Letter from the President – Gary M. Rosen

I am especially honored to be the new President of the AAML Foundation.

As I noted during my speech at the Foundation’s Lifetime Members Luncheon in Chicago, my first order of business is to send numerous thank yous to individuals and organizations that have been so very important to the Foundation over the last two-plus years.

My first thank you goes to Brian Vertz, who was an extraordinary president of the Foundation. Brian became interim president of the Foundation in May 2023 after the death of our good friend, Judge Anne Lamkin Durward. Brian navigated the Foundation through very challenging times over the last two and a half years. He led with empathy, insight, and great intelligence, and all of us associated with the Foundation will be forever grateful for his leadership.

A big thank you goes to our sponsors, who provided the resources that enabled the Foundation to conduct its business effectively in 2025. Our annual report sponsors were Brian Vertz and his firm, Pollock Begg; Helen R. Davis and her firm, the Cavanaugh Group; MacIntyre Tate, LLP; and Waddell, LLC.

Event sponsors for the Foundation reception and luncheon in Chicago were CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group, QDRO Group, and Stout Risius Ross (STOUT). We are very grateful for their financial help.

At the Lifetime Members’ Luncheon, we formally announced our grants for the 2025 cycle. As a result of extraordinary generosity from Fellows across the country, the Foundation was able to provide $322,000 in grants to 51 agencies and programs across the country.

Also at the luncheon, I was very pleased to announce the Foundation’s five-year goal for philanthropy. The Foundation Board has endorsed the goal of being able to raise and give away $500,000 by 2030. While this goal is ambitious, it is absolutely achievable and will serve as a touchstone for our efforts in the years to come.

Thank you for your support of the Foundation, and I greatly look forward to the next two years of working with the Board and Officers to achieve our objectives and goals.