Law
Kemberly Viveros: Temple University Beasley School of Law
Qingqing (Kris) Zhang: Drexel University Thomas Kline School of Law 

2024 ACB Scholars
Joshua Bedoya: George Washington University Law School
Marianna Gonzalez: Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad College of Law
Darwin Perry: Howard University School of Law
Victoria AndersonL University of Arizona
Yanan Tang: University of Minnesota
Hongmei Hu:University of Illinois College of Law

Meet the 2024 Scholars!

Howard Dreams

DREAMS

On November 6th, 2024, the College, in collaboration with the ABI, presented the second annual Discovering Restructuring Expertise and Mentorship Symposium (DREAMS) program at the Howard University School of Law. The program informed students from at least five different law schools about careers in the insolvency field. It also provided scholarly analysis on cutting-edge and provocative bankruptcy issues as well as a platform for frank discussion on ways our profession can better focus on mentorship and sponsorship.  For many students, this event provided the first glimpse of our insolvency profession. Click the button below for more details.

Howard DREAMS

Diversity in Restructuring & Insolvency Volunteer Effectiveness

MENTORSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS:
D.R.I.V.E.

In 2023, the College implemented a Diversity in Restructuring & Insolvency Volunteer Effectiveness (DRIVE) program designed to create a professional development network with/for diverse, mid-level professionals in the insolvency arena. . The program is designed to facilitate interaction between Fellows and diverse, mid-level professionals in a manner that encourages dialogue about enhancing one’s career in the insolvency arena, and all Fellows will be given the opportunity to pledge to participate in the program and connect with mid-level bankruptcy and insolvency professionals.  At the All Fellows Luncheon in 2023 over 90 ACB Fellows pledged to participate in DRIVE (over 100 Fellows are now in the program).  Click here start your DRIVE with us.

DRIVE Video 

Someone Believed Me

Someone Believed in Me

Many of our Fellows have inspiring stories to tell about how their journey to a career in bankruptcy was inspired or encouraged by someone who believed in them. View the video, linked below, for inspiration on how you may inspire and encourage the next generation of insolvency professionals.

Someone Believed in Me

The DEI Excellence Award

The DEI Excellence Award

At its September 2024 meetings in Seattle, Washington, the College presented its annual DEI Excellence Award to the City Bar Justice Center (Justice Center), a pro bono legal services adjunct of the Bar Association of the City of New York.

The Justice Center is engaged in myriad bankruptcy-related DEI initiatives, including the provision of pro bono legal services to a number of diverse constituencies participating in the bankruptcy system, as well as a major new DEI educational program for bankruptcy professionals practicing at New York-area firms.  In its award citation, the College and its Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion noted in particular the multi-dimensional nature of the Justice Center’s efforts and its DEI advocacy in our industry.  Likewise, the DEI Committee emphasized that the Justice Center’s leadership, which includes representatives from virtually every major law firm in New York, has been steadfastly diligent  in the face of recent DEI “pushback” in the larger political environment.

The College and the DEI Committee believe not only that Justice Center is a more than worthy recipient of the DEI Excellence Award, but that it has adopted and is pursuing a model program.

DEI Awards

New York Women's Initiative

Focus on Gender: New York Women's Initiative

The DEI Committee partnered with the New York Women's Initiative and the University of California’s Equality Action Center to conduct a wide-scale survey with member firms to examine how bias based on race and gender play out in bankruptcy and restructuring workplaces. These results were presented at an "Interrupting Gender Bias in the Restructuring Industry" event on November 14, 2024 at Kirkland & Ellis in New York. Click here for more details.

IDEA Consortium

The DEI Committee is a member of the Bankruptcy Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility Consortium, which comprises about a dozen insolvency organizations. The Consortium acts as a repository of resources relevant to the member organizations’ efforts to promote and foster diversity in the insolvency community.

 IDEA Consortium

NCBJ Blackshear Presidential Fellows

The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges sponsors fellowships to enable up and coming diverse bankruptcy attorneys to attend its annual conference.  For additional information and nomination/application procedures, please click the button below. Click here for more details

Paris Olympics 2024

DEI Initiatives Raise Standards

Gymnastics reached new heights (literally) with Simone Biles. Dr. Arin Reeves explains the role that DEI initiatives played in setting higher standards at the Paris Olympics in this must-read article.

(Shared with permission by Nextions)

Click here to read

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