The American Board of Certification has new faces for a new year. Well, some are not so new. Robert Bernstein, managing partner of Bernstein Law Firm, P.C. in Pittsburgh, is well-known in the legal circles and around ABC. Bernstein has served as president-elect of ABC for the past year. He previously spent two years as treasurer, and before that served as the chair of the Standards Committee, which reviews attorneys' applications to become certified.

He is eager to get his new responsibilities underway. "My goal for the year is to help the organization assimilate and certify an unusually large number of applications and to assist the executive director in taking the organization to greater heights in respectability and market penetration," says Bernstein. "One provision of the new bankruptcy law states that board certification is a factor the court can take into account when awarding fees to counsel. The law change also requires that we start testing under the new law in 2006. These two developments resulted in a significant spike in the number of applications for certification. Assuming many of these applicants complete the requirements, the ABC will have over 1,000 certified attorneys," he said. "That is an accomplishment that shows the acceptance and importance of certification."

ABC also hired a new executive director, Michelle Sparacino. She is located at the ABC headquarters in Alexandria, Va. Prior to joining ABC, Michelle enjoyed a successful, 17-year career in higher education, primarily in academic health as the director of admissions for several prominent graduate schools. She also served, most recently, as the assistant director of the American Medical College Application Service, a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Michelle earned her B.A. in Middle Eastern history from the University of Maryland at College Park, and studied education policy in The George Washington University's master's program. She will use her application processing, marketing and education experience to oversee ABC's operations, including board governance, committee liaison functions and marketing to ensure a smooth transition from her predecessor. "With my familiarity with the medical field, I am aware of the vital role credentialing and specialization play in the health of an industry and in the public's trust. My goal is to use that understanding and experience to advance ABC's mission to promote certification in the legal profession," said Sparacino, who assumed the post on Jan. 3, 2006.

In addition to these leadership changes, ABC is pleased to welcome several new board members: Mark Abrams of Abrams & Abrams, P.C. in Chicago; Adam Nach of Lane & Nach, P.C. in Phoenix; and Mark Zuckerberg of the Bankruptcy Law of Office of Mark Zuckerburg, P.C. in Indianapolis.

For more information about ABC or certification in business bankruptcy, consumer bankruptcy or creditors' rights, please contact the American Board of Certification at (703) 739-1023, or [email protected].