About the panelists
| Robert Benedetti Benedetti co-founded the center in 2002, following 13 years as dean of the university’s College of the Pacific. He previously was provost of New College in Sarasota, Fla., where he taught political science for 19 years. He holds a doctorate in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. While at New College, he co-authored chapters on local government in Manning Dauer's Florida' s Politics and Government. At Pacific he has written on the administration of voting and on mayors, including a recent chapter in James Svara's The Facilitative Leader in City Hall. The chapter analyzes mayoral leadership in Stockton, Calif. |
| Douglas C. Bernstein Douglas C. Bernstein is managing partner of Plunkett Cooney’s Banking, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group. |
| James A. Diossa  Mayor Central Falls, R.I. A Central Falls native, James A. Diossa earned a bachelor’s degree from Becker College in Worcester, Mass. In 2009, at age 24, Diossa became the youngest councilman in the city’s history. Central Falls itself was failing; it filed for bankruptcy in August 2011. The city’s mayor resigned in 2012. Diossa won a resounding victory in a special election, becoming Central Falls’ first Latino mayor and the youngest mayor in the state’s history. He is now running unopposed for a three-year term and is supporting a slate of city council candidates prepared to move Central Falls out of bankruptcy and receivership |
| Matthew Jerzyk Matt Jerzyk worked on a landmark pension reform agreement with police, firefighters and retirees that spared Providence a high-stakes legal challenge that could have resulted in bankruptcy. The settlement suspends COLAs for 10 years; places a cap on pensions; moves all retirees over 65 to Medicare; and reduces the city's unfunded pension liability by about $170 million. Prior to joining city government, Matt worked in a boutique law firm where he concentrated in medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, workers’ rights and civil rights. Matt received his B.A. from Brown and his law degree from Roger Williams University. |
| Mark S. Kaufman Concentrating in the representation of secured creditors, lenders, investors and committees, Kaufman also has represented debtors in significant Chapter 11 cases. He advises financially distressed municipalities, special-purpose districts and related government entities on issues including the advantages and disadvantages associated with filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. He is lead counsel to the Governor-appointed receiver to the city of Harrisburg, Pa. Kaufman has received considerable recognition, including being named to the 2006 through 2013 editions of Best Lawyers in America, where he is featured for bankruptcy and creditors’ rights law. He has a B.S. from Cornell and a J.D. from Harvard. |
| James E. Spiotto James E. Spiotto has represented issuers, indenture trustees or bondholders in litigation, bankruptcy or workouts of more than 400 troubled debt financings in more than 35 states and overseas. He recently represented clients in the Sierra Kings and Jefferson County Chapter 9 cases. He testified before the U.S. Senate and House judiciary committees in conjunction with amendments to the Bankruptcy Code involving municipal bankruptcy. He recently wrote chapters on municipal defaults and bankruptcy in The Handbook of Municipal Bonds. He also is the author of Municipalities in Distress? and Primer on Municipal Debt Adjustment, published by Chapman and Cutler llp and available upon request from the firm. |
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Linda D. Thompson is Harrisburg’s first African American and female mayor. Recognizing the need for state intervention in the city’s finances, she applied for distressed city status under the Act 47 Recovery Plan. When the city council failed to enact the plan, Thompson became the commonwealth’s first mayor to be named Act 47 Plan Coordinator and developed “the Mayor’s Act 47 Financial Recovery Plan” for the city. That plan was also rejected by the council, which favored municipal bankruptcy. This strategy failed in court and led to the appointment of a state receiver. Thompson has maintained a close |
| Sean Werdlow Sean Werdlow has 17 years of public finance experience. He has directly managed more than $7 billion of taxable and tax-exempt debt. His experience includes structuring and managing transactions in leasing, water and wastewater, airport, pension, hospital finance, tax increment finance, economic development and general obligations. Werdlow joined the firm’s Detroit team in November 2005 following four years as the City of Detroit’s Chief Financial Officer. Previously he was Vice President of Finance and Treasurer of the Detroit Medical Center. He has a bachelor’s in corporate finance from Wayne State University and Series 7, 53, and 79 FINRA licenses. |
Linda D. Thompson