William (Bill) A. Brandt, Jr. has been in the business of workout, turnaround and insolvency consulting for almost 30 years and is recognized as one of the foremost practitioners in the field. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Development Specialists, Inc., a firm specializing in the provision of management, consulting and turnaround assistance to troubled or reorganizing concerns. Mr. Brandt has advised Congress on matters of insolvency and bankruptcy, and in that capacity was the principal author of the recently adopted amendment to the Bankruptcy Code permitting the election of Trustees in Chapter 11 cases. He has completed several terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute, has served on the Advisory Board to that organization's Law Review, and has just concluded almost 20 years of service as a member of the Panel of Trustees for the Northern District of Illinois. He received his B.A. from St. Louis University and his M.A. from The University of Chicago, where he completed further post-graduate work towards a doctoral degree.