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The International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), the premier international, networking and professional growth organization for women in the restructuring and insolvency industries, is pleased to announce the 2026 finalists for its Annual Rising Star Award.
The five finalists are:
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Joanna Caytas
Joanna Diane Caytas is an attorney in the Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors' Rights section at Porter Hedges LLP in Houston, Texas, where her practice covers debtor and creditor representations in complex chapter 11 and chapter 15 cases across crypto, energy, and commercial real estate. She has published on digital asset regulation, served as the only U.S. IWIRC delegate to the UNCITRAL colloquium on digital assets at the UN, and had her blockchain research cited by the European Parliament. Joanna chairs the IWIRC Houston Network, co-chairs the ABI Commercial and Regulatory Law Committee, and sits on several IWIRC and bar committees. She was named a 2026 NCBJ NextGen participant, an LCLD Pathfinder, and a Houston Bar Foundation Fellow, and has been a Texas Bar College member since 2022.
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Fernanda Drugowich
Fernanda Drugowich is a partner at Galdino, Takemi, Ayoub, Salgueiro, Rezende de Almeida, Costa, Faria Advogados, holding a law degree from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas and a postgraduate certificate in Insolvency and Restructuring from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná. She also attended the Commercial Law Postgraduate Program at Universidade de São Paulo as a specially selected student. She has authored and co-authored several books and legal papers and has represented creditors, debtors, investors, and shareholders in some of the most notable domestic and cross-border restructuring and litigation cases in recent years. Since late 2024, she has served on IWIRC's Programs and UNCITRAL Committees. She is also an active member of INSOL International and TMA.
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Alexandria Rahn
Alex is a financial restructuring and bankruptcy attorney in Thompson Coburn LLP's Dallas office, representing clients in Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 proceedings and complex commercial disputes, with experience spanning debtors, trustees, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, equity holders, and asset purchasers, alongside an active litigation practice in bankruptcy appeals and D&O matters. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the IWIRC DFW Network after chairing it in 2025. A central focus of her IWIRC involvement has been on creating meaningful ways for women to connect with the restructuring community. She has developed creative initiatives such as a high tea with TMA NOW, a guacamole-making competition with Northern District of Texas bankruptcy judges, and a "Jeopardy! Bankruptcy Edition" panel for the Dallas Bar Association, reflecting her commitment to mentorship and visibility for women entering the field.
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Elizabeth Rogers
Liz is an associate at Landis Rath & Cobb LLP in Delaware, with broad experience in commercial insolvency matters advising debtors, creditors, and stakeholders in U.S. and foreign bankruptcy proceedings. Before entering private practice, she clerked for the Hon. Guy R. Humphrey on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Liz currently serves on the Executive Board of the IWIRC Delaware Network as Events Co-Chair and on the IWIRC Member Services Committee. Liz is passionate about cross-border engagement and connecting IWIRC members around the globe. One highlight of her time on the Delaware Board was working with the IWIRC Ontario Network to host an international dialogue featuring U.S. and Canadian insolvency jurists.
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Tirzah Roussell
Tirzah R. Roussell is an Associate at Clark Hill, based in the firm’s Phoenix office while working remotely from Iowa. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, insolvency, and creditors' rights across Chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13 for clients in healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and other industries. She is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® (2027) and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® (2026) for her practice areas. Within IWIRC's Midwest Network, she has served as Events Chair since 2022—building the Annual Spa Event and launching a Judges Luncheon series—and as Vice Chair since 2025, helping to add 13 new members and representing the Network at the 2026 IWIRC Flagship Conference in Dublin. She also serves on IWIRC's National Communications Committee, co-leads membership efforts for ABI's Emerging Leaders Committee, and sits on the board of Bankruptcy Solutions Inc. She clerked for Chief Judge Thad J. Collins in the Northern District of Iowa and holds a J.D. from Drake University Law School.
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The IWIRC Rising Star Award is bestowed upon an IWIRC member with 8 or less years of experience in her respective field who has displayed a high-level of commitment to advancing IWIRC's mission-enhancing the professional status of women in the insolvency and restructuring profession-at the local, national and/or international levels.
The finalists were chosen from a talented group of nominees submitted from IWIRC networks around the world that include attorneys, bankers, turnaround advisors, claims & noticing agents and other restructuring industry consultants & professionals actively engaged in the restructuring industry.
The Rising Star Award will be awarded during IWIRC @ NCBJ in San Diego, California on the morning of October 7.
Please join us in congratulating all of our 2026 Rising Star Finalists.
| | About International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC): IWIRC is committed to the connection, promotion, and growth of women in insolvency and restructuring professions worldwide. Since 1993, IWIRC has been connecting women worldwide through a global membership of more than 2,500 attorneys, bankers, corporate-turnaround professionals, financial advisors, and other restructuring practitioners. The organization provides its members with relationship-building, educational, career enhancement, and promotional opportunities. Be Inspired. Be Informed. Be Connected. For more information, visit us at www.iwirc.com. | | | | |
