Mitchell Drossman will be the honoree at the 24th annual UJA-Federation of New York, Trusts & Estates Group, Lawyers Division gala at the New York Marriott Marquis on Tuesday, June 2. Drossman, who grew up in Port Washington and attended Guggenheim, Sousa and Schreiber, and whose parents still live in Port Washington, is currently the National Director of Wealth Planning Strategies for U.S. Trust. He is “humbled” to be the honoree at this marquee event of the Trusts and Estates community. Over 400 people will attend the gala, including attorneys, auction houses, valuation firms, accounting firms, trust companies and wealth management firms.
After graduating from Schreiber High School, Drossman started studying architecture at Syracuse University. He realized that architecture was a passion, not a profession for him, and graduated with an accounting degree. After college, he worked for several years at Ernst & Whinney, became a certified public accountant, and then went to Brooklyn Law School, where he was editor of the Law Review. Upon graduating from law school, he worked as an estate planning attorney at Proskauer Rose. Although he said that he “never would have predicted the path,” an opportunity presented itself and he went to work for U.S. Trust, a private bank now owned by Bank of America. In his role leading the National Wealth Planning Strategies Group, he provides sophisticated tax, estate and financial planning advise to clients of the bank. He has been with U.S. Trust for the past 15 years.
Drossman served as past secretary of the Committee on Estate and Gift Taxation of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, past chair of the Committee on Income Taxation of Estates and Trusts of the New York State Society of CPAs, and past chair of UJA-Federation’s Trusts and Estates Group. He has also served as a member of the New York State Bar Association on its Trusts and Estates section and Estate Planning Committee, the Museum of Modern Art’s Planned Giving and Advisory Committee, and the Alumni Admissions Board of Brooklyn Law School.
The UJA honor is given to someone who is outstanding and recognizable in his profession. At the event, Drossman will be introduced by Jay Waxenberg, a former honoree, and will speak about “his journey to the podium.” He actively contributes to UJA, in terms of both time and money. Among other things, he and his three sons, ages 20, 18 and 15, volunteer every year serving meals to elderly groups at UJA agencies.
Drossman, who currently lives in Armonk with Valerie, his wife of 24 years, has fond memories of his childhood in Port Washington, He recalls how the water played a big part in his life. He remembers being out on the bay, swimming and water skiing. He also loved Port Washington particularly because it was a diverse community.
