Foundation of the American Board of Trial Advocates
Donations deductibleRevenue
$1.9m
year to 31 December 2024
Expenses
$2m
year to 31 December 2024
Total assets
$3.3m
$138k liabilities
Net assets
$3.1m
assets less liabilities
Directors and trustees
13
3.9 years on average
Staff
12
11 volunteers
Left since last filing
0
no seats appear to have opened
Officers and senior staff
7
named in Part VII
Foundation of the American Board of Trial Advocates' network
13 people2 organisationsi13 people and 2 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (13). Violet dotted lines (13) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
13 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 13 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea La'Verne Edney | National President | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Christopher J Beeman (also filed as Christopher Beeman) | Foundation Past President | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Corinne Hodak | Foundation Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Deborah S Tropp-Thompson (also filed as Deborah Tropp-Thompson) | Vice President | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Frederick W James (also filed as Frederick James) | President | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| JD Smith | Treasurer | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Jennifer Haltom Doan | National President Elect | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Luis Cardenas | Foundation Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Lynn M Leonard (also filed as Lynn Leonard) | Company secretary | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Pamela Traut | Foundation Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Wayne Ritchie | Foundation Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| William Shapiro | National Vice President | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Yoshiaki Kubota | Foundation Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
7 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Tyson | Executive Director | since 2018 |
| Bryan Tyson | Executive Director | 2019 |
| Karan Wright | Financial Director | 2020 |
| Molly McDonald | Fdn Assoc Executive Director | since 2019 |
| Nichole Tabaska | Finance Director | 2024 |
| Sarah Wahlert-Kersh | Assoc Executive Director-National | since 2018 |
| Sarah Walhert-Kersh | Nat'l Assoc Executive Director | since 2023 |
Pay and hours
year to 31 December 2024iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Molly McDonald | Fdn Assoc Executive Director | 37.5 | $157k | $41k | |
| Brian Tyson | Executive Director | 7.5 | $52k | $207k | $54k |
| Nichole Tabaska | Finance Director | 15 | $28k | $42k | $9k |
| Frederick James | President | 20 | $24k | ||
| Sarah Walhert-Kersh | Nat'l Assoc Executive Director | 3.75 | $18k | $164k | $36k |
| Deborah Tropp-Thompson | Vice President | 10 | $0 | ||
| Lynn Leonard | Secretary | 10 | $0 | ||
| JD Smith | Treasurer | 10 | $0 | ||
| Christopher Beeman | Foundation Past President | 10 | $0 | ||
| Luis Cardenas | Foundation Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Jennifer Haltom Doan | National President Elect | 1 | $0 | ||
| Andrea La'Verne Edney | National President | 1 | $0 | $60k | |
| Corinne Hodak | Foundation Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Yoshiaki Kubota | Foundation Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Wayne Ritchie | Foundation Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| William Shapiro | National Vice President | 1 | $0 | ||
| Pamela Traut | Foundation Trustee | 1 | $0 |
About
- Legal name
- Foundation of the American Board of Trial Advocates
- EIN
- 570969581
- Address
- 2001 Bryan St Ste 3000, Dallas, TX, 75201-3078
- State
- Texas
- Mission
- To preserve, promote, and improve the American civil justice system and the Seventh Amendment right to civil jury trials for future generations. (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- R99Z Civil rights, social action and advocacy
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
- Size band
- 6 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 1993
- Principal officer
- Deborah Tropp-Thompson (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 March 1993
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 6, latest 2024
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Related organisations (Schedule R)
RelatedPublic interestAmerican Board of Trial Advocates - NationalRelatedPublic interestAmerican Board of Trial Advocates - Chapters
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsChristopher J Beeman
≥6years on the filingsFrederick W James
≥4years on the filingsAndrea La'Verne Edney
≥4years on the filingsJD Smith
Latest return
year to 31 December 2024iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 31 December 2024. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $3.3m
- Total liabilities
- $138k
- Net assets or fund balances
- $3.1m
- Contributions and grants received
- $1.5m
- Program service revenue
- $204k
- Grants and similar paid out
- $238k
- Employees
- 12
- Volunteers
- 11
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.9m | $2m | Deficit $143k |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
Grants paid
11 listediFrom Schedule I of the Form 990: grants and assistance to organisations in the United States, largest first (up to 25). Schedule I is filed only by organisations that gave more than $5,000 to any one recipient.| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| TEX-ABOTA Inc | Program support | $78k |
| Delaware Law Related Education Center Inc | Program support | $24k |
| Teach Democracy | Program support | $23k |
| Monroe County Bar Association | Program support | $20k |
| Loyola Law School | Program support | $15k |
| Arizona Bar Foundation (Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education) | Program support | $15k |
| Center for Youth Development Through Law | Program support | $10k |
| Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts | Program support | $10k |
| Civics Learning Project | Program support | $10k |
| Tampa Bay Chapter of ABOTA | Program support | $7k |
| Mecklenburg Bar Foundation | Program support | $5k |