Skip to content

NYIC Leadership

Executive Committee

Mark-Indelicato-200x250

Mark Indelicato 

NYIC Chairman

Mark is the managing partner of Thompson Coburn Hahn & Hessen in New York. Throughout his career, Mark has represented parties in virtually every aspect of insolvencies, bankruptcies, and out-of-court workouts, including secured and unsecured creditors, trustees, debtors and purchasers of assets in Chapter 11 cases. Over the last 15 years, his practice has concentrated primarily on representing the interests of creditor groups in bankruptcy proceedings, particularly Creditors’ Committees in large complex bankruptcies. Mark has a recognized talent in working with all sides to ensure that even in troubled situations, the interests of his clients are maximized.

Mark served as managing partner of Hahn & Hessen from 2010 to July 2021, when the firm combined with the national law firm Thompson Coburn, which has more than 400 attorneys and seven offices nationwide. Admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, Mark is a member of the New York State and American Bar Associations.

Cyganowski_Board2018

Melanie Cyganowski 

NYIC President

Melanie is a Member of the Firm at Otterbourg, P.C. and is a former U.S. Chief Bankruptcy Judge EDNY (14 years) who returned to private practice in 2007. Before the bench, she was a commercial/securities litigator at Sullivan & Cromwell and Milbank Tweed. She is a Fellow of the Am College of Bankruptcy and Lit Counsel of America.

She is on the MDL Plaintiffs Exec Comm of the GM Ignition Switch Lit. Also on the SDNY, Delaware and NJ Bankruptcy Court mediation registrars and court-appointed mediation panels (Lehman, GM, Metaldyne, Quebecor, BLMIS). Melanie is also an expert witness on US Bankruptcy Law (have appeared in courts in Cayman, BVI, Mexico, Philippines and England); and legal malpractice. She also represents government agencies (Michigan State Workers Comp agencies & the FDIC) and Official Chapter 11 Committees of Creditors.

allen-wilen

Allen Wilen 

NYIC Past Chairman

Mr. Allen D. Wilen is Partner of EisnerAmper, Investment Banking Arm and EisnerAmper. Mr. Wilen is a Partner in its Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group and has nearly 20 years of experience. He also has extensive experience working with situations involving logistics and distribution, health care, entertainment and light manufacturing. He served as Chief Restructuring Officer at Paper Mill Playhouse Inc. His extensive experience with bankruptcy, forensic accounting, corporate finance, and representing debtors, unsecured creditors and secured creditors in bankruptcy proceedings and out-of-court restructurings. In addition, he has spent considerable time in the areas of business operations, fraud investigation, contract damages and business valuation. He has also served as a liquidating Trustee and Disbursing Agent on multiple occasions.

david-berliner

David E. Berliner 

NYIC Treasurer/VP Finance

David E. Berliner is a partner in BDO USA, LLP, a CPA, CIRA and CTP with more than 25 years of experience in matters involving business restructurings, bankruptcy and insolvency, bankruptcy litigation, forensic investigations, transaction due diligence, accounting and auditing. Mr. Berliner has been involved in many bankruptcies and work-out situations representing unsecured creditors, debtors, and secured lenders. Mr. Berliner also prepares expert reports in bankruptcy litigation matters and has provided testimony at depositions and in bankruptcy court.

Jonathan-Bodner-2021

Jonathan Bodner 

NYIC Secretary

Jonathan Bodner is principal of Bodner Law PLLC located in Carle Place, New York.   Bodner Law PLLC represents local, regional and national businesses, as well as individuals, in transactions, litigation and bankruptcy matters throughout Long Island, the boroughs of New York City and New Jersey.   Bodner Law PLLC’s practice includes regularly representing debtors, creditors and others in matters involving the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 7 U.S.C. 499(a) et seq. (PACA), and the food and beverage industries.

paul-shur

Paul H. Shur 

NYIC VP Education

Paul H. Shur is a Shareholder in Becker & Poliakoff, LLP’s Corporate Practice. Mr. Shur focuses his practice in all aspects of commercial and financial transactions and related litigation enforcing and defending creditors’ rights. Having 30 years of experience, he has represented a broad array of clients in secured lending, asset based lending, commercial finance, debt restructuring, sales and lease transactions, negotiable instruments, letters of credit, documents of title, real estate secured transactions, and title insurance defense.

Paul has served on the Board of Directors of the New York Institute of Credit for many years and has moderated several educational programs as a member of the Education Committee.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Chapters of the Secured Finance Network and New Jersey Turnaround Management Association.  He is currently Education Chair of both the New York and New Jersey Chapters of the Secured Finance Network.

cassie-rosenthal

Cassie Rosenthal 

NYIC VP Membership

Cassie Rosenthal brings diverse experience and a wealth of expertise to Rosenthal & Rosenthal, Inc. She has dual responsibilities at the firm, managing both business development strategy and marketing efforts. Cassie is highly skilled at sourcing and developing new relationships with management and senior-level executives at a wide range of companies. In addition to her business development responsibilities, she has also been instrumental in creating an integrated marketing strategy for Rosenthal, including its rebranding.

Cassie has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and has appeared on BBC Radio and CNBC. She received a BA from Colgate University and a Masters in Art History from the Sotheby's Institute in London.

Jeffrey-Hampton-2023

Jeffrey Hampton 

Executive Committee Member at Large

Jeffrey Hampton is Chair of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Practice at Saul Ewing LLP. He concentrates his practice on restructuring matters, including Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, out-of-court workouts, loan restructurings, corporate reorganizations and general insolvency law. He also represents the purchasers of assets and business units of troubled or failing companies, both in and out of Chapter 11.

In addition to being an attorney, Jeffrey is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

harvey-gross

Harvey Gross

NYIC Executive Director

Harvey Gross is the founder and president of HSG Services Inc. He was formerly a vice president with NationsBank where he was wholesale credit manager, wholesale team leader, and account executive. He supervised in sales, marketing, and insolvency recoveries. He was the past chairman of the Turnaround Management Association and is currently a board member. Gross is also the executive director of IFA Northeast Chapter and executive director of the New York Institute of Credit.

Board of Directors

E.Aboulafia

Elizabeth Aboulafia

Elizabeth Aboulafia is a partner in Cullen and Dykman LLP's Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights department practicing in the areas of bankruptcy and restructuring as well as construction claims resolution and related contract matters. She advises companies as debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and in out-of-court restructurings and workouts in a wide range of industries. In addition to company-side representations, Elizabeth has experience on every side of bankruptcy and workouts, frequently representing creditors, creditors’ committees, equity holders and other key business stakeholders in debtor-creditor matters. Elizabeth approaches complex legal issues with practical-minded and business-oriented solutions.

Raffi-Azadian-2022

Raffi Azadian 

Raffi Azadian is an investor and entrepreneur with a strong preference for socially impactful businesses and charities. He is most active as the Founder and CEO of Change Capital, an investor and capital provider with an emphasis on businesses that provide innovative, sustainable, and socially responsible products and services.

In 2022, Raffi founded the Make Change Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that applies rigorous analysis and high ROI expectations to its giving decisions. The Foundation deploys capital selectively to those institutions and initiatives that can demonstrate high social impact and that efficiently and effectively utilize capital resources.

Prior to starting Change Capital, Raffi spent over 20 years in technology, venture capital, and investment banking.

CBerk200x250

Charles Berk 

Charles Berk, a CPA, CFF and CIRA with more than 35 years of experience, serves as the Co-Practice Leader of CBIZ’s Corporate Recovery & Litigation Support group. Charles specializes in matters involving business restructurings, bankruptcy and insolvency, and litigation support. He provides consulting services to various parties-in-interest in bankruptcy proceedings, primarily serving as financial advisor to numerous creditors’ committees as well as serving as a liquidating trustee and plan administrator on multiple engagements. Charles has provided expert witness testimony in connection with litigation involving financial frauds and fraudulent conveyances. Prior to joining the Corporate Recovery & Litigation Support group in 1999, Charles was a senior manager in the audit practice where he gained retail, manufacturing and wholesale distribution experience.  Charles joined CBIZ in September 1984.

2021-Beth-Brownstein

Beth Brownstein 

Beth represents committees of unsecured creditors and retired employees, secured creditors, indenture trustees, bondholder and noteholder groups, and other entities in bankruptcy reorganization and liquidation proceedings.

Immediately prior to joining ArentFox Schiff LLP, Beth served as a law clerk to the Honorable Allan L. Gropper, US Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York, where she gained experience working on large complex Chapter 11 cases such as General Growth Properties Inc., Lenox Sales Inc., and Lear Corp.

Beth also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Prudence Carter Beatty, US Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York, where she gained experience working on Chapter 11 cases.

jack-butler

Jack Butler 

One of the most highly regarded dealmakers and thought leaders in the restructuring, corporate reorganization and M&A communities, Jack has been credited as one of the principal architects of restructuring solutions for dozens of companies across a diverse range of industries. Jack’s recent transactions at Birch Lake include leadership of merchant banking relationships in the food, legal tech and transportation industries, among others. He is a member of the M&A Advisor Hall of Fame and the Turnaround, Restructuring and Distressed Investing Industry Hall of Fame. A founder and past chairman of the Turnaround Management Association, Jack is also a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy and International Insolvency Institute. In addition to serving in leadership positions with numerous civic and charitable organizations, he officiated high school and college football for many years and is a lifetime member of the American Football Coaches Association.

Kimberly Desmarais-200x200

Kim Desmarais 

Kim Desmarais has successfully acted as lead counsel on complex U.S. and cross-border financings across a broad range of industries for two decades. She has a strong leveraged lending background and represents borrowers, banks, private debt funds, commercial finance companies, and other institutional lenders in a variety of secured and unsecured transactions, with a particular focus on acquisition finance, asset-based loans, and alternative lending transactions in the funds and fintech sectors. Kim is regularly asked to advise on lending arrangements involving crypto assets and companies in the digital assets industry and is actively involved in Jones Day's global Fintech Working Group.

Untitled-1

Paul Deutch, Esq. 

Paul has been with Omni since 2009 and manages the firm’s New York office. He works closely with clients to ensure that they receive high-quality services tailored to their unique needs. A graduate of Syracuse University, Paul later earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. Following his clerkship with the Honorable Conrad B. Duberstein, Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York, Paul embarked on a fourteen-year legal career, focusing on all aspects of reorganization and liquidation proceedings including the representation of debtors, creditors, asset purchasers and lenders in many large and complex chapter 11 cases including Lehman Brothers, Calpine Energy, Integrated Health Services, Inc., M. Fabrikant & Sons, Inc., Ameripol Synpol Corporation, Charter Communications, Inc., Mirant Corp., Caldor Corp., eLot, Inc., Enron Corp., Star Diamond, AT&T Latin America, and Colt Mercantile.

jacen-dinoff

Jacen Dinoff 

As Principal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of KCP, Jacen Dinoff oversees all company operations and case assignments. Mr. Dinoff is highly-regarded as a corporate restructuring and turnaround management advisor with over 16 years of hands-on accounting, finance, management and operations experience that complements his technical expertise in bankruptcy case administration and financial advisory. Mr. Dinoff’s career has included engagements in financial and operational restructurings, asset divestitures through sale and liquidation, and senior debtor/creditor advisor roles for many well-known companies, both publicly and privately held.

Mr. Dinoff holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire, and an M.B.A in Finance from Bentley College.

Morgan_Grossman

Morgan Luchs

Morgan (Grossman) Luchs is an Associate of the firm Platzer, Swergold, Goldberg, Katz & Jaslow, LLP. Ms. Grossman represents clients in various commercial matters, including Breach of Contract Actions, Collection matters, specifically collections for merchant cash advances to small businesses, Equipment Leasing Transactions, Litigation/Trial Practice, Business Litigation, and General Commercial Litigation.

Ms. Luchs graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and received her Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law in 2015. Ms. Luchs is admitted to practice law in the State of New York. She has worked closely with retained local counsel, representing clients across the United States and in foreign nations. Ms. Luchs is a New York Institute of Credit Future Leader and member, she serves as Membership chair and is a member of the Contemporary Credit Club, she serves on the Associate Committee of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and member, and is a member of the National Equipment Finance Association.

leah-eisenberg

Leah Eisenberg 

Leah Eisenberg is a partner in Mayer Brown's New York office and a member of the Restructuring practice. Leah’s practice focuses on counseling clients in default, restructuring, bankruptcy and corporate trust matters, with an emphasis on indenture trustee and creditor representations.

Earlier in her career, she served as a first law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. Gerber, the US bankruptcy judge for the Southern District of New York.

tinamarie-feil

Tinamarie Feil 

Tinamarie Feil is a co-founder and the President of Client Services at BMC Group, an international information management and professional services firm.  Based in New York, Tinamarie has 30 years’ experience directing various aspects of corporate compliance, communications, insolvency case administration, as well as the due diligence process in major merger & acquisition transactions.

In addition to joining NYIC's board November 2018, she is UNCITRAL Committee Director of IWIRC’s delegation to the United Nations Committee on International Trade Law (Working Group V, Insolvency); a member of the international board of the American Bankruptcy Institute; and acts on the Editorial Board of The Bankruptcy Strategist.  Tinamarie is committed to community service, mentoring, and particularly interested in organizations that provide assistance and education to young people.

Gillespie_Board2018

Kevin Gillespie 

Kevin J. Gillespie is Executive Vice President and head of Middle Market Asset-Based Lending at Wells Fargo Capital Finance (WFCF).  With over 20 years of experience in asset-based lending and factoring, Kevin is the lead executive for Middle Market ABL relationships under $35 million, as well as all factoring relationships.  In this role, Kevin is also focused on Middle Market credit, operational risk, compliance, and new business development.  He joined Wells Fargo in 2010, and is a key member of the WFCF Management Committee.

Sheryl_Giugliano

Sheryl Giugliano 

Sheryl P. Giugliano is a Partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., and a member of the Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice Group, Corporate and Securities Department, and the Commercial Litigation Department. Her experience includes restructuring, bankruptcy, and litigation. Sheryl works with companies facing solvency issues to identify a solution and implement a strategic response, which includes negotiating with interested parties, creditors, and shareholders, and may also include filing for bankruptcy protection, or facilitating an out-of-court wind down.

Neil-Gupta

Neil Gupta 

Neil Gupta is a Managing Director at SSG Capital Advisors. Neil works with investment banking clients on a wide range of special situations transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations and private placements of both senior and subordinated debt and equity. His responsibilities include buyer and investor relationship management, strategic advisory and overall management of the deal process. Prior to joining SSG, he advised the U.S. Treasury on its investment in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) as a research analyst at Piedmont Investment Advisors. He also worked as a consulting actuary in the group benefits and health care practice at Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

robert-katz

Robert Katz 

Robert Katz is a Managing Director in the Financial Advisory Services at EisnerAmper. With over 25 years of experience, Robert works with public and private middle-market companies, both in and out of bankruptcy, who are facing operational or financial challenges to create and execute the strategy needed to restructure or improve operating performance.

In a leadership capacity, Robert acts as Interim President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Restructuring Officer or Treasurer, helping companies improve operating performance. He acts as plan administrator, distribution trustee and receiver. Robert also advises United States trustees, creditor committees, company management, lenders and private equity funds. He pursues substantial litigation claims and avoidance actions, as well as serves as an expert witness.

suzanne-koenig

Suzanne Koenig 

Suzanne Koenig is president and founder of SAK Management Services LLC, a nationally recognized Healthcare and Long-Term Care Management Consulting Services company. With over thirty years of extensive experience as an owner and operator, Ms. Koenig offers specialized skills in operations improvement, staff development, and quality assurance, with particular expertise in marketing, census development as well as operations enhancement for the whole spectrum of Senior Housing, Long-Term Care, and other Healthcare Entities requiring Turnaround Services.

Ms. Koenig’s professional experience has included executive positions in marketing, development and operations management for both regional and national health care providers representing property portfolios throughout the United States.

Jennifer-Palmer-2024

Jennifer Palmer 

Jennifer Palmer has 16 years of commercial finance experience and is the former CEO of Gerber Finance - one of the leading asset-based lenders - where she grew its portfolio by more than 140%. Jennifer also serves as president of the Secured Finance Network ("SFNet"), the leading trade organization to the commercial finance industry. She has been recognized by the ABF as a Top Woman in ABL.

Christy-Searl-2021

Christy Searl 

Christy is the Chief Revenue Officer at AC Power.  A relationship manager, business developer, and lawyer, Christy specializes in alternative investments, special situations, and impact investing. She began her career at Chadbourne & Parke LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright) as a litigator. She worked as in-house counsel at Lehman Brothers for nearly a decade, working with the energy and real estate teams, among others. Following Lehman’s filing for bankruptcy protection, Christy worked for the Lehman Brothers Holdings bankruptcy estate helping to unwind Lehman’s legacy real estate assets and derivatives contracts. At Burford Capital, an alternative capital provider, she held roles managing the U.S. underwriting group and in business development. At Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS), Christy headed up sales in the U.S. and later transitioned to Deputy General Counsel for GLAS Americas. Christy loves sourcing and closing deals, making connections, and helping to advance the renewable energy sector. Christy holds degrees from Georgetown University Law Center and Brown University and is a member of the Rhode Island Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Christy co-Chairs the Private Equity/Hedge Fund Committee for the New York Institute of Credit.

Kevin-Zuzolo

Kevin Zuzolo 

Kevin Zuzolo is a lawyer with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer &  Feld LLP.  Kevin focuses on chapter 11 and out-of-court complex financial restructurings and represents various parties in interest, including debtors, secured lenders, bondholders, creditors’ committees, and liquidating trustees. Kevin counsels clients in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, technology, retail, and energy.