Cheers and Welcome to Class XXXVI !
Jennifer Hagle , Sidley Austin LLP Chair , Board of Regents
The diligent work of the Board of Regents , together with the Judicial and International N o m i n a t i n g Committees , began as soon as the Induction Ceremony concluded in Washington D . C . last March . From that point on , the Committees , Regents and their respective Circuit Admissions Councils worked tirelessly to recruit and cultivate this year ’ s exceptionally qualified class of 37 new Fellows . With the help of countless Fellows within the College , the various Circuits and Nominating Committees cast a wider net than ever , resulting in an unprecedented number of diverse and qualified candidates , making the selection process particularly challenging this year . The nomination packets ultimately advanced by the various Circuits represented only the best and the brightest professionals in the restructuring industry , legal and advisory professionals with a demonstrated commitment to scholarship , education and a strong record of paying-it-forward within their communities The Regents and Committee chairs then undertook a rigorous and highly confidential vetting process , culminating in a thoughtful yet robust , spirited yet collegial , Regent meeting in Seattle in September where 37 new Fellows were ultimately selected for Class XXXVI .
As a result , this year ’ s class of Fellows represents one of the most diverse classes
to date , including 38 % women , 32 % under the age of 50 , 8 % financial advisors and investment bankers and 14 % academics . The geographic reach of this year ’ s class is also impressive and spans the globe , representing twenty-one ( 21 ) states , Hong Kong , Australia and Switzerland .
To be sure , the diversity represented by Class XXXVI is not the result of “ chance ” or “ luck ”. Rather , the Regents and Circuit Admissions Councils coordinated closely with the DEI Committee , with the benefit of a detailed memo prepared by the DEI Committee outlining a set of Working Principles to ensure a process that would ultimately yield a class of Fellows representing a broad spectrum of geographic , age , gender , racial and practicearea diversity . The Regents also participated in several calls where they exchanged best practices and specific tips on how they were working to increase diversity within their respective Circuits while holding all candidates to the exceptionally high standards of the College . I am especially proud of how hard the Regents worked with their Circuit Admissions Councils and Circuit Fellows this year to curate such a great new class of Fellows .
It is notable that , to further advance the quality of the future of the College , the Regents are also increasingly focused on working year-round to build a “ pipeline ” for their Circuits to ensure that there will be a strong line of potential Fellow candidates on deck . This process is exhaustive and entails building a pipeline of candidates , not just for the next one to three years but
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