ACTEC Announces Kurt A. Sommer as New President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC, March 9, 2023: The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) today announced that Kurt A. Sommer will serve as the 2023-24 President. Sommer, the Managing Partner with Sommer Udall Law Firm, P.A. in Santa Fe, New Mexico, succeeding 2022-2023 ACTEC President Robert W. Goldman of Goldman, Felcoski & Stone P.A. in Naples, Florida.

Sommer, who has held various roles at the College for over 20 years, was officially presented at ACTEC’s “passing of the gavel” ceremony Friday, March 3, 2023, during the ACTEC Annual Business Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. As an officer of the College since 2019, he previously served as ACTEC’s Region Chair of the Rocky Mountain Region, State Chair of New Mexico, and Chair of the Financial Management Committee. He also served as a member of numerous committees, including the Business Planning Committee, Charitable Planning and Exempt Organizations Committee, and Fiduciary Litigation Committee, and served on The ACTEC Foundation Board of Directors as Chair of the Foundation Planning and Governance Committee.

“It is an honor to be elected as President of the College,” said Sommer. “As President, I look forward to leading ACTEC as we continue to elevate the practice of trust and estate law and to engaging law students and other lawyers in these practice areas.”

Sommer has also been active in the New Mexico Bar and served as Past Chairman of the Taxation Section. Best Lawyers in America chose Sommer as 2022 Lawyer of the Year. Sommer was also selected as a New Mexico Super Lawyer (Trusts and Estates) and previously received a Best of the Bar Award (Business/Corporate). He also specializes in natural resources law. His charitable work includes past service as a member of the Board of Directors of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.

During the ACTEC 2023 Annual Meeting, ACTEC’s Board of Regents elected the following 2023-2024 officers, each of whom serve with Sommer on the Executive Committee and the Board of Regents:

• President-Elect: Susan D. Snyder (Chicago, Illinois)
• Vice President: Peter S. Gordon (Wilmington, Delaware) 
• Treasurer: Margaret G. Lodise (Los Angeles, California)
• Secretary: Melissa J. Willms (Houston, Texas)
• Member-at-Large: Jeffrey C. Thede (Portland, Oregon)

About The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): Established in 1949, the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) is a national nonprofit association of approximately 2,400 lawyers and law professors from throughout the United States and abroad. ACTEC members (Fellows) are peer-elected on the basis of professional reputation and expertise in the preparation of wills and trusts, estate planning, probate, trust administration, and related practice areas. The College’s mission includes the improvement and reform of probate, trust, and tax laws and procedures and professional practice standards. ACTEC frequently offers technical comments with regard to legislation and regulations but does not take positions on matters of policy or political objectives.

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