Leadership & officers
The Conference is led by officers and committees drawn from its own members. This is its leadership for 2026.
The officers of the Conference.
The Chair and Vice Chair are elected by the membership for four-year terms, and the Secretary and Treasurer for one-year terms. With the chairs of the Drafting and Legislation Committees, all six sit on the Executive Committee.
Leads the Conference and speaks for it, signing its letters to Congress. The Chair judges when the members have reached the substantial consensus a position requires, sets the membership of its committees, and, with the Legislation chair, decides which bills the Conference puts forward.
Shares the Chair’s public role before Congress and its staff, and so, like the Chair, works with legislators only on the Conference’s behalf. If the Chair’s seat falls vacant, the Vice Chair becomes Chair until the next annual meeting.
Handles the funds of a self-funded Conference, including reimbursing judges and other Conferees for travel to its meetings. As one of the four executive officers, the Treasurer sits on the Executive Committee.
One of the Conference’s four executive officers, the Secretary sits on the Executive Committee, which elects new Conferees and can act for the Conference between its meetings.
Leads the Conference’s work on statutory language. The Legislation chair consults the Drafting chair, where practicable, before changing the wording of a bill before Congress, and in dealing with Congress the Drafting chair presents only the Conference’s positions.
The Conference’s working link to Congress. With the Chair’s agreement, the Legislation chair may make drafting changes to bills before Congress that stay within the Conference’s positions, and communicates with and assists Congress and the Administration.
Douglas G. Baird
Leads the Conference and speaks for it, signing its letters to Congress. The Chair judges when the members have reached the substantial consensus a position requires, sets the membership of its committees, and, with the Legislation chair, decides which bills the Conference puts forward.
Biography to come.
Michelle M. Harner
Shares the Chair’s public role before Congress and its staff, and so, like the Chair, works with legislators only on the Conference’s behalf. If the Chair’s seat falls vacant, the Vice Chair becomes Chair until the next annual meeting.
Biography to come.
Edwin E. Smith
Handles the funds of a self-funded Conference, including reimbursing judges and other Conferees for travel to its meetings. As one of the four executive officers, the Treasurer sits on the Executive Committee.
Biography to come.
Omar J. Alaniz
One of the Conference’s four executive officers, the Secretary sits on the Executive Committee, which elects new Conferees and can act for the Conference between its meetings.
Biography to come.
Whitman L. Holt
Leads the Conference’s work on statutory language. The Legislation chair consults the Drafting chair, where practicable, before changing the wording of a bill before Congress, and in dealing with Congress the Drafting chair presents only the Conference’s positions.
Biography to come.
Michael St. Patrick Baxter
The Conference’s working link to Congress. With the Chair’s agreement, the Legislation chair may make drafting changes to bills before Congress that stay within the Conference’s positions, and communicates with and assists Congress and the Administration.
Biography to come.
The Executive Committee.
Alongside the six officers, eight members elected at the annual meeting from the Nominating Committee’s slate serve staggered terms, one class ending each year. The Conference’s past chairs sit ex officio.
The Executive Committee elects new Conferees on the Membership Committee’s recommendation, keeping the Conference near sixty active members. It sets the dates of the Conference’s meetings, approves work such as comments on proposed rules, and, when a matter cannot wait, acts for the Conference by substantial consensus.
Terms ending 2026
Stephen Lerner and Marc A. Levinson
Terms ending 2027
Rebecca Connelly, Chad Husnick, and Brendan L. Shannon
Terms ending 2028
Ralph Brubaker, David Cox, and Emil Kleinhaus
Ex officio, as past chairs
J. Ronald Trost, Donald S. Bernstein, Richard B. Levin, and Jane Vris
Who leads each standing committee.
Each committee’s chair, or co-chairs, guide its study of an area of bankruptcy law. Each committee’s page lists its full membership.
Avoidance & Claims Litigation
Business Debtor, Chapter 11
Capital Markets
Court System & Bankruptcy Administration
Governmental Units
Individual Debtor
International Aspects
Taxation
UCC & State Law
The Conference’s own business.
Besides the Executive Committee, five committees keep the Conference itself in good order. The Nominating Committee proposes the officers and Executive Committee members elected at the annual meeting. The Membership Committee, whose members serve staggered three-year terms, weighs suggestions from any Conferee and recommends new members to the Executive Committee, keeping the Conference a body of professors, judges, and practitioners drawn from across the country and across the whole of bankruptcy law. The Legislation and Drafting Committees carry the Conference’s positions into the text of bills: with the Chair’s agreement, the Legislation chair may refine the drafting of legislation before Congress, consulting the Drafting chair, and works with Congress and the Administration. And the Communications and External Relations Committee looks after how the Conference presents its work, from its publications to its website.
Nominating
- Ronit J. Berkovich
- Susheel Kirpalani
Membership
- Dennis Dunne
- Edward R. Morrison
- Ronit J. Berkovich
- Benjamin A. Kahn
- Rebecca Connelly
- John Rao
Legislation
- ChairMichael St. Patrick Baxter
- Shelley C. Chapman
- Craig Goldblatt
- Michelle M. Harner
Drafting
- ChairWhitman L. Holt
- Richard B. Levin
- Marc A. Levinson
- Troy McKenzie
Communications and External Relations
- Co-ChairRobert M. Lawless
- Co-ChairBenjamin A. Kahn
- Omar J. Alaniz
- Ronit J. Berkovich
- David Cox
- Bruce A. Markell
- Edward R. Morrison
See how the Conference works.
From a committee’s study to a position on the record.