Alexandria, Va.— ABI received a record number of applicants for consideration to be part of the prestigious “40 Under 40” Class for 2019, as more than 250 professionals submitted their applications by the June 30 deadline. The program is in its third year of recognizing the top 40 insolvency industry professionals under the age of 40. The 2019 Class will be announced in the fall and honored at a special ceremony during ABI's Winter Leadership Conference, which will be held December 5-7 in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., at the Terranea Resort.

ABI’s “40 Under 40” winners are distinguished by their professional achievements and service. The 2019 Class will be selected by a group of experienced professionals from ABI’s current leadership. Nominations were submitted via the program’s website, through which professionals nominated themselves or a colleague. Those selected will be chosen from both large and small firms from every region of the country and represent diverse practice areas, including law, finance, accounting, consulting, academia and government. Membership in ABI is not required for applicants to be considered.

“We are very gratified by the continued growth of the ‘40 Under 40’ initiative, now in its third year,” said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. “We thank those who've nominated or submitted applications, and salute those who will now undertake the challenge to identify those 40 we will honor at the Winter Leadership Conference.”

As this year’s application total surpassed last year’s submission total of 200, ABI added two more judges from the fields of law and finance to the “40 Under 40” Steering Committee to properly consider the new applicants. Doug Lutz of Frost Brown Todd LLC (Cincinnati), ABI’s VP-Education and a past judge in the “40 Under 40” competition, and Melissa Kibler of Mackinac Partners (Chicago), a former ABI President, have joined a stellar group of 10 experienced professionals from ABI's leadership on the Steering Committee. The Committee is chaired by Jennifer Meyerowitz of Summit Investment Management LLC (Atlanta) and includes John R. Bollinger of the Boleman Law Firm, PC (Hampton, Va.), Hon. Daniel P. Collins (D. Ariz., Phoenix), Paul H. Deutch of Omni Management Group, Inc. (New York), James R. Irving of Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP (Louisville), Eric L. Johnson of Spencer Fane LLP (Kansas City, Mo.), Ericka F. Johnson of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP (Wilmington, Del.), Kristina M. Johnson of Jones Walker LLP (Jackson, Miss.), Kimberly A. Posin of Latham & Watkins LLP (Los Angeles) and Adrienne K. Walker of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC (Boston).

The first two classes of awardees are already highly engaged in ABI and are actively advancing the bankruptcy profession — serving as ABI education program chairs, committee leaders, task force members, conference speakers and authors. Two previous winners, Paul Hage of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C. (Southfield, Mich.) and Eric Walker of Perkins Coie LLP (Chicago), were named to ABI’s Board of Directors in April.

Click here to view the members of the “40 Under 40” 2018 Class. To view the members of the inaugural “40 Under 40” Class of 2017, please click here.

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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 11,000 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.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.