Brian Platnick
Brian Platnick, of Evanston, IL is a graduate of Virginia Tech (BS & MS in engineering) and William & Mary School of Law. He has worked for the past 30 years trading stock options. He is a founding member, and current President of The EDGAR Association. Brian served as a member of both the Ethical and Online Oversight Committees of the ACBL and has worked on numerous cheating investigations.
As a bridge player, Brian has won 6 NABC+ events and attained the rank of World Grand Master after winning the 1991 World Junior Teams and 2010 Rosenblum.
Franco Baseggio
Franco Baseggio, from New York City, is a founding member of The EDGAR Association, and chief architect of its suite of software tools. Franco graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Mathematics. Before retiring ("for now") he spent most of his career as a "statistical arbitrage" portfolio manager: using software to analyze data and design and implement automated investing systems.
His chief bridge accomplishment was winning the 2010 Platinum Pairs with partner Andy Stark. In addition to work for EDGAR He currently serves as a member of ACBL’s C&C committee.
Jack Oest
Jack Oest, from Chicago, Illinois is a retired attorney. He graduated from Denison
University and the University of Wisconsin Law School. He spent most of his
career as a partner in the Chicago firm of Locke Lord & Lidell and taught for six
years as a law professor at the John Marshall School of Law.
Jack has won three NABC’s and has won the United States Team Trials. He was a
long time member of the board of directors of the Chicago Contract Bridge
Association and is a past president. He currently serves as the recorder for the
United States Bridge Federation.
Kate Aker
Kate Aker, of New York, graduated from the University of Michigan where she first played bridge in the Student Union. She spent more than 40 years in Academic Publishing, both in Editorial and Management. Having retired in 2014, Kate volunteered at the USBF Team Trials in hospitality and vugraph work. In 2019, Kate was elected to a 3-year term on the USBF Board, the last two years as Vice-President. Kate serves as Secretary of The Edgar Association.
AJ Stephani
UPDATE: AJ Stephani, co-founder of The EDGAR Association and its original instigator, resigned from the board at the end of 2023 to focus on his other bridge activities described below.
AJ Stephani served as the organizer of the EDGAR project during his tenure as a member of the ACBL Board of Directors from 2017-22 and Chair of the ACBL Appeals & Charges Committee. He is a founding member of the Institute for Bridge Arbitration (IBA) and was elected as a member of the Executive Council of the World Bridge Federation in 2022.
AJ graduated from Yale University and the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law. He is also on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program. He resides in Daytona Beach, Florida.
