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Endowment Newsletter
October 2015
Vol. 2, No. 10
Endowment Hosts Sold-Out Wine and Dinner Event in Los Angeles, 10th Annual Golf Outing in Metro New York

The 10th Annual Golf and Tennis Outing, jointly hosted by the New York Institute of Credit and the Northeast Chapter of the International Factoring Association, was held Sept. 24 at the Montammy Country Club in Alpine, N.J. Some 70 golfers participated in the shotgun golf tournament and tennis tournament, which was followed by cocktails, dinner and awards.

On Oct. 20, the Western Region Endowment Fund Committee held a sold-out wine and dinner event at Upstairs2 in Los Angeles. Nearly 70 enjoyed an evening of fine dining and networking. ABI thanks sponsors The Atalon Group, Deloitte CRG, Donlin, Recano & Co., Inc., Development Specialists, Inc., Pachulski, Stang, Ziehl, Young & Jones, Robins Kaplan LLP, Rust Omni, Sierra Constellation Partners, and Smiley Wang-Ekvall.

NYIC Golf Event

Above: Howard Cohen of Asterion Consulting (l) and Stuart Rosenthal of Prestige Capital Corp. participated in the golf outing. Below: Attendees enjoyed an evening of fine dining and networking at Upstairs2 in Los Angeles, organized by Regional Endowment Co-chair Mitch Ryan of Donlin, Recano & Co., with the assistance of Co-chair Scott Gautier of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP (back left).

Southwest Bankruptcy Workshop
Upcoming Events

Nov. 19—Mid-Atlantic Wine Dinner: Join the ABI Mid-Atlantic Region Endowment Fund Committee for a multi-course wine-pairing dinner featuring the wines of Le Cadeau Vineyard in Oregon. The event will be held at Domaine Hudson in Wilmington, Del. Thanks go to our event sponsors: Gavin/Solmonese, Polsinelli, Proctor Heyman Enerio LLP and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP. Learn more at abi.org/events.

ABI Mid-Atlantic Endowment Wine Dinner

Dec. 3–5—Winter Leadership Conference: Give and get noticed at ABI’s Winter Leadership Conference! ABI members who pledge or contribute at or above the Sustaining Member level ($2,000 and up) will be recognized at the Friday luncheon and during the Casino Night event on Saturday evening. Proceeds from this event benefit the ABI Endowment Fund. Learn more and/or register at abiwlc.org.

Roulette Wheel

If you are interested in sponsoring these or other Endowment-related events, contact ABI Marketing Manager Sharisa Sloan at 703-739-0800 or ssloan@abiworld.org for more information.

Levels of Support

Millennium Level
(Contributions of $50,000 & higher)

30th Anniversary Circle
(Contributions of $30,000 – $49,999)

Century Council Member
(Contributions of $25,000 – $29,999)

Visionary
(Contributions of $20,000 – $24,999)

Legacy
(Contributions of $15,000 – $19,999)

Lifetime Member
(Contributions of $10,000 – $14,999)

Benefactor
(Contributions of $5,000 – $9,999)

Sustaining Member
(Contributions of $2,000 – $4,999)

Leadership Club
(Contributions of $1,000 – $1,999)

Donor
(Contributions of $100 – $999)

Pledges at the Leadership Club level and up
are payable over up to five years.

What the Fund Pays For

ABI Funds Study to Test Effectiveness of Financial Education on Distressed Consumers
The ABI Anthony H.N. Schnelling Endowment Fund has commissioned a study to test whether original, re-conceived consumer education materials have a positive effect on the financial health of struggling individuals. Profs. Lois R. Lupica of the University of Maine School of Law, D. James Greiner of Harvard Law School and Dalié Jiménez of the University of Connecticut School of Law are conducting the research. The empirical study “allows us to link the dollars spent on various legal interventions and the incidence of bankruptcy filings,” according to the researchers.

Professors Lupica, Greiner and Jiminez

The study will be conducted over a two-year period and will examine 1,200 consumers who have been sued in credit card debt-collection proceedings in state courts. It will focus on the outcomes of three different means of assisting low-income persons in financial distress: (1) the provision of pro se educational materials (of original design); (2) an offer of assistance from a lawyer; and (3) financial education. “These pro se materials were developed in the recognition that there is a difference between having access to available information and being able to deploy this information,” the researchers said.

The proposed educational materials to be utilized in the study cover a range of financial problems faced by consumers, including information addressing how to (1) litigate a debt-collection action; (2) negotiate with creditors; (3) clean up a credit report; (4) address medical debt; (5) address utility debt; (6) file a successful chapter 7 case; and (7) bring an adversary action to challenge the nondischargeability of student loans.

In addition, the researchers will test the effectiveness of statute-mandated financial counseling against “placebo” financial counseling. “The study findings will provide important support for ABI’s mission to better understand the bankruptcy system, as well as for CARE’s [Credit Abuse Resistance Education] initiative to improve financial literacy,” according to the researchers. Additional funding for the study is provided by the National Science Foundation, the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and the Sears Consumer Protection and Education Fund.

Endowment News

Participate in the 2015 Combined Federal Campaign
Contributions to the Anthony H.N. Schnelling Endowment Fund are tax-deductible. ABI is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. If you have been considering making a donation to the Endowment Fund, you may benefit by making your contribution to Combined Federal Campaign #11391. Your funds will be used to support research and education on insolvency. You can also purchase an item on our Amazon Wish List for donation to an upcoming silent auction. Visit abi.org/endowment/ways-to-give. Please consider contributing during the current campaign season (Sept. 1-Dec. 15). Contact ABI Chief Financial Officer Kathy Sheehan at (703) 739-0800 or ksheehan@abi.org for more information.

Endowment Fund
Development Committee

Vice President—Development:
Edward T. Gavin
Gavin/Solmonese LLC

Committee Members:
Lisa Beckerman
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Kelly Beaudin Stapleton
Alvarez & Marsal

Richard S. Lauter
Freeborn & Peters LLP

Jerry M. Markowitz
Markowitz, Ringel, Trusty + Hartog, P.A.

Robert P. Reynolds
Reynolds, Reynolds & Little, LLC

Mitch Ryan
Donlin, Recano & Co., Inc.

Regional Endowment Chairs

Mid-Atlantic
Chair: Christopher A. Ward – Polsinelli
Sam J. Alberts – Dentons
Neil B. Glassman – Bayard, P.A.
Thomas M. Horan – Womble Carlyle
Sandridge & Rice, LLP

Richard M. Meth – Fox Rothschild LLP

Midwest
Co-Chair: Claire Ann Resop – Steinhilber,
Swanson & Resop

Co-Chair: Mark G. Stingley – Bryan Cave
Daniel A. DeMarco – Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP
Reginald W. Jackson – Vorys, Sater, Seymour
and Pease LLP

Richard S. Lauter – Freeborn & Peters LLP
James A. Lodoen – Lindquist & Vennum LLP
Scott Y. Stuart – GCG
Sheryl L. Toby – Dykema Gossett PLLC

New England
Chair: Jeffrey T. Varsalone – CBIZ MHM, LLC

New York Metro
Co-Chair: Lisa G. Beckerman – Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Co-Chair: Allen D. Wilen – EisnerAmper LLP

Rocky Mountain
Co-Chair: Annette W. Jarvis – Dorsey &
Whitney LLP

Lynne Long – Summit Investment
Management LLC

South
Chair: Robert P. Reynolds – Reynolds,
Reynolds & Little, LLC

Larry R. Ahern III – Brown & Ahern

Chip Bowles – Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP
Richard P. Carmody – Adams and Reese LLC
Rudy J. Cerone – McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC
Craig M. Geno – Craig M. Geno, PLLC
Jennifer B. Kimble – Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.A.
Stephen P. Wheelis – Wheelis & Rozanski, APLC

Southeast
Chair: Jerry Markowitz – Markowitz, Ringel, Trusty + Hartog, P.A.
Terri L. Gardner – Nelson Mullins Riley &
Scarborough, LLP

Neil C. Gordon – Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Jennifer McLemore – Christian & Barton, LLP
Jennifer M. Meyerowitz – Epiq Systems, Inc.
Edward J. Peterson, III – Stichter, Riedel, Blain & Prosser, PA
Lynn Lewis Tavenner – Tavenner & Beran, PLC
Glenn Thompson – Hamilton Stephens Steele &
Martin, PLLC

Texas & Southwest
Co-Chair: Jason S. Brookner – Gray Reed &
McGraw, PC

Co-Chair: Scott Van Meter – Berkeley Research
Group, LLC

Thomas H. Grace – Vorys, Sater, Seymour
and Pease LLP

Jordan A. Kroop – Perkins Coie LLP
John Penn – Perkins Coie LLP
Thomas J. Salerno – Stinson Leonard Street LLP

West
Co-Chair:  Mitch Ryan – Donlin Recano &
Company, Inc.

Matthew Gates – Duff & Phelps, LLC
Scott Gautier – Robins Kaplan LLP

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