Dedicated to helping people

Laura Ahart, Director

Laura Ahart serves on the Board of Directors and also acts as Chief Executive Officer of Abacus Credit Counseling. Ms. Ahart is a Certified Personal Financial Counselor (CPFC) and attorney-at-law specializing in litigation. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Stanford University and received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law.

Henkie Barron, Director

Ms. Barron is an attorney specializing in corporate restructuring and bankruptcy matters. She has experience representing debtors and secured lenders in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Stanford University and her Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Michigan, where she was the associate editor for the Michigan Journal of Race and Law and the Michigan Journal of Law Reform. Ms. Barron is currently an associate in the bankruptcy practice at Winston & Strawn LLP, where she received the “Cube of Justice” award recognizing her pro bono efforts. Prior to Winston & Strawn, Ms. Barron was an associate with Sidley Austin. Ms. Barron does not represent individuals seeking personal bankruptcy protection.e

John Frye, Director

John Frye is a founder of Crane Asset Management LLC in Beverly Hills and serves as Crane’s Chief Investment Officer. He oversees all aspects of Crane's investment and portfolio management processes. Mr. Frye has 30 years of experience in the investment field. Before co-founding Crane Asset Management LLC, he served as Executive Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Renberg & Associates in Beverly Hills. He began his career with E. F. Hutton & Company in New York and subsequently worked with Alex. Brown & Sons in Baltimore. Mr. Frye received his Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Princeton University and his M.B.A. from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He is a member of the CFA Society of Los Angeles.

Marisa Hawkins, Director

Marisa Hawkins is a staff attorney in the Consumer Law Project at Public Counsel Law Center in Los Angeles and administers Public Counsel’s bankruptcy project for the benefit of indigent Chapter 7 clients. Ms. Hawkins received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, Berkeley with high distinction and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor's society. She received her Master’s Degree in East Asian Studies and a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilization from Harvard University, as well as a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Hawkins is a member of the State Bar of California and was the recipient of the 2005 William J. Lasarow Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service in Bankruptcy.

Jason Szatkiewicz, Director

Jason Szatkiewicz worked in strategic development for the retail bank network group at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., formerly Washington Mutual. Prior to his position at J.P. Morgan Chase, Mr. Szatkiewicz was a senior analyst in the retail home loans finance group at Washington Mutual, and was a financial analyst at American Airlines and Intel Corporation. Mr. Szatkiewicz holds his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Finance from Boston College, where he graduated from the Carroll School of Management Honors Program. Starting in Fall 2009, Mr. Szatkiewicz is currently pursuing an M.B.A. at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin.