David S. Houghton, a Nebraska business and trial attorney, has been elected president of the board of directors of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), a position he will hold for two years. Houghton has been a member of the ABF's board of directors since 2011 and served as a past chair of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. For the past two years, Houghton has served as the vice president of the ABF board of directors.
As president, Houghton will supervise efforts in fundraising and, in conjunction with the foundation's board of directors, provide oversight to the foundation's empirical and interdisciplinary research program, which focuses on urgent topics on law and society.
"David is a great supporter of the ABF and its empirical research mission. He is an inspirational and creative leader, and I am delighted that he is the new President of the ABF," said outgoing ABF Board President, Ellen Flannery.
"Everyone at the ABF is excited to welcome David Houghton as our new board president. We look forward to working with him as he builds on the fundraising momentum created by past presidents and other board members and staff," said ABF Executive Director Ajay Mehrotra.
Houghton is a partner at Houghton, Bradford & Whitted P.C., LLO and has more than 35 years of experience as a business and trial lawyer with a broad and extensive background in director and officer liability matters, design law, construction law, taxation, and mergers and acquisitions. Houghton has worked on both jury and nonjury cases and advised clients on matters before all state and federal courts.
Houghton is a Fellow of the Nebraska State Bar Foundation. He is a past president of the Nebraska State Bar Association and the Omaha Bar Association and served as Nebraska's State Delegate to the American Bar Association's (ABA) House of Delegates. He is also a past president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.
Houghton has taught trial practice at Creighton University School of Law and has spoken at many construction and architect/engineer seminars.
An "AV" rated attorney in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, a rating that is considered the highest for an individual lawyer in legal ability and ethical standards, Houghton is listed in the Best Lawyers in America in the area of commercial litigation and named in the Great Plains Super Lawyers list.
Houghton received his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he was Notes and Comments Editor of the Iowa Law Review, and earned an undergraduate degree from Drake University. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Donald P. Lay of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
"It is deeply humbling to follow the deep and rich leadership that the ABF has enjoyed during the years I have been privileged to serve on the Board. We stand on those leaders' shoulders as we embrace the opportunities the ABF has now and into our future," Houghton said. "I am buoyed by the fact that we have a knowledgeable, diligent and hardworking Board that is capable of securing these opportunities. The officers and Board are committed to the importance of the Foundation's mission and work and see the opportunities to expand our reach. It will be an exciting and fully engaged couple of years for our Board."
Serving with Houghton for the 2018-2020 term are E. Thomas Sullivan, of Burlington, Vt., as vice president; Walter L. Sutton, of Dallas, Texas, as treasurer; and Jimmy K. Goodman, of Oklahoma City, Okla., as secretary. The ABF also welcomes five new members to its board of directors: Sandra J. Chan, a recently retired attorney in Santa Barbara, Calif.; William R. Bay, a partner at Thompson Coburn LLP and chair of the ABA House of Delegates for 2018-2020; Kimberly A. Yuracko, dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; Robert J. Grey Jr., a retired senior counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP; and Stephen M. Zack, a partner at Boies Schiller and Flexner and president of the American Bar Endowment (ABE).
Published: Tue, Sep 11, 2018
