The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announced that Ted Gavin of Gavin/Solmonese LLC  has been selected by the ABI Board of Directors to be President. He became president for a one-year term at ABI’s 2018 Annual Spring Meeting, held April 19-22 in Washington, D.C. An ABI member since 2003, Gavin has served as Vice President-Development, co-chair of ABI’s Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop and contributing editor for the ABI Journal’s Last in Line and Financial Statements columns. He formerly served as co-chair of ABI’s Financial Advisors Committee and is a former co-chair and education director of ABI’s Ethics and Professional Compensation Committee. A Century Council-level contributor to ABI’s Anthony H.N. Schnelling Endowment Fund, Gavin also serves on ABI’s National Ethics Standards Task Force and chairs the group’s Committee Solicitation Protocols Committee. In addition, he is a member of The ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy, which held its final hearings during the Annual Spring Meeting and will submit its proposals for improvements to the consumer bankruptcy system by the end of the year.

Gavin is a managing director and founding partner at Gavin/Solmonese LLC, a corporate restructuring and public affairs strategies firm based in Wilmington, Del. He specializes in complex bankruptcy matters, representing debtors and creditors as financial advisor, asset-sale advisor, restructuring officer and other types of responsible parties. Gavin is frequently appointed as liquidating trustee, litigation trustee or plan administrator over post-confirmation liquidating trusts. He is an expert on rapid § 363 asset-sale processes, SPM gifts/carve-outs and evaluation of claims against insiders. He received his B.S. in business and information systems in 1999 from the University of Phoenix. Gavin also attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, studying music theory and education.

Additionally, Alane A. Becket of Becket & Lee, LLP (Malvern, Pa.), formerly ABI’s Vice President-Publications, was named President-Elect and will become President in April 2019. Jeffrey N. Pomerantz of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (Los Angeles) succeeds James Patrick Shea of Kolesar & Leatham (Las Vegas) as Chairman of the Board for a one-year term.
 
Lisa Sommers Gretchko of Howard & Howard (Royal Oak, Mich.) was elected to serve a two-year term succeeding Alane A. Becket as ABI Vice President-Publications. Hon. Kevin J. Carey (D. Del.; Wilmington) was elected to a full term as Vice President-Membership. Thomas M. Horan of Shaw Fishman Glatz & Towbin LLC (Wilmington, Del.) was named to a two-year term as ABI Vice President-Communications and Information Technology.
 
Four ABI members were elected to their first terms on the ABI Board of Directors:

• Steven M. Berman of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP (Tampa, Fla.)
• Hon. Hannah Blumenstiel (N.D. Cal., San Francisco)
• Stephen D. Lerner of Squire Patton Boggs (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• Jeffrey M. Reisner of Irell & Manella LLP (Newport Beach, Calif.)