Distinguished Alumni Awards
April 17 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
4 p.m. | Ceremony
Reception immediately following
Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom, Anheuser-Busch Hall
The 2026 Distinguished Alumni Honorees
Principal and General Counsel, Burwell Management Company
Curt Burwell is a principal and General Counsel of Burwell Management Company, a general partner for numerous closely held investment partnerships. Mr. Burwell has evaluated, structured, closed and monitored numerous equity and debt investments in commercial real estate and operating businesses over the last 25 years. He has been a board member or observer at numerous private companies including Natural Food Holdings, LLC, the parent entity of Niman Ranch, Inc.® a leading producer of branded and private label natural meats and Sioux-Preme Packing Company, the leading processor of natural pork in the United States. Previously, Mr. Burwell was the operating officer and General Counsel for Burwell Oil Service, Inc., a privately held, regional convenience store chain in central Illinois started by his family. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Barry S. Schermer, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis from 1995-1997.
Mr. Burwell holds a BA from the University of Illinois, a JD from Washington University Law School in St. Louis, and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He has served as a member of the National Council/Board of Advisors for Washington University Law School since 2014, and he served as a Trustee for the Convent of the Sacred Heart-91st Street from 2014-2022, including as head of advancement, vice chair and chair of the capital committee.
Curt is married to law school classmate Christine Ryan (JD ’95) and is the proud father of Claire (AB ’21), Mairead (AB ’25) and Brigid, who is a first-year student at UCLA.
Principal, Head of St. Louis Civic Engagement, Edward Jones
Laura Ellenhorn is Principal, and head of St. Louis Civic Engagement for Edward Jones, where she leads the firm’s enterprise strategy to strengthen the long-term social and economic vitality of its headquarters region while directly advancing business performance, brand strength, and societal impact.
Laura’s work centers on building civic capital—the networks of trust, leadership, institutions, and shared purpose that enable regions to compete and thrive. She architects and drives high-impact, cross-sector collaborations that mobilize Edward Jones’ people, partnerships, and resources to accelerate economic development, expand access to wealth, and promote healthier futures, with a clear focus on measurable outcomes.
Laura designs and executes a multi-year civic engagement strategy that supports the managing partner’s leadership legacy, positions Edward Jones as a trusted regional anchor institution, and aligns civic investment with enterprise priorities. Her work influences key dimensions of the St. Louis civic ecosystem—including workforce development, innovation, arts and culture, and community infrastructure—ensuring that regional civic leadership and business strategy are mutually reinforcing. Serving as a strategic bridge builder between enterprise leaders and external stakeholders, she equips senior executives to engage with clarity, credibility, and influence – ensuring Edward Jones shows up with purpose and consistency in St. Louis and across North America.
Laura brings more than 29 years of leadership, legal, and compliance experience at Edward Jones. As Head of Community Impact, she created and scaled the enterprise-wide capability supporting more than 3,000 communities across North America. She launched integrated associate giving and volunteerism, impact investing, and economic mobility initiatives—transforming community impact into a coordinated, high-performing foundational capability aligned with business strategy and long-term value creation. Earlier in her career, she served as General Counsel and Compliance Director for the firm’s United Kingdom affiliate.
She serves on the Executive Committee of the Edward Jones Political Action Committee and is the immediate past president of the Edward Jones Foundation and Edward Jones Disaster Relief Fund. Laura also serves as executive sponsor of the firm’s inaugural Interfaith Business Resource Group, strengthening understanding of faith and spiritual diversity across the enterprise.
Deeply embedded in the region’s civic leadership, Laura serves on the boards of Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Great Rivers Greenway Foundation, Saint Louis Art Museum, and United Way of Greater St. Louis. She also serves on the Chairs Council and Strategic Initiatives Working Group of Greater St. Louis, Inc. In 2023, she was recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the region’s Most Influential Business Women, and in 2024 she was honored by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis through its Salute to Women in Leadership.
Laura earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and her juris doctorate and master’s degree in international studies from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a member of the Missouri Bar and was a licensed solicitor in England and Wales.
Deputy Attorney General for State Counsel, New York State Attorney General’s Office
Christine Ryan is a senior government attorney with over two decades of experience spanning private practice, public defense, and state government litigation at the highest levels. A native New Yorker, she currently serves as Deputy Attorney General for State Counsel at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, where she is a member of the Attorney General leadership team.
In this role, Christine leads one of the most complex government legal operations in the country. She oversees a staff of 475 employees across offices in New York City and Albany — including 250 attorneys — who collectively manage more than 6,500 active matters in state and federal court. Her responsibilities encompass the full scope of the State’s defensive litigation portfolio, requiring her to set strategic direction, ensure consistent legal standards, and manage large-scale operations across multiple practice areas and jurisdictions.
Christine’s career reflects a distinguished record of public service across three states. She began in private practice, representing investment firms in labor and employment matters, and also worked as a Special Public Defender for the State of Missouri, serving in both the Trial and Capital Divisions. Before joining the New York Attorney General’s Office, she served as Chief of Civil Trials at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, where she developed expertise in the unique demands of government legal practice.
Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University, a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in New York, Illinois, and Missouri.
Committed to giving back to the institutions and communities that shaped her, Christine serves on the Washington University School of Law National Council. She also serves on the advisory board of Good Sports, a nonprofit organization dedicated to driving equitable access to youth athletics, reflecting her belief in the power of sports to level the playing field for young people regardless of economic background.
Christine is married to a fellow Washington University School of Law alumnus. She is the mother of three daughters, two of whom have continued the family’s WashU tradition.
Distinguished Young Alumni
Director of U.S. State & Local Public Policy and Political Campaigns, Waymo
Annabel R. Chang is the Director of U.S. State & Local Public Policy and Political Campaigns at Waymo, the world’s leading autonomous driving technology company. At Waymo, Annabel and her team have been instrumental in launching commercial autonomous vehicle services in California, Texas, Arizona, Florida, and other states.
Annabel also currently serves as the Chair of the AV Industry Association. Previously, she was the first Vice President at Alaska Airlines for the San Francisco Bay Area, acting as the senior leader for the airline in the State of California. Annabel also shaped the transportation policy landscape as the Director of Public Policy for Lyft, where she worked on the earliest policy initiatives related to ride-hailing and autonomous vehicles. Before her roles in the private sector, Annabel served as an Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco and as a Litigation Associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP. Her public sector experience includes serving in the Office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and as a Jesse M. Unruh Legislative Fellow in the California State Assembly.
Annabel has been recognized as a San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40 honoree and received the San Francisco Business Times Woman of Influence award. She holds a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, where she served as an Articles Editor for The Law Review and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
More to come
Contact Law Advancement at law.alumni@wustl.edu with questions.