The 2026 TMA Annual Conference
ELEVATE Your Perspective
Fresh Thinking for High-Stakes Transformation
The TMA Annual Conference brings together experts from across the turnaround ecosystem for timely, practical professional development designed around the realities of today’s work.
Explore geopolitical risk, private credit workouts, board governance, family-business distress, artificial intelligence, restructuring strategy, and the financial and operational decisions that can determine whether a business recovers or fails. You will gain actionable insights from industry experts while learning alongside one of the most professionally diverse attendee communities in the field.
View the Full AgendaProfessional Development Included with Conference Registration
Wednesday, October 28
From the Road to the Robe: The Journey to the Bench
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Details coming soon.
Opening General Session
Fault Lines: Restructuring in a Geopolitical Economy
4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Tariffs, shifting trade alliances, maritime constraints, and supply-chain disruption are reshaping where and how financial distress emerges.
Bringing together Houston-based and international perspectives, this session will trace geopolitical shocks from ports and trade corridors into operating performance, liquidity, valuation, and restructuring strategy. Panelists will examine distress arising from the energy transition, cross-border coordination among U.S., Canadian, and Mexican stakeholders, and the implications of the USMCA/CUSMA/T-MEC review process.
You will leave with a practical framework for identifying geopolitical exposure, anticipating stakeholder conflicts, and developing solutions when policy risk moves faster than the deal.
Thursday, October 29
General Session
Distress in Private Credit: Anatomy of a Private Credit Workout
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Sponsored by SC&H Group
Private credit has grown into a $2 trillion asset class during the past decade, making it as large as the high-yield or syndicated loan markets. Is it now in distress?
On one side of the debate, Fitch placed the U.S. private credit default rate at a record 6% in April 2026. On the other, realized losses through year-end 2025 remained below the historical average, leverage is modest, and some of the industry’s most credible voices argue that concerns are overblown.
While the debate continues, nonperforming private credit loans will create opportunities and risks that are unique to workouts involving this increasingly influential stakeholder group.
Speakers
- Molly Jobe, CTP. Managing Director, FTI Consulting
- Jonathan Weinberg, Managing Director, Co-Head, Portfolio Group, Monroe Capital LLC
Morning Breakout Sessions
Where Did the Money Go? How Good Companies Go Bad
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Most companies do not fail overnight. Financial distress is often the result of a series of decisions, operational challenges, and warning signs that go unnoticed or are ignored.
Through real-world examples, a panel of turnaround professionals will examine how once-healthy businesses encounter distress and what might have changed the outcome. The conversation will explore early warning signs, leadership decisions, operational breakdowns, governance failures, and strategic missteps that accelerate financial decline.
More importantly, panelists will discuss the creative financing solutions, operational improvements, restructuring strategies, and leadership decisions that have helped companies recover against the odds.
Speakers
- Pablo Bonjour, Founder & CEO, Veritas Restructuring Group
- Angela Fiorentino, CEO, President, & General Counsel, AmeriFactors Financial Group
- Jim Lightburn, Global Head of Consumer & Industrial, Gordon Brothers
- Marc Schwartz, Chairman, Schwartz Associates
The Elephant in the Boardroom: The Authority of Independent Directors
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Difficult dynamics can arise when professionals advise a board to surrender some or all of its authority to independent directors.
Featuring a cross section of turnaround professionals and key financial constituents, this panel will examine the benefits of delegating authority to independent directors who specialize in turnaround situations and Chapter 11 cases. Speakers will address fiduciary duties, the potential litigation benefits of objective independent directors, and how much control and authority directors need to provide meaningful protections.
You’ll also learn how professionals approach potential conflict with existing board members and how to recommend new directors when no historical business relationship exists.
Speakers
- Monica Blacker, Partner, Force 10 Partners
- Laura Davis Jones, Partner, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP
- Bob Ogle, CTP, Senior Advisor, Stout
- Stuart Walker, Managing Partner, Implex Advisors, LLC
Featured Keynote
From Distress to Disney: The Turnaround Story Behind Marvel’s Comeback
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Peter Cuneo, Former CEO of Marvel Entertainment
Sponsored by White Oak Commercial Finance
Peter Cuneo will bring a battle-tested perspective to the professionals who understand high-stakes transformation best.
Known as one of America’s standout turnaround CEOs, Cuneo built his career restaging distressed branded businesses across consumer products, media, and entertainment. His most legendary chapter came at Marvel Entertainment, where he helped lead the company after bankruptcy and position it for extraordinary growth, culminating in its $4.5 billion sale to Disney.
For the TMA community, this is more than a celebrity keynote. It is a case study in courage, discipline, stakeholder leadership, and value creation under pressure.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Game of Loans: You Win or You Liquidate
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Keybank
Every restructuring is a battle for survival. Sponsors, lenders, management teams, unsecured creditors, and distressed investors compete for control, value, and influence.
Using a “house versus house” format, panelists will examine the alliances, betrayals, and power shifts that emerge when liquidity runs out. The discussion will explore the increasingly blurred lines between working with traditional banks and working with private credit, along with the difficult choices facing borrowers as stakeholders compete to determine who survives.
Speakers
- Renée Kuperman, Bankruptcy & Litigation Counsel, Renée Kuperman, Esq.
- Aram Ordubegian, Managing Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP
Bloodlines & Bottom Lines: Family Business in Distress
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Family businesses are built on trust, tradition, and relationships. When financial distress enters the picture, those same strengths can become significant challenges.
Succession planning, governance disputes, competing stakeholder interests, and generational transitions can shape the outcome just as much as financial performance. Industry leaders will explore the complex decisions that arise when preserving a family legacy collides with the need to protect enterprise value.
Speakers
- Joe E. Bain, Partner, Jones Walker LLP
- Kevin Krakora, CTP, Senior Managing Director, Getzler Henrich & Associates LLC
Closing General Session
From Prompt to Petition: Building a Repeatable 13-Week Cash Flow With AI
4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Sponsored by Jones Walker LLP
See artificial intelligence put to work in real time as panelists build a 13-week cash-flow forecast on stage in just 13 minutes using a debtor’s raw files.
The session will demonstrate the difference between entering prompts into a chat window and running a documented, repeatable process. Panelists will address the procedures a firm must establish before AI-assisted work can be replicated, reviewed, and trusted, including what happens to client data when AI tools are pointed at an engagement folder.
You will leave with a review protocol and a practical example of how to leverage AI in an engagement. Experts will demonstrate how to organize raw data, pressure-test a 13-week cash-flow forecast, identify anomalies, and surface operational opportunities. The discussion will also examine reporting on AI use, billing implications, and considerations surrounding AI-assisted report outputs.
Speakers
- Clara Goetsch, Manager, Oliver Wyman
- Brian Kilmer, Shareholder, Quadros Migl & Kilmer PLLC
- Alex Vopat, Director, Veritas Restructuring Group
- Ken Yager, CTP, President, Newpoint Advisors Corporation
Special Add-On Learning Opportunities
Additional registration and fees are required for the following programs.
Boot Camp Experience: ELEVATE Your Expertise
TMA’s immersive Boot Camps are designed to strengthen your practical skills and increase the return on your conference investment.
These hands-on programs combine realistic scenarios, expert guidance, and immediately applicable knowledge. Participants can also earn continuing education credit.
Restructuring Boot Camp
Wednesday, October 28
8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The TMA Restructuring Boot Camp puts you in the hot seat of a simulated distressed company. Working under expert guidance, you will uncover and address complex financial, management, and legal issues while developing practical strategies you can apply to real-world engagements.
Morning Speakers
- Tom Goldblatt, CTP, Managing Partner, Ravinia Capital LLC
- Jim Horgan, CTP, Partner, AlixPartners
Afternoon Speakers
- Hon. Thomas Horan, United States Bankruptcy Judge, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
- Jim Horgan, CTP, Partner, AlixPartners
- Glenn Siegel, Partner, Moore & VanAllen
Pricing: TMA Member $195 | Nonmember $245
Bankruptcy Boot Camp
Thursday, October 29
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Take a deeper look at the bankruptcy process through a dynamic overview of Chapter 11, Section 363 sales, reorganization strategies, Subchapter V, and cross-border cases.
The program provides practical knowledge for professionals who want to better understand the legal processes, strategic decisions, and stakeholder considerations that shape bankruptcy matters.
Speakers
- Matthew English, CTP, Senior Managing Director, Arch + Beam
- Rachel J. Mauceri, Partner, Robinson & Cole LLP
- Michael Rosow, Partner, Maslon LLP
Pricing: TMA Member $105 | Nonmember $155
New Workshop
Body of Knowledge: The Regulatory Environment
Thursday, October 29
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Register for the newest addition to TMA’s professional learning pathways.
This workshop will examine environmental regulations, including remediation and surety bonding; labor regulations, including COBRA, ADA, and the WARN Act; and other government regulatory matters, including Hart-Scott-Rodino requirements and government agency approvals.
You will leave with a clearer understanding of the legal and regulatory implications of a business’s actions before and during bankruptcy or liquidation.
Pricing: TMA Member $95 | Nonmember $145
Build Your Conference Learning Plan
Review the complete agenda, explore the sessions that align with your role and interests, and add any Boot Camps or workshops to your registration before space fills.
View the Full Agenda