Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that James (Jim) A. Peko of Grant Thornton LLP (New York), a leading professional services firm, has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors.

An ABI member since 2006, Peko is a former co-chair of ABI’s Financial Advisor and Investment Banking Committee, as well as a frequent speaker at ABI events. He will serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Peko is the national managing principal of Grant Thornton’s Transaction Services practice. He has more than 25 years of experience and specializes in working with companies in transition, including those with financial and operational challenges.

Peko works with companies and creditors to preserve and maximize value, in both in-court and out-of-court restructurings. He advises clients related to debt restructuring, strategic planning, business plan analysis, valuation, liquidity planning, the sales process under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, and Chapter 11 bankruptcies. He has also assisted buyers and sellers with the acquisition and sale of distressed assets, and has broad experience in the bankruptcy process, including pre-bankruptcy planning, developing plans of reorganization and evaluating capital structure.

Peko has served various constituencies, including companies, creditor committees and lender groups. He has advised chief executive officers and executive management teams on sustainability and shareholder value-optimization strategies by evaluating strategic alternatives, including restructurings, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, capital sourcing and initial public offerings.

Peko is a chartered financial analyst, certified insolvency and restructuring advisor. He holds a certification in distressed business valuation, and several FINRA licenses, including Series 7, 24, 63 and 79. He received his M.B.A in finance from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business in 1991 and a B.S. in economics and accounting from St. Peter’s College in 1990.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abi.org/about-us/board-directors.

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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 more than 12,000 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 http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.