President’s Message
By: Armando Gamboa, Prudential Capital Group
Well, it is finally summer in the Midwest. After months of being teased with a decent day here and there, it has finally warmed up in Chicago.
The College has had an outstanding first half of the year and more is to come in the second half.
The First Annual Golden Gavels (also known as the Spring Investment Forum) in Chicago in April was a huge success! We had record-breaking attendance for a Spring Investment Forum. Jenna Jenson (Thrivent) and Kate Lindsay (Akin Gump) co-hosted this entertaining showcase of talent. Among the highlights were a fireside chat between our very own Carolyn Alford and former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates. And who could forget the special appearances by Indiana Jones (David Lawton)? On behalf of the College, I want to thank Jenna and Kate for their tireless dedication, creativity and ideas. Also, thank you to all the moderators and panelists for their time, effort and professionalism; all of those attributes shone through. Last, but not least, special thanks to Madeleine Crouch & Company and the members of the Development and Education Committees, who advise and encourage our co-chairs and provide ideas to make our conferences engaging and fun.
The two ACIC conferences are not the only venues to offer our fellows great educational content. The Education Committee has already put on two one-hour CLE programs this year. The first was In January on make-whole and post-petition interest on the heels of the Fifth Circuit decision on Ultra. In March, we were provided with an overview of aviation finance. Both one-hour CLE programs were very well attended. Stay tuned for two more one-hour CLE opportunities in 2019.
In April, the Transaction Process Management Committee (the “TPMC“) published the Model Form Make-Whole and Swap Breakage Indemnity provisions and Model Swap Indemnity Letter. This project was undertaken over a period of many months and evolved as the discussions unfolded and benefitted from the participation by derivatives experts from the business and legal community. We thank all of the members of the TPMC, as well as the experts recruited from outside the TPMC, who contributed to the development of the Model Swap Breakage provisions.
The Website and Social Media Committee (co-chaired by Melody Cross (Prudential), Tom O’Connor (Akin Gump) and Mike Fierro (Prudential)) is hard at work at upgrading our website. Not only will it have a fresh new look, but it will also include new functionality. The new website is expected to be launched before the end of the year. Thanks to all of the members of the Website and Social Media committee for their dedication to this project – we can’t wait to see the results!
The Communications Committee has done a great job of keeping us up to date with the publication of Private Notes which comes straight to your inbox by email every month. Thank you to the co-editors and all contributors to the Private Notes.
This letter highlights some of the work done by our committees. If you want to get involved, please reach out to me or any of the committee co-chairs. Active participation in the College will be sure to provide a rewarding experience.
Our 2019 Annual Meeting and Education Conference will be co-chaired by Alfredo Cantoral (PPM America) and Nicole Windsor (Chapman) and will be an outstanding program. The Annual Meeting will again be held at the Grand Hyatt New York (Grand Central Station) October 17th and 18th. Be on the look-out for the save-the-date and hotel reservation information.
Looking forward to seeing you in New York in October!
