Fall is an exciting but bittersweet time at the CBF as we welcome new Officers and board members while thanking our outgoing Officers and board members as their terms conclude, and this year is no exception.
With deep gratitude to outgoing President Tom Panoff for his exemplary leadership and service throughout his CBF tenure, we are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth P. Lewis as our 2026-2027 CBF Board President.
As the Pro Bono and Community Service Partner at McDermott Will & Schulte, Elizabeth leads the firm’s pro bono, community service, and charitable giving initiatives. A longtime leader for the CBF and broader access to justice community, Elizabeth has served on the Board of Directors since 2018 and as an Officer since 2024. Before joining the CBF board, she served with distinction as a member and then President of the CBF Young Professionals Board.
In addition, the CBF congratulate two new Officers who currently serve on the Board of Directors: Dave Gordon of Sidley Austin LLP is the new 2nd Vice President, and Susan Valentine of Valentine Austriaco & Buschel, P.C. is the new Board Treasurer.
To complete the new board slate for the coming year, the CBF welcomes a distinguished group of new board members:
- Alexa Berlin, Latham & Watkins LLP
- Hon. Neil Cohen, Circuit Court of Cook County
- Dora Cornelio, Tristan & Cervantes, LLC
- Alexis Johnson, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
- Beth Kaveny, Kaveny Sarmas Injury Lawyers
- Keith Keogh, Keogh Law, Ltd.
- Betsey Madden, IL Dept. of Human Rights
- Kernisha Padilla, Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC
- Caitlin Poirier, Crowe
- Shawn Ronda, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
As we welcome this outstanding slate of new Officers and Board members, the CBF expresses our heartfelt thanks to our outgoing Officers and Board members for their remarkable dedication and service:
- Hon. Alison Conlon, Circuit Court of Cook County
- Kareem Dale, PayPal
- Nancy Gerrie (Ret.), Winston Taylor (outgoing Treasurer)
- Hon. LaShonda Hunt, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- Colby Kingsbury, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
- Sang-yul Lee, K & L Gates LLP (outgoing Immediate Past President)
- Francine Lynch, American Dental Association
- Kenneth Mathieu, Berkeley Research Group, LLC
- Kenneth Matuszewski, Bamert Regan PLLC
- Hon. Nichole C. Patton, Circuit Court of Cook County
- Colleen Strasser, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
We look forward to working with this great group of new CBF board alumni in other capacities in the CBF’s continuing efforts to improve access to justice for people in need and make the legal system more fair, equitable, and effective for all.