FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 – The American College of Bankruptcy is pleased to announce that its 2025 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Excellence Award will be presented to Attorney John W. Kozyak of Miami, Florida. The annual award, established by the College in 2022, recognizes "demonstrated extraordinary commitment to and achievements realized in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.” The College’s Board of Directors selected Mr. Kozyak for the 2025 award unanimously, on the likewise unanimous recommendation of its Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Recognizing a Lifetime of Dedication to Inclusion

The selection of Mr. Kozyak as the recipient of the 2025 award honors decades of tireless commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. A founding partner of Kozyak, Tropin & Throckmorton in Miami, Florida, Mr. Kozyak has long been recognized for his steadfast advancement of, and advocacy for, underrepresented communities. 

In its citation of Mr. Kozyak, the College’s Board of Directors emphasized that, throughout his career, he has actively sought to elevate the voices of individuals who traditionally have been marginalized. He is known especially for his tireless mentorship of young lawyers, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, and for fostering a culture of inclusion at every level of his law practice and throughout the bankruptcy community.

In 2010, Mr. Kozyak and his law partner Detra Shaw-Wilder founded the Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation (KMMF), whose mission is to provide underrepresented law students with a pathway to success through mentoring and networking opportunities. KMMF provides summer fellowships to law students enabling them to work for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and the judiciary in positions that would otherwise be unpaid.

Mr. Kozyak elsewise has dedicated countless hours and personally funded tens of thousands of dollars in fellowships in support of his commitment to diversity in the legal profession generally and the bankruptcy community in particular. He also has continued his individual mentoring of diverse law students – all of whom he refers to as his “kids.”

Over a long and distinguished career, Mr. Kozyak has received many awards and recognitions for his service to the legal profession and support for fundamental principles of inclusion, including, among many others, The Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award; the Florida Bar’s highest award for humanitarianism, The G. Kirk Haas Humanitarian Award; the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section’s Diversity Award; and the Florida Bar’s Henry Latimer Diversity Award. In 2014, the Florida Supreme Court awarded Mr. Kozyak its Tobias Simon pro bono service award (named for the late Miami civil rights lawyer Tobias Simon), which is that Court’s highest recognition of a private lawyer for pro bono service. Likewise, the Anti-Defamation League has honored Mr. Kozyak with its Jurisprudence Award, which recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the legal profession and to the community at large, while exemplifying the principles upon which the ADL was founded, including fighting antisemitism and bias. Finally, the American Bar Association has awarded Mr. Kozyak its Spirit of Excellence award for his work in diversity.

“We cannot imagine a more worthy recipient of the College’s DEI Excellence Award than John Kozyak,” said Charles Beckham, Chair of the College. “John has set a standard for leadership and advocacy that inspires all of us, and his legacy is a testament to what is possible when we invest in people and champion the values that unite us.”

Mr. Kozyak will be presented with the College’s 2025 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award at a luncheon in San Antonio, Texas on March 21, 2026.

About the American College of Bankruptcy

The American College of Bankruptcy is an honorary public service association of insolvency professionals invited to join based on a proven record of the highest standards of expertise, leadership, integrity, professionalism, scholarship, and service to the insolvency practice and to their communities. College Fellows include business and consumer bankruptcy attorneys, judges and other government officials, corporate turnaround specialists, accountants, financial advisors, academics, and other professionals who are experts in the field of bankruptcy and insolvency both in the United States and Internationally. The College facilitates the effective domestic and cross-border application of bankruptcy and insolvency laws and the administration of justice in the courts through, among other activities, conducting professional educational programs, sponsoring the publication of scholarly reports, and maintaining the National Bankruptcy Archives. The College also funds projects that improve the quality of bankruptcy law and practice and access to justice through grants by its affiliated Foundation, which is believed to be the single largest financial supporter of pro bono bankruptcy services in the United States. Underlying all its work, the College is dedicated to enhancing professionalism, scholarship, and service in bankruptcy law and practice, and to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization and across the insolvency profession.

To learn more about the College, please visit our website at www.americancollegeofbankruptcy.com. 

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