Posted by The CBAY Awards were created during the 2024–2025 bar year by Past President John Sciaccotta to personally recognize and say thank you to the people who made his bar year extraordinary.
President Judge Nichole C. Patton continued this tradition by presenting the 2025-2026 bar year CBAY Awards on May 20, 2026. This blog post is the last in a series of posts highlighting the winners of the CBAY Awards.
CBA Officers, Board of Managers and Staff
These awards honor the people who govern and sustain The Chicago Bar Association — our Officers, our departing Board of Managers members, and our staff.
Outstanding CBA Officers Award
The Outstanding CBA Officers Award is presented to the Officers who served with distinction during the 2025–2026 bar year — leading the governance of this Association on behalf of more than 17,000 members. These leaders showed up for this Association every single day of this bar year. Congratulations to First Vice President, Trisha M. Rich, Second Vice President, Kathryn Carso Liss, Secretary, Andrew W. Vail, Treasurer, Jonathan B. Amarilio and our Immediate Past President, John C. Sciaccotta.
Outstanding Board of Managers Award
The Outstanding Board of Managers Award is presented in honor of the departing members of the CBA Board of Managers. These individuals gave their time, their judgment, and their commitment to the governance of this Association. As they conclude their tenure, we recognize the lasting difference their service to the CBA has made. Daniel J. Berkowitz. Gina Crumble. Judge Nisha N. Dotson. John C. Ellis. Judge Kenya A. Jenkins-Wright. Michael Kozlowski. Francine D. Lynch. Sari Montgomery. Justice Rena Van Tine. Judge Andrea R. Wood. And Gavin Phelps.
CBA Staff Excellence Award
Serving as president of The Chicago Bar Association is possible because of the tremendous staff. Every event, every program, every CLE, every initiative — none of it happens without the people who work behind the scenes, who arrive early and leave late, and who never once ask for the recognition they deserve. If you have attended a CLE program at this Association this bar year — any one of the seventy programs we delivered — CBA CLE Director Jennifer Byrne made that happen. If you attended the AI 2035 Symposium, Jennifer made that happen. If you received a sponsorship confirmation for that Symposium, Jennifer was on the other end of that call alongside Joel Bruckman, working tirelessly to turn commitments into reality. Jennifer Byrne does not just do her job. She does her job and then she does more. She anticipates what is needed before it is asked. She solves problems before they become problems. She carries more than her share, quietly and without complaint, because she believes in this Association and in the work we do together. Congratulations Jennifer!