ACTEC Elects 55 New Fellows to the College

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Regents of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) convened during the College's 2026 Fall Meeting in Denver, Colorado, to consider nominations for a new class of ACTEC Fellows. The College is pleased to announce that 55 individuals were elected: two Academic Fellows, two International Fellows (one from Malta and one from Germany), three Fiduciary Counsel Fellows, and 48 private practice Fellows. Also, 12 New Fellows are graduates of an ACTEC Fellows Institute, and one is a Dennis I. Belcher Young Leader.

"Welcoming 55 distinguished trust and estate lawyers and professors to the College is an exciting moment for ACTEC," said ACTEC President Margaret G. Lodise. "This exceptional class reflects the extraordinary depth of talent, leadership, and commitment to excellence within the trusts and estates profession. Each new Fellow brings valuable expertise and perspectives that will enrich the College and strengthen our collective efforts to advance the practice of trust and estate law for lawyers and for the general public. I am thrilled to welcome them, and I look forward to all they will contribute to the College."

To qualify for membership, a nominee must have no fewer than ten years of experience in the active practice of trust and estate law, as fiduciary counsel with a fiduciary services company, or a combination thereof. Lawyers and law professors are elected to be Fellows based on their outstanding reputation, exceptional skill, and substantial contributions to the field by lecturing, writing, teaching, and participating in bar leadership or legislative activities. It is their aim to improve and reform probate, trust and tax laws, procedures, and professional responsibility.

The following 55 individuals were elected as New Fellows:

• Kathi L. Ayers of Vienna, VA (2023 Southeast Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Chad R. Baker of Perrysburg, OH
• Erin E. Behring of Little Rock, AR
• Susan B. Bock of Portland, OR
• Ramona Cassar of Ta'Xbiex, Malta
• Kelianne Chamberlain of Grand Junction, CO (2024 Rocky Mountain Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Helen Cheng of La Jolla, CA
• Stephanie L. Cook of Orlando, FL
• Charles E. Davis III of Raleigh, NC (2023 Southeast Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Amy DeLaney of Chicago, IL
• Shannon M. Derksen of Tucson, AZ
• Jessica R. Diaz of Denver, CO (2020-2022 Dennis I. Belcher Young Leader)
• Aaron B. Flinn of Nashville, TN
• Jan-Hendrick Frank of Berlin, Germany
• Nicholas M. Frost of Eugene, OR
• Hillary P. Gagnon of Phoenix, AZ
• Heidi J. Gassman of Denver, CO
• Matthew Getty of Rutland, VT
• Anthony P. Guettler of Vero Beach, FL (2017 Florida Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Joshua D. Headley of Washington, DC
• Nicholas John Heuer of Chicago, IL
• Joshua C. Hillger of Minneapolis, MN
• Abbey M. Horwitz of Newark, NJ (2025 Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Wyatt R. Jansen of Stamford. CT
• Luke Lantta of Atlanta, GA
• Lisa M. Lehan of Omaha, NE
• T. Griffin Leschefske of Portland, ME (2022 New England Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Marianne Hong Luu-Chen of Boulder, CO (2024 Rocky Mountain Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Meredith N. McIver of Austin, TX
• Hunter Mobley of Nashville, TN (2023 Southeast Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Charles S. Ofstein of Kalamazoo, MI
• Pamela D. Orsak of Victoria, TX
• Lisa M. Paine of Phoenix, AZ
• Joseph M. Percopo of Orlando, FL (2022 Florida Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Bryan A. Phillips of Houston, TX
• Elizabeth T. Powdrill of Austin, TX
• Joshua Paul Rogers of Salt Lake City, UT (2024 Rocky Mountain Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Daniela Ronchetti of Denver, CO
• John A. Rouchell of New Orleans, LA
• Lauren W. Routhier of Minneapolis, MN
• Joseph A. Sillitto of Columbus, GA
• Erny G. Simmons of Dallas, TX
• Brian G. Smith of New York, NY
• Micah G. Snitzer of Bethesda, MD
• Anna K. Soliman of Los Angeles, CA
• Bruce D. Steiner of New York, NY
• Taylor J. Stuckey of Lexington, KY
• Ryan Szczepanik of San Francisco, CA
• Allison Tait of Richmond, VA
• Julia E. Tarvin of Cincinnati, OH
• Robert H. Trudeau of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (2019 Florida Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Monica Hof Wallace of New Orleans, LA
• William J. Whitaker of Salt Lake City, UT
• Jorja L. Williams of Fort Lauderdale, FL (2022 Florida Fellows Institute Graduate)
• Mindi Bozeman Zanowiak of Amarillo, TX

About The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): Established in 1949, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) is a national, nonprofit association of approximately 2,300 lawyers and law professors from throughout the United States and abroad. ACTEC members (Fellows) are peer-elected on the basis of professional reputation and expertise in the preparation of wills and trusts, estate planning, probate, trust administration and related practice areas. The College's mission includes the improvement and reform of probate, trust and tax laws and procedures and professional practice standards. ACTEC frequently offers technical comments with regard to legislation and regulations but does not take positions on matters of policy or political objectives.

About the ACTEC Fellows Institutes: The Institutes of the College are intensive, multi-day programs focused on advanced professional development for trust and estate lawyers at a formative stage of specialization. Supported and managed by ACTEC Fellows and staff, the Institutes are open to lawyers who concentrate, or seek to concentrate, in trusts and estates law, generally those with two to seven years of experience, and who are nominated by an ACTEC Fellow. The Institutes are one-year programs designed to foster professional growth, technical excellence, and leadership within the trust and estate profession and may serve as a pathway to election to ACTEC. As of October 28, 2026, 757 lawyers have graduated from an Institute, and 82 graduates have been elected as ACTEC Fellows.

Contact: Suzy Shaw
[email protected]
202.465.8270

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SOURCE American College of Trust and Estate Counsel