The Academy is delighted to announce that retired Bankruptcy Judge William Houston “Bill” Brown has accepted the position of Editor & Advisor to the NACTT Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education. Judge Brown retired from the bench in 2006 after spending 20 years as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. He also served on the Sixth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for four years. Since retirement, Judge Brown has served as a mediator and expert witness. He is also a prolific writer, partnering with authors such as The Honorable Keith M. Lundin, Lawrence Ahern, and Nancy MacLean. Judge Brown has a reputation as a collaborator and will be a tremendous asset to the Academy.

Judge Brown fills the position vacated by Professor Michael White. In March of this year, it was with great sadness that the Academy Board of Directors accepted the resignation of Editor and Advisor Professor Michaela White. Professor White was instrumental in shaping the Academy into a premier resource for all things Chapter 13 related. The Academy is grateful for her dedication, determination, and shoulder-to-the-wheel hard work.

The Academy is also pleased to welcome new President of the Board of Directors M. Regina “Gina” Thomas. Ms. Thomas is the Clerk of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia. She has served on the Board of Directors for the NACTT Academy since 2009. Having served as President of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, she brings experience and insight to the position. Click here for a complete biography of Ms. Thomas.

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The Honorable William Houston Brown retired in 2006 as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, and he had been designated to sit also in the Middle District of Tennessee, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Michigan and Western District of Kentucky. Judge Brown served a four-year term on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Sixth Circuit from 1999 through 2002. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was Order of the Coif. Judge Brown is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, having served on its Board and Executive Committee, and he is a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. He is the author or co-author of several texts, including Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, 2005 Bankruptcy Reform Legislation with Analysis 1st and 2d editions, Bankruptcy and Domestic Relations Manual, The Law of Debtors and Creditors, as well as bankruptcy form books, all published by Thomson West. He is also a principal contributing editor for Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 3rd, published by Thomson West. Judge Brown prepares a quarterly update of consumer cases for the Federal Judicial Center, which distributes those materials to all bankruptcy judges, and he is a speaker at the Federal Judicial Center’s annual seminars for bankruptcy judges. He also speaks regularly at seminars throughout the United States, on consumer bankruptcy topics. Judge Brown co-authors Chapter 13 Bankruptcy 4th ed., a digital publication, available at ch13online.com. Judge Brown also acts as a mediator in bankruptcy-related disputes, has conducted mock trials, and has testified as an expert witness in bankruptcy court proceedings.