Compiled by Tyler Margolis of ArentFox Schiff LLP
Communications Committee
The Communications Committee is responsible for communications among the College’s members and for communications between the College and the investment community at large. The Committee is responsible for preparing and publishing the College’s monthly newsletter, Private Notes. The monthly Private Notes includes summaries of recent judicial decisions in various US and international jurisdictions, articles about topics of interest to the investment community, information about job openings, CLE announcements, biographies of new ACIC members, committee reports, and sneak peaks and recaps of the Spring Conference and the Annual Fall Meeting.
The co-chairs of the Communications Committee are Keith Atkinson (Nuveen), Lisa Conmy (Foley & Lardner), and Danielle Maksimow (Norton Rose Fulbright Canada). The co-editors of the College’s monthly newsletter are Stephanie Holding (Holland & Knight) and Sarah Olson (Thrivent).
Development Committee
The Development Committee is tasked with engaging the membership, assessing and addressing membership needs and interests, and planning some of the interactive events at the April Conferences and October Meetings. The Development Committee is assisting the Co-chairs in making the upcoming October Annual Meeting an engaging and interactive event! The Development Committee has also planned virtual events for the membership, including trivia nights and book club discussions, as well as the inaugural session of the Fireside Chat series in September 2022 (with our very own Jon Heiny!).
Any questions about membership or ideas on how to further engage the membership can be directed to Co-Chairs Tina Smith or Renée Dailey (Akin Gump).
Education Committee
The Education Committee supports the ACIC’s efforts to provide its members with high quality CLE opportunities. In a typical calendar year, such CLE opportunities include the Spring Investment Forum and Fall Annual Meeting and Education Conference, each over the course of two days, including ethics, diversity and inclusion credits in addition to a robust array of other relevant topics for members. The committee also plans and presents up to four 1-hour webinars during the year. So far in 2022, we have assisted the Spring and Fall conference co-chairs with program planning, we presented a webinar in March covering a variety of NAIC updates, we presented a webinar in June covering renewable energy tax credits, and we have a webinar scheduled for September 14 covering recent developments in the European finance market.
We are excited to see everyone October 20-21 at the Fall Annual Meeting and Education Conference in Boston! The co-chairs, Jennifer Fitzpatrick (Pacific Life) and David Simonds (Hogan Lovells), are organizing what is certain to be an educational and engaging program.
For all College members, the Education Committee is always grateful for topic suggestions as well as potential moderators and panelists willing to serve our CLE mission.
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee is responsible for considering applications for ACIC membership and recommending those applicants meeting the membership criteria of the College to the Board of Trustees for approval. The committee considers the totality of a candidate’s responses in their application, with particular emphasis given to (i) the portion of the applicant’s practice which is devoted to representing institutional investors, (ii) indicative transactions or other legal representations on behalf of institutional investors demonstrating the applicant’s representation of institutional investors, (iii) participation by the applicant in the activities of the College (e.g. forums and educational meetings), and (iv) other factors which the Board of Trustees has determined to be relevant to the College. The committee also reviews, and refers to the Board, applications for Emeritus status from long-time members who are retiring but want to remain plugged in to the College. Finally, the committee seeks to implement various initiatives to improve the onboarding experience of new members in the College and to encourage active engagement in the College among the membership generally.
Please reach out to the Co-Chairs, Patti Boss (Voya), Catherine Hood (Bracewell LLP), or Kirk M. Orr (AIG Investments) with any questions!
Transaction Process Management Committee
The Transaction Process Management Committee (TPMC) is responsible for the continued development of the Model Form Note Purchase Agreements and other documents. Over the last few years the TPMC has been responsible for (i) updating both the domestic and cross-border Model Form Note Purchase Agreements, (ii) updating the Model Form Make-Whole and Swap Indemnity Language for Swapped Notes as well as the Model Form Swap Indemnity Letter, (iii) drafting, getting industry input on and posting form language to the ACIC website to address ratings rationale requirements for private letter ratings, and (iv) addressing effects of the COVID pandemic on transaction execution based on remote work arrangements. The TPMC continues to evaluate and consider ongoing market comments to the Model Form Documents.
Website and Social Media Committee
The Website and Social Committee is responsible for creating and maintaining the College’s website and social media accounts. We create and maintain content, as well as provide a forum for the sharing of information and resources relating to our business. The College has a new LinkedIn page, which you can follow HERE to keep apprised of events and connect with other members.
We are pleased to welcome two new committee members: Nate Stanger (MetLife) and Peter Butler (ArentFox Schiff LLP). If anyone has any suggestions for the website, please do not hesitate to reach out to a committee member or to one of the committee co-chairs: Melody Cross (Prudential), Michael Fierro (Prudential) and David Lawton (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP).