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RICHARD J. BEDFORD is a staff attorney for Ronda J. Winnecour, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. degree from the Pennsylvania State University (1973) and his J.D. degree from Ohio Northern University (1976). Mr. Bedford engaged in the general practice of law, and was a member of the Chapter 7 Trustee Panel in the Western District, before becoming counsel to the Chapter 13 trustee in 1990. NATALIE LUTZ CARDIELLO is a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Cardiello graduated, magna cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh in 1983, where she was named a University Scholar. She obtained her J.D. degree from Duquesne University School of Law. Prior to her appointment as a bankruptcy trustee, Ms. Cardiello served as chairman and chief operating officer of a privately held corporation. She has also held legal positions with Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C. and Equimark Corporation. Ms. Cardiello is a frequent speaker on bankruptcy and related matters. She currently serves as a member of the Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section Council for the Allegheny County Bar Association, and as a member of the Standing Local Rules Committee for the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. HON. JUDITH K. FITZGERALD was appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on October 30, 1987, after serving nearly 12 years as an assistant U.S. attorney. She sits by designation in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, and formerly sat by designation in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of the Virgin Islands. She is a past president of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. Judge Fitzgerald teaches bankruptcy and advanced bankruptcy law as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and previously taught secured transactions. She is an elected member of The American Law Institute, a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, an honorary master of the American Inns of Court-Pittsburgh Chapter, and a member of the Bankruptcy Section Executive Council of the Commercial Law League of America. Judge Fitzgerald is co-editor of a national treatise on bankruptcy and publishes and lectures on bankruptcy, evidence and litigation topics. CHRIS FRYE is an attorney with the Pittsburgh law firm of Steidl & Steinberg. He obtained his law degree from Duquesne University after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. His focus within the firm is on bankruptcy matters, and he has helped a great many individuals and businesses through some very difficult times. Along with practicing law, Mr. Frye is an active member of the local community and spends his "free" time serving on the Board of Directors of a local non-profit. NORMAN E. GILKEY is a shareholder in the Debtor/Creditor Rights Group of the Pittsburgh firm of Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C. Mr. Gilkey has nearly 25 years of experience in the bankruptcy/insolvency field, representing Chapter 11 and 7 debtors, official committees of unsecured creditors, commercial landlords, secured creditors, major unsecured creditors, bonding companies, trustees, receivers, and entities going through out-of-court restructurings or liquidations. Mr. Gilkey graduated from the College of Wooster in 1973. Upon graduation, he served in the U.S. Army, earning a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado. He earned his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law. Mr. Gilkey has served as an adjunct professor of bankruptcy law at Duquesne University School of Law. He is a past chairperson of the Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association, and is a former editor of the case law newsletter published by the section. He also is a regular panelist at the annual bankruptcy symposium and numerous other seminars. He is designated as a business bankruptcy specialist by the American Board of Certification; is on the panel of mediators of both the U.S. District and Bankruptcy courts for the Western District of Pennsylvania; and is active in the Pittsburgh chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, for which he has served as a board member. JEFFREY J. SIKIRICA is a sole practitioner in Gibsonia, concentrating in the areas of bankruptcy, commercial law and civil litigation. Mr. Sikirica has been practicing bankruptcy law since 1992, and he has represented debtors and creditors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases. Since 2000, he has been serving as a panel trustee in Chapter 7 and 11 cases for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association and he has participated in a number of bankruptcy-related seminars. Mr. Sikirica received his J.D. degree from Duquense University School of Law and his B.S. degree from the University of Pittsburgh. ROBERT P. SIMONS is a partner with Reed Smith LLP and is a member of the firm's Financial Industry Group, practicing in the area of commercial restructuring and bankruptcy. Mr. Simons has extensive experience in commercial transactions, bankruptcies, and restructuring matters in both "old" and "new" economy industries. He has experience in negotiating (in workouts and restructurings), enforcing and defending (in litigation or bankruptcies) the rights of secured creditors, unsecured creditors and creditors' committees, junior debt and equity holders, troubled companies, and Boards of Directors in financial restructurings and reorganization matters. He has also represented the interests of asset and fund managers, including fiduciaries, in troubled company situations. Additionally, Mr. Simons has represented numerous buyers and sellers of distressed assets, debt and equity. He has written on bankruptcy and creditors' rights topics for various trade and legal publications; and he is a frequent lecturer on legal topics, including officer and director liability. Mr. Simons earned his B.S. degree from Concord University and his J.D. degree from West Virginia University. He is admitted to practice in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the International Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the West Virginia Bar Association. ROBERT H. SLONE is a partner with the law firm Mahady & Mahady, where he practices in the area of bankruptcy law. Mr. Slone has been a Chapter 7 trustee serving on the Panel of Trustees for the Western District of Pennsylvania since 1979. Additionally, he represents both debtors and creditors in state, federal and bankruptcy court actions. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and all federal courts, including the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Slone is a member of the Westmoreland County and Pennsylvania bar associations and the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees. He earned his B.S. degree, in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. MODERATOR - FRANCIS E. CORBETT is a shareholder and the managing attorney of Calaiaro & Corbett, P.C., in Pittsburgh. He has been representing debtors with financial problems since he was admitted to the practice of law in 1982. Mr. Corbett enjoys a reputation among his bankruptcy colleagues and judges for his ethical, aggressive and zealous representation of debtors experiencing financial problems. He is the pro bono chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association's Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section. He is a frequent speaker and faculty member at bankruptcy seminars for other lawyers. Mr. Corbett has represented more than 5,000 debtors in consumer, business and individual cases in Chapter 7 (liquidations), Chapter 11 (business reorganizations) and Chapter 13 (personal reorganization). He frequently represents small businesses, including contractors and retailers, as well as family farm enterprises facing reorganization and liquidation. Mr. Corbett earned his B.A. degree from the University of Pittsburgh and his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
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