FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC–April 13, 2023: The Board of Regents of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) convened during the College’s 2023 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana to consider nominations for a new class of ACTEC Fellows. The College is pleased to announce 23 individuals were elected. This select group includes 19 Fellows, one International Fellow from Singapore, and three Fiduciary Counsel Fellows. Of those elected, three are graduates of the Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute; one is a graduate of the Florida Fellows Institute; one is a graduate of the Heart of America Fellows Institute; one is a graduate of the New England Fellows Institute; one is a graduate of the Southeast Fellows Institute; and two are former participants in the Dennis I. Belcher Young Leaders Program.
“On behalf of ACTEC, we welcome these experienced trust and estate lawyers to the College, and we are looking forward to their contributions.” stated ACTEC President Kurt A. Sommer.
To qualify for membership, a lawyer must have no fewer than 10 years of experience in the active practice of trust and estate law, as fiduciary counsel with a fiduciary services company, or a combination thereof. Lawyers are elected to be Fellows based on their outstanding reputation, exceptional skill, and substantial contributions to the field by lecturing, writing, teaching, and participating in bar leadership or legislative activities. It is their aim to improve and reform probate, trust and tax laws, procedures, and professional responsibility.
ACTEC New Fellows
- Melissa O. Dibble of Voorhees, New Jersey
- Carrie A. Harrington of Chicago, Illinois
- Caitlin Nobles Horne of Charlotte, North Carolina
- Christopher D. Jones of Amarillo, Texas
- Mel M. Justak of Chicago, Illinois
- Michael P. Kaelin of Stamford, Connecticut
- Teresa D. Lancaster of Tucson, Arizona
- Stephen Liss of New York, New York
- Joseph M. Mentrek of Cleveland, Ohio
- Jacquelyne J. Mingle of Tucson, Arizona
- Anna Katherine Moody of Washington, D.C.
- Mitchell Kemp Mosley of Raleigh, North Carolina
- Mary P. O'Reilly of Mineola, New York
- Cristina Papanikos of Miami, Florida
- Valerie Wu Peichan of Singapore
- Reetu Pepoff of Chicago, Illinois
- Elisa Shevlin Rizzo of New York, New York
- Jessica D. Soojian of New York, New York
- Alex S. Tanouye of Chevy Chase, Maryland
- Lois Tilton of New York, New York
- Jordan Daniel Veurink of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Jana M. Weiler of Des Moines Iowa
- Karen L. Witherell of Boston, Massachusetts
About The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): Established in 1949, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) is a national, nonprofit association of approximately 2,400 lawyers and law professors from throughout the United States and abroad. ACTEC members (Fellows) are peer-elected on the basis of professional reputation and expertise in the preparation of wills and trusts, estate planning, probate, trust administration and related practice areas. The College’s mission includes the improvement and reform of probate, trust and tax laws and procedures and professional practice standards. ACTEC frequently offers technical comments with regard to legislation and regulations but does not take positions on matters of policy or political objectives.
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