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December 22, 2023

The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Inc. Honors its New Fellows and Competition Winners

Outstanding employee benefits attorneys selected from throughout the country joined the College at its Twenty-Third Annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner on November 4, 2023, at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Induction as a Fellow of this organization is viewed as a national distinction. Each nominee is required to have focused on employee benefits law for at least 20 years and have demonstrated a sustained commitment to public awareness and understanding of benefits laws through such activities as writing, speaking, public policy analysis, public education or public service. Nominees are also required to have provided exceptionally high-quality professional services to clients, the bar, and the public. As a result, selection as a Fellow is a high honor reflecting substantive contributions to the field of employee benefits over the Fellow’s entire career.

The ACEBC was formed in recognition of significant legal and social policy issues impacting the regulation and management of pension, retirement, group health, welfare and disability plans. The College’s mission statement is: “Fostering excellence in the practice of employee benefits law and advancing public understanding of employee benefits.” The College encourages the study and development of employee benefits laws and engages in projects such as initiating professional discussions and high-level symposiums of significant issues, offering a searchable data base of Fellows who are willing to serve as expert witnesses, mediators or arbitrators, co-sponsoring continuing legal education programs, and recognizing the achievements of distinguished employee benefits attorneys. The College also sponsors a law student outreach mentoring program, a national law student writing competition to encourage legal scholarship in this evolving area of law and a simplification award to inspire ideas to simplify the regulation of employee benefit plans.

2023 Inducted Fellows

  • R. Joseph Barton, Washington, DC
  • Vicki D. Blanton, Dallas, TX
  • Stacey C.S. Cerrone, New Orleans, LA
  • Dominic DeMatties, Washington, DC
  • Matthew J. Eickman, Omaha, NE
  • Clarissa A. Kang, San Francisco, CA
  • Stephanie Schroepfer, Houston, TX
  • Stefan P. Smith, Dallas, TX
  • David Whaley, Cincinnati, OH
  • Kim Wilcoxon, Cincinnati, OH
  • Allison T. Wilkerson, Dallas, TX

2023 Moot Court Competition

  • Best Team
    Grace Best, Maria Hershey and Betsy McMullen
    The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
  • Best Brief
    Anna Schwartz and Zachary Charlton
    George Washington University Law School
  • Best Oral Advocate
    Matthew Soliman
    Drexel University, Thomas R. Kline School of Law

2023 Writing Competition

  • Alvin D. Lurie Memorial Award
    Brendan Mohan
    University of Akron School of Law
  • Sidney M. Perlstadt Memorial Award
    Jonathan Nickas
    New York University School of Law

2023 Simplification Award

  • John A. Turner
    Pension Policy Center, Washington, D.C.
  • Honorable Mention
    Anna-Marie Tabor
    Visiting Professor of Law, University of Massachusetts School of Law
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