Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) presented Bankruptcy Judge Tracey N. Wise (E.D. Ky.; Lexington) with the Judge William L. Norton, Jr. Judicial Excellence Award during an ABI presentation at the 97th National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges annual meeting in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 12. The Norton Award honors a retired or current bankruptcy judge who has been an outstanding educator, writer and scholar. The award is presented by ABI and Thomson Reuters in memory of the late William L. Norton, Jr. Past award-winners include Michael G. Williamson, Randolph J. Haines, Mary F. Walrath, Eugene R. Wedoff (a past ABI President), A. Jay Cristol, Barbara J. Houser (a past ABI President), Barry Russell, William H. Brown, Robert D. Martin and Harlin D. Hale.

An ABI member since 2007, Judge Wise was appointed to the bench on March 31, 2010. She served as Chief Judge from Oct. 1, 2011, until Sept. 30, 2019. Judge Wise also served on the Sixth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel from 2016-21, and as its Chief Judge from Oct. 1, 2019, to Oct. 31, 2021. She also served on its Education Planning Committee and Wellness Committee, and on the Planning Committee for the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference. Prior to her appointment, Judge Wise practiced in the areas of bankruptcy and debt restructuring for more than 25 years, including with Wise, Warnecke & Wise and Wise DelCotto PLLC.

Judge Wise has also served as Planning Committee chair of the Biennial Judge Joe Lee Bankruptcy Institute, a University of Kentucky College of Law Continuing Legal Education Program, since 2015; spearheaded the development of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges’ (NCBJ’s) Elder Care - Financial Literacy for Seniors program; has supported law clerks, judicial interns and externs, including through the Summer Judicial Internship Diversity Project; and, in 2020, received NCBJ’s Membership Services Committee’s Public Outreach Award.

Judge Wise is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and served on the advisory board of ABI’s Midwest Regional Bankruptcy Seminar from 2000-03. In addition, she is a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, Central Kentucky American Inn of Court, Kentucky Bar Association (for which she has served as Bankruptcy Section chair and Client Security Fund trustee) and the Fayette County Bar Association (for which she has served as Bankruptcy Section chair), and she is vice president of the board of directors of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure’s Lexington Affiliate.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 10,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit www.abi.org/events.