Chris Dallas
President, 2021-2022

Happy New Year everyone!

As we approach two full years in a strange new work environment, I wanted to say hello to everyone in the ACIC — and in particular our new members who joined over the last year or two (who many of us have not yet met).

2021 was a year of great accomplishments for the College despite significant headwinds impacting our ability to gather in person. The Board of Trustees and all of the committees were hard at work formulating plans to bring content and other activities to the College throughout the year. Both the Spring Forum (co-chaired by Robin Lenarz (Securian) and Heather Wenzel (Morgan Lewis)) and the Annual Meeting (co-chaired by Dora Jimenez (NY Life) and Arinze Onugha (Fried Frank)) were held virtually, and each afforded meaningful educational and networking opportunities for all attendees. Each of these events drew more than 150 attendees, which is a testament to the timely and compelling panels and topics presented. Additionally, virtual CLE events put on throughout the year covered topics ranging from airline restructurings, to ESG investments, and even the ABCs of BDCs. In an effort to provide a chance to connect and stay in touch outside of our normal areas of legal practice, the ACIC hosted several very popular trivia nights and even launched a book club. A sincere thank you to the many individuals whose ideas and energy made these events available to all of us.

At the 2020 Annual Meeting, we gave a heartfelt thank you to Tina Smith for her energetic and thoughtful leadership throughout her service on the Board of Trustees, and in particular her time as President of the ACIC. We also elected three new Trustees (Dora Jimenez (NY Life), Robin Lenarz (Securian) and Michael Robson (Greenberg)) and thanked Catherine Hood (Bracewell) and Josephine Vashi (AIG) for their service to the Board as their terms expired.

In early April, our Spring Forum will be co-chaired by Charles Calloway (Chapman) and Noelle Sproul (Nuveen), and I look forward to learning more about the thought-provoking topics and panels that they are organizing.
Finally, a special thanks to CJ Marchain and her colleagues at Madeleine Crouch & Co., as they play such a crucial role in keeping all things ACIC running smoothly, on time and on budget.

The ACIC is an organization that is about people. Please try to reach out to fellow members to nurture and build relationships with others in the College, and get involved if you can to help with a committee or in some other capacity — your involvement will enrich both your experience with the College and the College itself. If you have any questions about how to get involved, please do reach out to me or any of the Trustees.

Chris