Kara Gendron is co-owner of Mott & Gendron Law, located in Harrisburg, Pa.  In her spare time, she loves to explore nature – especially if it involves snorkeling – and hanging out with her four kids at Hershey Park or various sporting events.   Kara has been practicing bankruptcy law exclusively since 2001 and taught bankruptcy law at Widener Law School for several years.  She is board certified in Consumer Bankruptcy Law and a certified bankruptcy court mediator.  In addition to her private bankruptcy law practice, she is a Chapter 7 Trustee and a Chapter 12 Trustee.  Kara is a Board Member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) and serves as NACBA’s Chair for the Circuit Leader Committee and this year’s planning committee for the annual Convention in Colorado Springs.  She is the Membership Relations Director for the American Bankruptcy Institute’s (ABI) Consumer Bankruptcy Committee and is an Advisory Board Member for ABI’s Consumer Practice Extravaganza (CPEX).  She is a Director for American Board of Certification (ABC), a Board member of the Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association (MDBBA), an Advisory Board Member for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Court, and an Advisory Board Member for the American Bankruptcy Law Journal Advisory Board (ABLJ), which is published by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ).

Jack is the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and his J.D. from Marquette University Law School.  Prior to having been appointed as Trustee, Jack worked in private practice in Chicago, Illinois and, previously, as a staff attorney for the Chapter 13 Trustee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for almost a decade.  He is licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, Illinois and Pennsylvania.  Jack is a member of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT), a board member of the Attorney Advisory Committee for the Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and a director of the Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association (MDBBA).  He is a speaker for the MDBBA, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) and Federal Bar Association (FBA).  Most recently, he has co-authored Reports and Reflections from Chapter 13 Standing Trustees in 2022 Regarding the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Courts and Their Responses to It, Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice  31 No. 1 J. Bankr. L. & Prac. NL Art. 2.  In his free time, Jack enjoys outdoor activities like skiing and running, and exploring the East Coast.

Mr. Sellars serves as the Assistant United States Trustee for the Middle District of Pennsylania.  Prior to his appointment as the AUST for the Middle District, Mr. Sellars served as a Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice – Office of the United States Trustee, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Whether as the AUST or a Trial Attorney, Mr. Sellars works to protect the integrity of the bankruptcy system through active litigation and oversight of cases and issues in Chapters 7, 11, 12, 13 and 15. Prior to joining the U.S. Trustee’s Office, Mr. Sellars clerked for a federal judge in Jacksonville, Florida, after graduating law school. Following that clerkship, Mr. Sellars joined the U.S. Department of Justice – Tax Division, where he served as a federal prosecutor and as counsel to the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Tax Matters.  As a federal prosecutor, he tried complex tax and white collar crimes in U.S. District Courts throughout the United States.  As counsel to the DAAG, Mr. Sellars helped oversee and manage the operations of, and litigation conducted by, the Tax Division.  Mr. Sellars transferred from the Tax Division to the U.S. Trustee’s Office in January 2004, where he served until February 2009.  Mr. Sellars returned to the U.S. Trustee’s Office in August 2016. From Feburary 2009 to August 2016, Mr. Sellars worked in private practice in the Harrisburg area.  While in private practice, Mr. Sellars represented clients in various energy matters including negotiation of lease agreements, contractual issues, due diligence issues with respect to consumer protection law matters, litigation and settlement matters, and bankruptcy advice to utility providers. Additionally, he represented clients including banks, secured lenders and mortgage servicers in matters of creditors’ rights in state and bankruptcy courts.  Mr. Sellars has also represented various professionals before state administrative boards, conducted internal investigations for corporate clients and is a court certified mediator. Mr. Sellars has been a frequent lecturer at professional CLE events.  Additionally, Mr. Sellars served a three-year term on the Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association’s Board of Directors. Mr. Sellars received his B.S. in finance with a minor in business law from the Pennsylvania State University in 1991.  He received his J.D. from Stetson University College of Law in 1996, graduating cum laude.  He was a member of Stetson’s nationally recognized National Trial Team, Moot Court Board and National Client Counseling Team.  Mr. Sellars is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania, Florida and before various federal courts including the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Karen B. Owens is a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Delaware.  Before her appointment, Judge Owens was a director in the Bankruptcy and Insolvency group of Ashby & Geddes, P.A. where she maintained a diverse practice, representing corporate debtors, estate professionals, various secured and unsecured creditor constituencies, and other interested parties in reorganization and liquidation proceedings and bankruptcy-related litigation.  Prior to joining Ashby & Geddes, Judge Owens started her career at Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as a corporate restructuring associate, and later went on to serve as a law clerk to Honorable Brendan Linehan Shannon of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  Judge Owens is an adjunct professor in the Bankruptcy L.L.M. Program at St. John’s University School of Law in New York.  She is also co-President of the Delaware Bankruptcy American Inn of Court, a member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia/Wilmington Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, and member of the Judicial Insolvency Network and the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation.  Judge Owens earned her law degree, summa cum laude, from American University, Washington College of Law, where she served as Associate Managing Editor for the American University Law Review and as Legal Intern to the Honorable Stephen S. Mitchell of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, where she was Phi Beta Kappa.  

Ms. Miller is a member at Gellert Scali Busenkell & Brown LLC in its Philadelphia office, where she concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Ms. Miller serves as a Subchapter V Trustee in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey in Chapter 11 cases filed under the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA). Ms. Miller currently serves as Chair for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference (EDPABC) and serves on the Boards of the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project (CBAP) and the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC). Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Miller served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Bucks County DA’s Office and as a clerk for the Honorable Jeffrey L. Finley in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas. Ms. Miller earned her B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University, her M.A. from Arcadia University and her J.D. from Widener University Delaware School of Law.

Derek Baker is a Partner in Reed Smith LLP’s Financial Industry Group, resident in the firm’s Philadelphia and Princeton offices, practicing in the area of Commercial Restructuring & Bankruptcy. He represents major constituencies (including institutional lenders, secured creditors, creditor committees, and debtors) in workouts, restructurings, foreclosures and bankruptcies throughout the country. Mr. Baker has substantial first chair trial and appellate experience in state and federal courts (including bankruptcy courts) addressing varying issues ranging from enforcement of creditor remedies to contested confirmation hearings on plans of reorganization. He has substantial experience in documenting forbearance credit transactions, as well as negotiating out-of-court liquidations and counseling clients on the exercise of state court remedies, including issues relating to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Mr. Baker is a former chair of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference, has served on various local rules committees and is a Certified Mediator, participating on the Bankr. E.D. Pa. Mediation Panel. 

Jerrold N. Poslusny, Jr. was appointed to the bench for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey in June 2015. Prior to his appointment, Judge Poslusny served as Law Clerk to the Honorable E. Stephen Derby and James F. Schneider, United States Bankruptcy Judges for the District of Maryland, then as an associate and member with firms in Southern New Jersey. Judge Poslusny concentrated his practice in bankruptcy law, workouts and commercial litigation. Judge Poslusny received his B.S. degree from the Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Maryland School Of Law. Judge Poslusny has served as an editor, author and frequent lecturer to professional and educational organizations.

Amy E. Vulpio is a
Partner at White and Williams LLP in Philadelphia, PA, where she focuses her
practice on creditor and debtor representation, bankruptcy appellate work and
bankruptcy-related commercial litigation. Counseling clients that
range from small local businesses to large multinational corporations, Amy’s
experience representing both debtors and creditors gives her the broad
perspective needed to understand and anticipate the priorities and
motivations of the party across the courtroom or conference table.
Amy has represented debtors from the healthcare, manufacturing, technology,
and service industries in traditional Chapter 11 proceedings as well as
Subchapter V cases and out-of-court workouts. On the creditor side,
Amy’s clients include financial institutions and other secured lenders,
insurance companies, lessors, contract counterparties, and trade
creditors. Amy also represents creditors’ committees and Chapter 11
trustees. In addition to her work with clients, Amy has chaired the
Steering Committee of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy
Conference and is past President of the Board of Directors of the Consumer
Bankruptcy Assistance Project (CBAP), a non-profit that provides pro bono
bankruptcy representation to low-income Philadelphians. Amy also
serves on the Board of Directors of the International Women’s Insolvency and
Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC).

Matthew Kaslow concentrates his practice on corporate finance, restructuring, and bankruptcy matters, and related litigation for Blank Rome. He represents secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, liquidating trustees, and Chapter 11 debtors. He prosecutes and defends avoidance actions in large Chapter 11 cases and represents plaintiffs and defendants in commercial litigation in state and federal court. Prior to joining Blank Rome, Matt served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ashely M. Chan of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, legal intern for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, compliance extern for Endo International, law clerk for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and judicial intern for the Honorable Mitchell S. Goldberg of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. During law school, Matt served as a symposium, note, and comment editor of the Temple Law Review, served as a research assistant, and was a member of the Rubin Public Interest Law Honor Society. Matt serves on the Executive Committee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference as Treasurer and was a Commercial Problem Chair for the Conference’s 2019 Annual Forum,  Education Chair for the Conference’s 2022 Annual Forum, and Secretary for the Conference’s 2023 Annual Form. He presented at the 2022 Annual Forum’s program Ethics in Bankruptcy: Conflicts, Disinterestedness, and Representations to the Court. Matt also presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s 2019 Bankruptcy Institute, 2020 Bankruptcy in a Pandemic: What You Need to Know “Shark Tank”, and Bankruptcy Trends & Predictions for 2022: Updates on Automatic Stay Requirements Violations, Turnover Actions, & Police Powers programs. Matt is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and co-authored materials for its virtual Insol 2020 Conference “Views from the Bench: Mass Torts” program. He also co-authored an article published in the July 2021 ABI Journal titled “Fundamental Procedural Fairness: The Sine Qua Non for the Enforcement of Third-Party Releases Authorized in a Foreign Proceeding” and an article published in the June 2018 edition of Pratt’s Journal of Bankruptcy Law titled “New York Bankruptcy Courts Grapple with Territorial Limits of U.S. Bankruptcy Code.” He is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, JD, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif and The Pennsylvania State University, Schreyer Honors College, BS, with distinction. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and before the US District Courts of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Western District of Pennsylvania and Colorado. 

Judge Ashely M. Chan
sits as a bankruptcy judge for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Chan was a
shareholder at Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller and
concentrated her practice in the areas of bankruptcy and corporate
restructuring. She is a 1996 graduate of Rutgers School of Law –
Camden, where she received Tax Honors with Distinction and received the
Rutgers Pro Bono Publico Award. From 1996 to 1997, Judge Chan
served as law clerk for the Honorable Gloria M. Burns of the United States
Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Before joining
HASPS, she was an associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in the
business and finance section where she focused on bankruptcy, corporate
restructuring, and corporate finance. She has received numerous
recognitions, including being selected as a Leader in
Bankruptcy/Restructuring by Chambers USA, a Best Lawyer in America in
Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights and a Pennsylvania Lawyer on the Fast
Track by The Legal Intelligencer and Pennsylvania Law Weekly. She
is an adjunct professor at Temple Law School where she teaches a course on
commercial bankruptcy practice and procedure. She also serves as Chair of the
Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Group. Judge Chan is passionate about increasing
diversity in the legal profession and loves to spend time in nature with her
2 dogs.

Judge Altenburg was
appointed to the bench for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the
District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey on May 19, 2014. Prior to his
appointment, Judge Altenburg served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Daniel J.
Moore, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey in
Newark, New Jersey, then as an associate with the firm of Davis, Reberkenny
& Abramowitz in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and finally as the sole
shareholder of Andrew B. Altenburg, Jr., Esquire P.C. in Marlton, New Jersey
for more than fourteen years. Judge Altenburg concentrated his practice in
bankruptcy law, credit union representation and creditor/debtor relations.
Judge Altenburg received his B.A. degree, cum laude, from Niagara University
and his J.D. degree from the University Of Dayton School Of Law. Judge
Altenburg has served as an editor, author and frequent lecturer to various
professional and educational organizations.

Lawrence J. Kotler  is a Partner at Duane Morris in Philadelphia and co-chair of the Bankruptcy and Fiduciary Representations division of Duane Morris’ Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring Practice Group. Mr. Kotler practices in the area of reorganization and finance, representing chapter 11 debtors-in-possession, chapter 11 trustees, chapter 7 trustees, liquidating trustees, creditors’ committees, secured creditors and large institutional unsecured creditors in all facets of bankruptcy. Mr. Kotler is currently serving as counsel to the senior secured lender in the Hajjar Business Holdings, LLC et al, bankruptcy cases, pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey; counsel for StoneMor Operating LLC in the bankruptcy cases of Moon Group, Inc., pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware; and trustee’s counsel in the bankruptcy cases of Image Masters, Inc., et al., Fitzpatrick Container Corp., Precise Graphix, LLC, WM Robots, LLC,  and The Swarthmore Group, LLC, all pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Kotler has been listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers since 2006 as one of the top Bankruptcy lawyers in Pennsylvania. He has been named a Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania since 2005 and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2009. For their 2023 publication The Best Lawyers in America will recognize Mr. Kotler as “Lawyer of the Year” for Bankruptcy – Litigation in the Philadelphia metro region.  Mr. Kotler is also a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, and in 2022 was named to the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Best of the Best” for Bankruptcy.  Mr. Kotler is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware.  Mr. Kotler is a 1989 graduate of the Boston University School of Law and a 1986 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Schantz is one of three attorneys at David A. Colecchia and Associates, a small law firm in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He manages the firm’s bankruptcy practice, and he was appointed as a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Erie division, in September of 2023. Mr. Schantz is also the new Programming Director for the Judith K. Fitzgerald Inn of Court in Pittsburgh, where he hopes to have a memorable series of panels for its members this year. He earned his B.S. in Political Science and Decision Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005, and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2008.

Ms. Lee-Lewis is an attorney at Dilworth Paxson. She was Senior Counsel at the Law Offices of Georgette Miller and Associates, P.C. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her law degree from Georgetown University. She is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ms. Lee-Lewis has been a presenter at PBI’s 19th, 21st, and 22nd Annual Bankruptcy Institutes and Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference’s 27th and 31st Annual Forums. She is a member of the NBA Women’s Lawyer Division, National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (“NACBA”), Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference, and a Board Member of the People’s Emergency Center.

Judge Conway is a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania seated in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Prior to his appointment as a Bankruptcy Judge in 2021, Judge Conway was a solo practitioner where he primarily practiced bankruptcy law, representing debtors, creditors and trustees. His firm also engaged in a diverse general practice with an emphasis on commercial matters, estate planning, probate, banking, litigation, real estate, municipal matters, zoning and planning, incorporation, and commercial disputes. He was appointed to serve as a Chapter 7 Trustee in 1993 and as a Chapter 11 Subchapter V Trustee in 2020. Additionally, he has served as Treasurer of the Lackawanna County Bar Association, Zoning Hearing Board Solicitor, Planning Commission Solicitor and Borough Solicitor. He earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Scranton and his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law. In 1990 he also earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license. He began his career in Philadelphia, and eventually relocated to his hometown of Dunmore, Pennsylvania to raise his family. He is a proud father of seven (7) children.

Judge Mayer was appointed on March 11, 2020 to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Reading Division. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Mayer focused her practice on representing individuals and small business owners in consumer bankruptcy cases, IRS Collection matters and mortgage foreclosure defense. Judge Mayer was a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) where she served as the 3rd Circuit Community Leader. She was also a member of the Board of Directors for the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project (CBAP) and served as Chair of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference. In March of 2014, Ms. Mayer was selected to serve on the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Local Rules Committee and tasked with drafting the new Model Chapter 13 Plan currently being used in the District along with revisions to other local procedures and rules. Judge Mayer is a frequent lecturer and course planner for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference. Judge Mayer graduated, magna cum laude, from De Sales University with a B.A. in Politics in 1991. She earned her J.D. degree from Temple University School of Law in 1997.Judge Mayer currently serves on the Bankruptcy Education Advisory Committee for the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) and is a member of the Public Outreach and Rules Committees for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.