WashU Law is proud to recognize five alumni with 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards. These annual awards honor alumni who have obtained distinction in their careers while exemplifying characteristics of leadership, commitment, courage, and confidence. The alumni were formally recognized at a ceremony held at Anheuser-Busch Hall on April 17. Learn more about this year’s honorees below.
Congratulations to these five alumni for their outstanding achievements. Together, they reflect the enduring impact of WashU Law graduates who continue to lead with purpose and shape the legal profession and their communities.
Curt E. Burwell, JD ’94
2026 Distinguished Alumnus
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 WashU Law, and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He has served as a member of the School of Law National Council since 2014, and he previously 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.
Laura B. Ellenhorn, MA ’97, JD ’97
2026 Distinguished Alumna
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.
Christine A. Ryan, JD ’95
2026 Distinguished Alumna
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 WashU 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 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 law school classmate Curt E. Burwell, JD ’94. She is the mother of three daughters, two of whom have continued the family’s WashU tradition.
Annabel R. Chang, JD ’09
2025 Distinguished Young Alumna
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 WashU Law, 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.
James F. Herbison, JD ’01
2025 Distinguished Young Alumnus
Jim, Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Antitrust/Competition Practice, is a proven litigator with over 30 major jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations under his belt. With extensive experience in the field of antitrust, he is well versed in civil and criminal antitrust litigation, government antitrust investigations, corporate counseling, and the review and clearance of large-scale mergers and acquisitions.
Jim also heads the Chicago Litigation Practice and concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation with an emphasis on civil and criminal antitrust matters.
Jim has represented clients in civil antitrust matters ranging from price fixing and merger enforcement to antitrust issues related to patents. He also has represented clients in connection with criminal price fixing and bid rigging grand juries and internal investigations, as well as various class action lawsuits. Jim has represented a number of trade associations and assisted in ensuring their compliance with the antitrust laws, as well as consulting on antitrust issues in connection with commercial transactions. He is also a member of the faculty of the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management as an Adjunct Professor of Strategy.
Jim received a J.D. from WashU Law in 2001, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as associate editor of the Washington University Law Quarterly. He received a B.A. in Economics and Management from Beloit College in 1998, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Jim was ranked in the 2014–2025 editions of Chambers USA as a leader in Antitrust. He was named by Best Lawyers® as the 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” in Chicago for Antitrust Law and was also recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for Antitrust Litigation and Antitrust Law (2019–2026). The Legal 500 US recognized him for Antitrust Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Plaintiffs (2025), as a “Leading Partner” for Antitrust Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense (2021–2025) and as a “Key Lawyer” for Antitrust: Cartel (2021–2025). He was selected to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” for Complex Commercial Litigation especially Civil & Criminal Antitrust (2023–2026) and Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Global Antitrust & Competition Lawyers” (2025–2026). In addition, he was recognized in Benchmark Litigation US as an “Litigation Star” (2020–2026) and a “National Practice Area Star” (2022–2026). He was also named by The National Law Journal as a “Merger & Acquisition and Antitrust Trailblazer” in 2018.
In 2015, Winston & Strawn was named the “Chicago Litigation Department of the Year” for general litigation by The National Law Journal and in 2014, was recognized for the same award for white collar defense. Winston & Strawn’s Antitrust/Competition Practice was named “2015 Team of the Year” in cartel defense by The Legal 500 US.
