We invite all Fellows to submit information (whether about themselves or other Fellows) regarding awards, news, job changes, and/or recent publications. Member highlights will be distributed to all Fellows through email and social media.

Please email focus@amercol.org and include a brief description of the items you would like considered for inclusion in our announcements. Thank you.
MEMBER NEWS
Jay Bender has been presented with the Alabama Commendation Medal from the Alabama Army National Guard for his work on drafting and helping to secure passage of the “Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019" (HAVEN Act; H.R. 2938).
Ogonna Brown has been appointed to a four-year term as a member of The Nevada Gaming Commission by Governor Steve Sisolak. The five-member Gaming Commission determines final gaming matters recommended by the three-member Nevada Gaming Control Board which then implements and enforces the State’s laws governing gaming.
Rob Charles has been named one of the Top 50 Pro Bono Attorneys in 2020 by The Arizona Bar Foundation.The Arizona Bar Foundation’s annual Pro Bono Awards recognize the commitment to public service by Arizona attorneys and law firms.
Joseph B. Collins joined the business and commercial law practice of Fitzgerald Attorneys at Law in East Longmeadow. He is an expert in the areas of business financing, restructuring, bankruptcy, asset protection, and commercial matters.
Larry Coppel, Class VIII, has announced he will be retiring from Gordon Feinblatt (Baltimore) after 50 years with the firm. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors!
The Honorable Judith K. Fitzgerald (Ret.) is the recipient of the Bankruptcy American Inns of Court Alliance Distinguished Service Award for 2020. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes the ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession, the rule of law, and the demonstration of personal ethics and integrity, and specifically dedicated to a judge or attorney who has practiced in the field of bankruptcy law. 
Mike Genereux has joined the Perella Weinberg Partners (“PWP”) as a Partner in its Advisory business. Based in New York, Mr. Genereux will work closely with both the U.S.- and London-based restructuring teams and advise clients on a range of complex restructuring and capital structure situations across industries.
Karen A. Giannelli, a Director and past Chair of the Financial Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights Department of Gibbons P.C., has earned a 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Jersey Law Journal. Karen will be honored at the Professional Excellence Awards Dinner in September. 
Eve H. Karasik, a partner at the leading bankruptcy and insolvency law firm of Levene, Neale, Bender, Yoo & Brill L.L.P. (LNBYB), has been appointed president of the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum for 2020-21.
John Kozyak was featured in a recent blog article about his enormously successful Minority Mentoring Picnic that fosters diversity in the legal profession. Read the article here.
James (Jim) Lodoen joined Spencer Fane LLP as a partner in the firm’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and Creditors’ Rights practice group, strengthening the team’s presence in the Minneapolis and Upper-Midwest market.
Jeff Reisner has joined Steptoe & Johnson LLP to lead and grow their Insolvency & Restructuring practice. Jeff, who joins as a partner,will be based in Steptoe's Los Angeles and New York offices. 
Each year, the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal honors an individual who has made a significant impact on the field of bankruptcy law with the Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement. On March 26,2019, the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal presented James H.M. Sprayregen with the Twenty-First Annual Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Jamie joins a distinguished group of past recipients, many of whom are also College Fellows, including: The Honorable William L. Norton, Jr., dec. (1999); Kenneth N. Klee (2000); Frank R. Kennedy, dec. (2001); Harvey R. Miller, dec. (2002); Gerald K. Smith (2004); The Honorable Conrad B. Duberstein, dec. (2005); The Honorable W. Homer Drake, Jr. (2007); Professor Douglas G. Baird (2008); Senator Elizabeth Warren (2009); Bryan Marsal (2011); The Honorable Justice Geoffrey B. Morawetz (2012); Richard Levin (2013); Professor David Epstein (2014); Professor Grant W. Newton (2016); Keith J. Shapiro (2017); and The Honorable Mary F. Walrath (2018). 
The Federal Judicial Center announced the appointment of Elizabeth C. (Beth) Wiggins as Director of the Center’s Research Division. Beth will be only the third Research Director in the Center’s fifty-two year history.
Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton have agreed to merge effective July 1, 2020. The new law firm, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, or “Troutman Pepper,” will have 1,100 attorneys in 23 cities across the country.
UPCOMING EVENTS
On Thursday, August 20, 2020, join a panel of Fellows from the American College of Bankruptcy for a Zoom webinar on the Small Business Reorganization Act.

For more information and to register for this event, please click here.
American College of Bankruptcy Seventh Circuit Webinar
Friday, September 25, 1-6 p.m. CT

Please join us for an informative and lively discussion of some of the more challenging issues encountered by insolvency professionals, including recent developments affecting practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the Small Business Reorganization Act, ethics, and issues affecting consumer and healthcare law. Our panelists include leading academics, experienced practitioners, and learned judges. Everyone interested in these discussions—including financial advisors, attorneys, bankers, and students—is welcome to attend free of charge.

For more information and to register for this event, please click here.