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Mr. Neufeld serves as lead attorney for medicaid planning, asset protection planning and government benefits preservation planning client matters. Mr. Neufeld directs all new business development; marketing, advertising, website and blogging; community outreach; referral relationship building; and management of the firm.

Mr. Norvell, graduated from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin School of Law in 1976 and was admitted to the Florida Bar in November 1976. Prior to entering law school, he served in the US Army from 1965-1967 where he was part of the Field Unit of the Ethiopia-U.S. Mapping Mission. This mission was the last ground mapping of an entire country. He has been working in the central Florida area as a Guardianship Attorney for over 30 years. Mr. Norvell has two practices in Leesburg, Florida with one office dedicated to the sole practice of Medicaid and Veterans Planning. He presently practices primarily in elder law.

 Mr. Siegel, counsels individuals and families on Trust and Estate Planning. Asset Protection, Elder Law Planning, Medicaid planning, Veterans Benefits, and Special Needs planning. He also represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries of estates and trusts regarding tax, and probate and trust law issues. Mr. Siegel has authored or co-authored many articles on Estate Planning and Asset Protection strategies, including The Book of Estate Planning Strategies. He is a columnist for the Boca Raton Tribune, and he has been quoted in the South Florida Business Journal, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Mr. Siegel’s been a guest on numerous television and radio shows, and he is currently writing a book on International Asset Protection. He also frequently lectures at many organizations and private functions; and he has served as an Adjunct Professor for the Legal Studies Program at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Mr. Siegel has traveled extensively teaching Estate Planning and Asset Protection to CPAs, Financial Advisors, Insurance Agents, and Trust Officers. He has also been a featured speaker on Estate Planning and Asset Protection Issues from a global perspective at the prestigious Global Wealth Summit held in Nassau, Bahamas.

Mr. Smollar is a native Floridian who is attuned to the diverse needs of his clients. He received his undergraduate degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee and his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas School of Law. He is a passionate advocate for seniors and the families who care about them. Mr. Smollar practice is focused towards Elder Law, Estate Planning, Medicaid Planning, Probate Administration and Asset Preservation. He seeks to help families avoid Guardianship through advanced planning when possible. However, in the absence of proactive planning, he can assist responsible family members in becoming the legal Guardian for an incapacitated loved one.

 Ms. Steller is the manager at Medicaid Planning and Resource Center in Leesburg, Florida. She has been a Medicaid planner for over 19 years.

Ms. Tessier has been a lawyer for over 25 years, admitted in Massachusetts and Connecticut. For many years, she served diligently as in-house counsel for large multinationals, international and start-up operations, rising to General Counsel and Compliance Officer roles. She has extensive expertise in highly complex areas such as global insurance and corporate law, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution. Now residing in Lake Wales, Florida, she has enthusiastically transitioned her practice to passionately educate and serve her new community on how to protect their children, their families, their legacy and wealth. Ms. Tessier continuous goal is to achieve peace of mind for her clients, whether handling elder concerns or crafting solid estate plans. She is a graduate of Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island, and Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts. in addition to the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Ms. Tessier is an active member of many legal and community organizations including the Estate Planning and Real Property Chapter of the Florida Bar Association, National Academy of Elder Law Lawyers (NAELA), and Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA), the American Bar Association, Real Estate, Trust & Estates Section, Polk County Estate Planning Attorney Bar Association, Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) and American Business Women’s Association (ABWA: Lakeland Chapter.

Ms. Anderson primarily practices in the areas of domestic and family law, criminal law, and bankruptcy. Ms. Anderson’s over 12 years of experience in these areas of law has given her a unique ability to not only achieve results but to assist clients though difficult, complicated and sometimes incredibly emotional events. She received her bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida and a J.D. degree from Barry University School of Law, where she received a certificate for completing a concentration in the areas of children and family law. Ms. Anderson has worked in the legal field since 1997 and since then has worked at all levels within private law firms. Ms. Anderson has been involved in the following organizations and affiliations: American Bar Association, The Florida Bar (Family, Criminal and Young Lawyers Division), and Orange County Bar Association. Additionally, Ms. Anderson is an adjunct professor for Seminole State College as well as Bryant & Stratton. Ms. Anderson was a former adjunct professor for Barry University, Kaplan University and Everest University.

Mr. Ferrin practices in domestic and family law, criminal law and bankruptcy. A resident of Central Florida for 25 years, he received a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a J.D. degree from Barry University School of Law. Mr. Ferrin has worked for one of Central Florida’s largest private bankruptcy firms, representing many individuals and small businesses in their bankruptcies, some of which had debts exceeding $20,000,000. His practice is devoted to litigation, and he is admitted to practice in Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Mr. Ferrin is a member of the Central Florida Bankruptcy Lawyers Association, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the Orange County Bar Association, The Florida Bar, and the American Bar Association. His pro bono activities include Orange County Legal Aid.

Ms. Hernandez represents high-net-worth individuals in complex marital and family law matters. She assists individuals in the dissolution of marriage, equitable distribution, alimony, child support, parenting and time-share issues, paternity, and prenuptial agreements. Ms. Hernandez has obtained the AV Preeminent peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell. In addition, she has been selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers list since 2014, including Top 100: Miami Super Lawyers in 2018, 2020- 2022 and Top 50: Women Florida Super Lawyers in 2015 and 2018, The Best Lawyers in America list since 2019, Florida Trend’s Legal Elite list, and South Florida Legal Guide’s Top Lawyers list. In addition, Ms. Hernandez is a Fellow of The American Bar Foundation and is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law.

Ms. Karges has practiced family law exclusively since 2011 and has been a Board-Certified Specialist in Marital and Family Law since 2017. She practices primarily in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Ms. Karges has developed many professional relationships within these local areas including guardian ad litems, parenting evaluators, psychologists, forensic accountants and mediators, which allow her to better serve clients at Cordell & Cordell. She has helped to develop the firm’s internal educational programs including implementation of a trial school course where attorneys learn to enhance their litigation practice through hands on development of trial skills. Ms. Karges has worked throughout her career to be a mentor to young lawyers. She also collaborates on the firm’s summer associate program and helped integrate AI into the firm’s daily practice.

Ms. Knox is a family law attorney and Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator. Her practice covers divorce, child custody and support, post-judgment modifications, paternity, same-sex family law, collaborative law, adoptions (stepparent, traditional, and second parent) and dependency matters. A native of Orlando, Ms. Knox earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tuskegee University, and a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She received her J.D. from Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law. Before law school, she built a career in corporate business and entrepreneurship. She also went through divorce, custody and domestic violence challenges of her own. That experience shapes her holistic approach: she considers both the legal strategy and how it will serve clients after the case is over. Outside the office, she mentors law students and volunteers in her community.

Mr. Shemkus exclusively practices family law. As a Florida Supreme Court Board Certified Specialist in Marital & Family Law, he is committed to helping clients navigate family law proceedings with confidence and dignity, applying his knowledge in this field to seek the best possible result based on each client’s individual goals, needs, and concerns. Mr. Shemkus received his B.A. degree from Lewis & Clark College and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. He joined Long, Murphy & Shemkus, P.A. in 2016 after working as an associate at a firm in Illinois. Mr. Shemkus’s practice includes all areas of family law and divorce, such as custody, support, domestic violence, and complex property allocation.

Ms. Kay assists Florida’s families as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law and Appellate Mediator and a collaborative attorney. She also extends her expertise to solo and small firms throughout Florida with freelance research, writing, and consulting services. Ms. Kay served as the chair of the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar during its 50th anniversary year (2023-2024), as president of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers (2017-2018), president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Leadership Institute Class of 2013, and the co-chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association 5k Pro Bono River Run Committee in 2013 and 2014. Ms. Kay is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by The Florida Bar and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). She holds a J.D. degree, a master’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Business Administration.

Mr. Root is a Florida recognized specialist in the areas of Marital, Family and Appellate Law. Mr. Root also serves as a Family Law Mediator and Special Master. His accreditations include Board Certification in Marital and Family Law since 2002 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 2010. Mr. Root is a graduate of Boston University, Boston, Mass. (B.A., 1989) and St. Thomas University School of Law, Miami, Fl. (J.D. 1992). He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1992 and is licensed to practice before the Florida and U.S. District Courts, Southern District of Florida. Mr. Root is a member of the South County, Palm Beach County and American Bar Associations, The Florida Bar (Member, Family Law Section) and has served on the Family Law Rules Committee.

Mr. West specializes in the area of family law and is an aggressive litigator who devotes himself to achieving the best results for his individual clients while maintaining the highest ethical standards of professionalism. Mr. West actively represents clients in both Florida and Massachusetts. He is routinely sought out by clients and other lawyers for his extensive expertise and dedication to fighting for his clients. Prior to attending college, Mr. West served his country in the United States Army for three years as a Finance Specialist. After graduating from law school, he served nearly two years in the public service sector as an Assistant Public Defender for the Miami-Dade Public Defenders Office before working at some of Florida’s leading law firms, including Wicker, Smith, O’Hara McCoy, Graham & Ford, P.A., a prestigious Texas-based litigation firm in Broward County. Mr. West earned his J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School.

Ms. Anderson primarily practices in the areas of domestic and family law, criminal law, and bankruptcy. Ms. Anderson’s over 12 years of experience in these areas of law has given her a unique ability to not only achieve results but to assist clients though difficult, complicated and sometimes incredibly emotional events. She received her bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida and a J.D. degree from Barry University School of Law, where she received a certificate for completing a concentration in the areas of children and family law. Ms. Anderson has worked in the legal field since 1997 and since then has worked at all levels within private law firms. Ms. Anderson has been involved in the following organizations and affiliations: American Bar Association, The Florida Bar (Family, Criminal and Young Lawyers Division), and Orange County Bar Association. Additionally, Ms. Anderson is an adjunct professor for Seminole State College as well as Bryant & Stratton. Ms. Anderson was a former adjunct professor for Barry University, Kaplan University and Everest University.

Ms. Beebe practices exclusively in the area of marital and family law. She is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by The Florida Bar, and she is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL). Ms. Beebe is a member of the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar, the Palm Beach County Bar Association, Florida Association of Woman Lawyers and the Palm Beach County Greenberg Gamot Family Law American Inn of Court. Ms. Beebe is a past chair of the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar (2018-2019). She was elected to the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section in 2015 and served as the secretary from 2015-2016; treasurer from 2016-2017; the chair-elect 2017-2018; and chair 2018-2019. She also served on the Executive Council from 2010 until her appointment on the Executive Committee. Ms. Beebe currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, where she began her legal career in 2006. She has been recognized as Florida Rising Star from 2017-2019 and a Super Lawyer from 2021 to present.

Ms. Hernandez represents high-net-worth individuals in complex marital and family law matters. She assists individuals in the dissolution of marriage, equitable distribution, alimony, child support, parenting and time-share issues, paternity, and prenuptial agreements. Ms. Hernandez has obtained the AV Preeminent peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell. In addition, she has been selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers list since 2014, including Top 100: Miami Super Lawyers in 2018, 2020- 2022 and Top 50: Women Florida Super Lawyers in 2015 and 2018, The Best Lawyers in America list since 2019, Florida Trend’s Legal Elite list, and South Florida Legal Guide’s Top Lawyers list. In addition, Ms. Hernandez is a Fellow of The American Bar Foundation and is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law.

Ms. Kay assists Florida’s families as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law and Appellate Mediator and a collaborative attorney. She also extends her expertise to solo and small firms throughout Florida with freelance research, writing, and consulting services. Ms. Kay served as the chair of the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar during its 50th anniversary year (2023-2024), as president of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers (2017-2018), president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Leadership Institute Class of 2013, and the co-chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association 5k Pro Bono River Run Committee in 2013 and 2014. Ms. Kay is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by The Florida Bar and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). She holds a J.D. degree, a master’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Business Administration.

Mr. Aschauer represents clients on matters related to litigation, environmental regulation, and agency enforcement of permit and regulatory criteria. His practice involves federal matters governed by the Clean Water Act (CWA) and state matters involving environmental resource permits, coastal construction, coastal grant programs and water and wastewater. Mr. Aschauer serves as chair of LLW’s Transportation and Infrastructure Industry Group and vice chair of the firm’s Business Development Committee.

Mr. Kelly is a professional geologist with 28 years of experience in water resource and water supply planning, both in private consulting and public regulatory agencies. He has worked extensively within all five Florida Water Management Districts, guiding clients through the water use permitting process. Mr. Kelly’s expertise includes water supply planning, sustainable yield evaluations, water quality data collection and interpretation, and hydrogeologic investigations. He manages projects such as mine water balance modeling, total maximum daily load (TMDL) evaluations, minimum flows and levels (MFL) impact analysis, and aquifer storage and recovery projects. Mr. Kelly leads multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, geologists, and environmental scientists to complete complex, multi-year projects.

Mr. Riley is dedicated to helping businesses, from highly regulated industries and across Florida and beyond, to solve their problems with and through government. Mr. Riley’s clients range from investor-owned utilities, oil and gas exploration companies and mining operators to commercial real estate developers and telecommunications companies. He advises on governmental relations and administrative law matters and advocates client objectives before local, state and federal regulatory agencies, as well as in judicial courts and administrative proceedings. With a focus on serving as the catalyst for getting client initiatives approved at all levels of government, Mr. Riley brings a deep bench of earned skills to projects involving land use and environmental issues, with a particular emphasis on oil and gas law matters. He navigates clients through obtaining permits and entitlements and in executing development projects by securing environmental permits, local and state development approvals, and proprietary real property interests.

Ming Ye is a professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, and the Department of Scientific Computing at the Florida State University in Tallahassee. His research interests are groundwater numerical modeling, uncertainty assessment, karst hydrogeology, and environmental data science. He received a B.S. degree in Geology from the Nanjing University, China, in 1997. In 2002, he earned his Ph.D. degree in Hydrology from the University of Arizona, Tucson. After graduation, he worked as a post-doc research associate in 2002-2004 at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Portland, OR; in 2004-2006, he worked as an Assistant Research Professor of the Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas. He joined Florida State University in 2007 as an assistant professor, and was promoted to associate professor in 2011 and to full professor in 2016. He was elected as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 2012, and received an Early Career Award in 2012 from the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2015, he received a Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers. He served as an associate editor for Water Resources Research and Journal of Hydrology, and is serving as an associate editor for the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering and Groundwater.

Mr. Hanrahan has more than 47 years of industry experience. In addition to presentations in Canada, Taiwan and the Dominican Republic, he has also presented at the national level for many organizations, including the International Erosion Control Association, the Land Improvement Contractors of America, the Geotechnical Fabrics Institute, the National Working Waterfront Network, and the American Water Works Association. Mr. Hanrahan’s articles have been published in many magazines, including Erosion Control, Land & Water, Geosynthetics, and Landscape Architect & Specifier News. He has produced webinars for the International Erosion Control Association, the International Association of Hydroseeding Professionals, the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, and Forester University. Mr. Hanrahan has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of Mississippi, Ohio Northern University, University of New England, and Vermont Technical College. He has also been active in industry organizations. He was national president of the International Management Council in 1991-92 and served four terms as president of the Northeast Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association. Mr. Hanrahan is also a member of the Senior Advisory Committee of Envirocert. He has developed and delivered training events throughout his career. From 2008 to the present, he has organized coastal erosion control training events up and down the New England Coast, with multiple seminars in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Event co-sponsors for these events have included the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Sea Grant, the Rhode Island Coastal Management Council, the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center, Connecticut College, and Connecticut Sea Grant. Mr. Hanrahan has also assisted with the development of erosion control standards with the Illinois Tollway Authority, and the State Departments of Transportation in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois.

Dr. Mallinger is a pollinator ecologist focusing primarily on native wild bees. She is interested in the basic biology of native wild bees, their response to anthropogenic disturbance, and their role in the pollination of both crop and wild plants. A major focus of her research program is to integrate approaches from landscape ecology and community ecology to better understand pollinator community dynamics and plant pollinator interactions at multiple spatial scales. She conducts research in a variety of ecosystems, including natural, agricultural and urban, with the overarching goal of informing pollinator conservation and improving pollination services.

Ms. Neal is the owner of Green Gardens Education and Designs. Prior to that, she was a biologist at Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta for over 30 years. She retired in 2017. Ms. Neal areas of expertise are composting, vermicomposting, ornithology, environmental education, establishing outdoor classrooms and wildlife gardens and educating the public about the wonders of monarchs. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in science education with an emphasis in animal behavior. In 2015 Ms. Neal received the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Georgia from the National Association of Biology Teacher in recognition of her career’s work in environmental education.
Ms. Neal was also the project director for the School Master Gardener program that trained over 300 Master Gardeners from 50 different schools across DeKalb County. Since 2003 these participants have volunteered over 50,000 hours at their local schoolhouses with over 35,000 students. Numerous Junior Master Gardener Clubs were formed in the local schoolhouses. This program also brought in over $63,461 in grant money at the local schools to support these school outdoor classrooms.
Upon retirement, she realized that her depth of knowledge offered an opportunity to help homeowners transition from a traditional lawn yard to a landscape that welcomes wildlife and pollinators with native plants. This type of landscape is critical in protecting threatened species and establishing a healthy ecosystem for humans and wildlife. Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, says “Gardening is a way of showing you believe in tomorrow”. Based on this belief, Ms. Neal formed an LLC called Green Gardens Education and Designs (GGED) and works with homeowners to make their residence a part of the solution, instead of it being part of the problem. When a customer works with GGED, they can expect a design that uses over thirty years of knowledge and experience and takes into consideration how a space is utilized by both humans and wildlife. This design will transform the landscape into both an aesthetically pleasing space and a space that is a part of the solution to the problems our earth is currently facing. By connecting yards and habitats, homeowners can actively work to offset their carbon footprints and support species that are struggling.

Ms. Wilson is a professor in the Department of Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida (UF). She completed her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Delaware, her Ph.D. from Clemson University and conducted postdoctoral studies at Clemson University and Chiba University, Japan. Her research focuses on characterizing the invasive potential of ornamental plants and native plant propagation and production. Complementary to this, she teaches courses in plant propagation, native landscaping, and annual and perennial gardening. Throughout her career she has been recognized with a number awards including the UF Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award, the
UF Roche Professorship Award, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Outstanding Undergraduate Educator Award, and the ASHS Outstanding Graduate Educator Award. Most recently, she co-authored the world standard textbook Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation-Principles and Practices, 9th edition. For her outstanding
contributions to horticultural science and education, she holds the distinction of Fellow within International Plant Propagators Society (IPPS), American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), and the North American Colleges and Teaching of Agriculture (NACTA).

Mr. Aronfeld was born in Chicago and raised in Wichita, Kansas and is a distinguished attorney who graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1991. He founded his own firm in Coral Gables, Florida, and has gained international recognition for his dedication to representing individuals against major corporations, notably securing a significant jury verdict against Walt Disney World. Mr. Aronfeld, a graduate and faculty member of the Trial Lawyer College, has appeared on numerous national television programs and frequently lectures across the country. Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by both the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy, he specializes in personal injury cases and has been honored as one of Florida’s Super Lawyers and named among the “20 Most Intriguing Floridians” by Florida Magazine. 

William P. Galione has been in practice for more than 25 years. He practices in the areas of child injury, including child abuse and neglect, defective toys and equipment, and pediatric medical malpractice, in addition to personal injury, auto collisions and slip and fall accidents. Mr. Galione is a member of The Florida Bar (former member of Continuing Legal Education Committee, former member of Solo & Small Firm Section, former member of Trial Lawyers Section). He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Florida-Warrington College of Business and his J.D. degree from the University of Florida-Fredric G. Levin College of Law.

Carol Goraczko has worked on civil litigation cases from inception through trial. Ms. Goraczko started her legal career doing medical malpractice defense, and found her home in plaintiffs’ personal injury working with clients who have been catastrophically injured or who have lost a loved one as a result of malpractice. In her more than 15 years of experience doing catastrophic personal injury, she has honed her skills and utilized her tech savviness to create compelling damage presentations that have contributed to the resolution of cases in the eight figures. Ms. Goraczko is the president of the Broward Chapter of the Paralegal Association of Florida, and a member of the Paralegal/Legal Assistant Section of the Florida Justice Association.

Michael Levine represents people and families across Florida in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Prior to joining Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, he was a law clerk to US District Court Judge Paul C. Huck and an associate in the litigation group at Bilzin Sumberg. Mr. Levine graduated, with honors, from the University of Florida and summa cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law. During his eight and a half years with STFBC, he has secured over $125 million in recoveries for his clients. Mr. Levine has served on the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, as co-chair of the Personal Injury Committee for the Miami Dade Bar Association and on The Florida Bar’s Civil Procedure Committee. In 2022, he was elected to the American Law Institute, a leading national organization producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. He was proud to have played a part in drafting Andrew’s Law, an anti-hazing bill that made hazing a third-degree felony and included lifeline provisions, with the hope of preventing future deaths. He has lectured to college students across the state to educate them on the bill, which was passed unanimously by the Florida Legislature.

Kasey Wagner is an experienced trial lawyer who has represented people injured by the negligence of others for more than 20 years. Specifically, she takes on nursing home neglect and abuse cases, along with medical malpractice and other catastrophic personal injury cases. Ms. Wagner has obtained multiple 7-figure verdicts, and her favorite part of her job is being in the courtroom. She earned her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Wake Forest University and her J.D. degree from Wake Forest School of Law.

Peter L. Wechsler is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator and practices in Pinecrest (Miami), Florida. Mr. Wechsler is also a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator and concentrates his practice in civil litigation, mediation, e-discovery, electronically stored information (ESI), product liability, personal injury and wrongful death, insurance disputes, complex commercial litigation, motor vehicle crashworthiness, and accident reconstruction, and has been appointed by the courts numerous times as a Special Master in e-discovery disputes. He earned his J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston. Mr. Wechsler is board-certified in civil trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and he is a member of The American College of Board Certified Attorneys. He has been consistently selected by his peers as a Florida Super Lawyer®, including 2016 – 2020 in personal injury and products defense. Mr. Wechsler finished his five-year term on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, and is now an emeritus member. He has been appointed to the Professionalism Committees of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, and is a member of the Florida Supreme Court Standard Jury Instructions-Civil Committee. Mr. Wechsler is a fellow in the American College of e-Neutrals, a life member of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA), the Brain Injury Association of Florida, the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE), and many other societies and organizations. He has been dealing with Frye and Daubert matters for many years, and has been involved in qualifying and disqualifying experts in various fields at trial. Mr. Wechsler has used most types of experts in trial, including accident reconstruction, biomechanical, medical and mental health.

Ms. Currotto began her career working in the halls of United States Congress in Washington D.C., where she focused on a wide array of issues including policy impacting Floridians. Her practice now focuses on first party, insurance coverage, and personal injury litigation. She has earned an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell and serves as the incoming chair of the YLD Federal Bar Association Board of Directors. Ms. Currotto earned her J.D. degree from the University District of Columbia School of Law.

Mr. Fay is a Shareholder at Colodny Fass and a member of the firm’s Insurance Regulatory and Corporate & Transactional practice groups. He is ranked in the Chambers USA Guide, a leading legal industry rankings publication, for Insurance Transactional & Regulatory. Mr. Fay represents insurance industry clients nationwide on regulatory compliance, licensing, corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and other matters affecting the formation and operation of insurance companies. He advises both start-ups and established insurers on entity formation, expansion into new jurisdictions, financing transactions, and ongoing regulatory obligations. He regularly prepares regulatory filings, drafts and negotiates insurance-related agreements, and represents clients in administrative proceedings involving licensing, rate hearings, and rule challenges. He works closely with insurance regulators across the country and has extensive experience guiding property and casualty insurers through the licensing and regulatory approval process.

Ms. Grice is a litigation attorney in Baker Donelson’s Fort Lauderdale office and a member of the Complex Litigation and Class Actions Group. Ms. Grice represents clients in commercial and homeowner’s first-party property cases in both state and federal courts. She earned her J.D. degree, cum laude, from Florida State University College of Law.

Ms. Hahn focuses her practice on representing homeowners, business owners, and condominium associations in a wide range of property insurance claims and disputes. Ms. Hahn brings a distinct advantage through her prior experience as a defense attorney representing insurance carriers. Her background provides her with valuable insight and enhances her ability to navigate complex claims and pursue favorable outcomes for policyholders. Ms. Hahn’s knowledge of insurance company policies, tactics and procedures allows her to anticipate and counter the strategies often used to delay or deny valid claims. With this unique perspective, Ms. Hahn is a powerful advocate for her clients. She is committed to securing fair outcomes in their time of need and ensuring that her clients are treated with the respect and diligence they deserve. Ms. Hahn received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, with a minor in Spanish, from the University of Lynchburg in her hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. She then relocated to Florida and received her law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2018. Upon graduating, she was awarded the William F. Blews Pro Bono Award, for her exceptional work with the Florida Guardian ad Litem program as a court-appointed volunteer child advocate for children in dependency cases. Ms. Hahn is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Florida.

Mr. Haynes was born in Nashville, Tennessee but has called Tampa his home since 1972. He was admitted to the bar in 1998 in Florida and has been dedicated to helping the citizens of Florida with their insurance claims ever since. Mr. Haynes was inspired to help people with their insurance claims by his father who was an all lines adjuster and eventually a public adjuster for many years. He started his career with Wilson and Terrana P.A. in Tampa handling residential and commercial claims for building damage including but not limited to sinkhole, hurricane, fire, lightening, theft, collapse, water damage, vandalism and any other issue that causes damage to buildings that was covered by an insurance policy. He opened his own practice in 2004 continuing to represent the citizens of Florida with insurance claims in both state and federal court until joining Christopher Logori and Associates in 2018. Mr. Haynes has focused his practice on property insurance claims ever since and handled hundreds of losses, claims, and lawsuits in an effort to protect people and to do his best to make sure they receive what they deserve in both state and federal court across the state of Florida. Mr. Haynes has assisted people through all aspects of the claims process from the submission of the claim, through examinations under oath, through the appraisal process if it is demanded, through mediation and ultimately through trial. He has been a Florida Civil Court mediator and has mediated many claims for the Florida Department of Financial Services when individuals have problems with their homeowner’s insurance claims. Mr. Haynes is also a member of the Florida Justice Association, has participated on multiple committees with this association involving insurance issues and has been a constant advocate for the citizens of Florida testifying in front of the Florida legislature against proposed laws that would take away our rights and in support of fair laws that hold insurance company’s accountable.

Mr. Levin is a Shareholder with Baker Donelson’s Fort Lauderdale office and has developed substantial experience successfully representing a broad range of private and institutional clients in state and federal court, and has tried cases throughout the state, including to jury verdict as a first chair. He has developed particular experience in property and general liability litigation, defending both insurers and insureds in all aspects of the claim and litigation process, as well as advising on coverage matters. Mr. Levin recently obtained two defense verdicts, one for an insurance carrier and another for a policyholder. He regularly defends financial institutions in consumer protection claims, and prosecutes and defends complex commercial and residential foreclosures. Mr. Levin has become a trusted advisor to insurance and banking professionals, providing guidance and recommendations in pre- and post-suit matters, and has served as an expert witness in various capacities.

Mr. Montgomery is a Partner and Business Unit Leader at Kelley Kronenberg, focusing his practice on first-party property insurance defense. He serves as a Team Lead on the firm’s Fraud Fighters Team. Mr. Montgomery handles all aspects of first-party property defense, including coverage disputes, pre-suit investigations, fraud investigations, and CRN responses. Additionally, clients frequently engage him to assist with the development of claims processes and procedures. Mr. Montgomery’s practice is also focused on the highly-specialized areas of first-party property appeals and auto glass defense. Prior to joining Kelley Kronenberg, he worked as an Associate Attorney with an Am Law 200 firm, focusing his practice on first-party auto coverage and litigation, general liability litigation, and appellate law. Mr. Montgomery also practiced as an Assistant State Attorney for Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit, in Jacksonville, where he litigated a variety of criminal proceedings through trial and served as a liaison for UVISA Certifications. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, summa cum laude, with a Certificate of Crime Scene Investigation, from Colorado Technical University. Mr. Montgomery then went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from Florida Coastal School of Law, graduating cum laude. Since Law School, he continued his education by obtaining a Master of Science, summa cum laude, from Florida State University, with a Certificate in U.S. Intelligence.  He also acquired an additional LL.M. in Executive Litigation Management from Baylor Law School. 

Mr. Valle is a Partner at Colodny Fass whose practice focuses on insurance regulatory matters and coverage issues affecting the property and casualty insurance industry. He represents insurers, managing general agents, and other industry participants in matters involving regulatory compliance, licensing, and insurance-related transactions. Mr. Valle regularly advises clients before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and the Florida Department of Financial Services on regulatory strategy and compliance issues. He also works with insurers and trade associations on regulatory-driven transactions and agreements within the insurance marketplace. In addition to his regulatory practice, he has experience handling insurance coverage disputes and related real property matters, providing practical insight into how property insurance policies are interpreted and applied when issues arise. Mr. Valle is also a certified Continuing Education Instructor with the Florida Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services.

Mr. Wank is Chair of Kelley Kronenberg’s First-Party Property and Insurance Coverage Division. In his own practice, he focuses on defending first-party claims, coverage, and bad faith matters. He also handles the defense of a wide array of third-party insurance defense claims. Mr. Wank assists insurers in all aspects of coverage disputes, including responses to civil remedy notices of insurer violations, pre-suit investigations and coverage evaluations, declaratory judgment and bad faith litigation. He defends property insurers throughout Florida in first-party coverage matters, where many of the claims involve sinkhole, windstorm, fire, mold, theft and water losses. In addition, he serves as coverage and bad faith counsel in third-party actions, including monitoring the defense of litigation. As part of this role, he is often asked to draft detailed coverage opinions, reservation of rights letters, declinations, and prosecute declaratory relief actions. Mr. Wank also has experience in handling complex civil and commercial matters, including the defense of personal injury, premises liability, employment discrimination, medical malpractice, nursing home liability, homeowner and condominium association claims, and construction defect cases. He has been named a Florida Super Lawyer Rising Star since 2014. In 2011, he was elected to the Broward Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors, where he served as Secretary on the organization’s Executive Board and moved up to President in June 2015. Mr. Wank was also named the Chair on the Board of Directors of Legal Aid Service of Broward County & Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida for the 2019 term and previously served as the Vice Chair for the 2018 term. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Florida State University and went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center.

Mr. Wyatt is a Boca Raton native and co-founding partner of Wyatt & Schwebel, P.A., a civil litigation firm devoted to standing up for homeowners when their own insurance companies fail them. Mr. Wyatt has built his practice around first-party property insurance disputes, representing homeowners whose claims for wind, water, and fire damage have been wrongfully denied, undervalued, or delayed by the very insurers they trusted and paid premiums to for years. Florida’s property insurance landscape has undergone dramatic transformation — driven by sweeping legislative reforms, aggressive industry lobbying, and policy language increasingly engineered to limit carrier exposure at the homeowner’s expense. Mr. Wyatt has developed a litigation approach that is both aggressive and strategically efficient: moving quickly to lock in favorable evidence, deploying the right experts before insurers can shape the narrative, and leveraging a deep command of evolving case law and policy language to close off the defenses carriers rely on most. Mr. Wyatt has litigated first-party property insurance claims across virtually every loss type and coverage dispute a homeowner can face. His case experience spans hurricane and windstorm damage, water intrusion from roof failures and plumbing losses, fire and smoke damage, and mold remediation disputes. He has handled losses where insurers have invoked late-notice defenses, disputed replacement cost value entitlement, and failure to comply with any of an insured’s other seemingly endless post-loss obligations as tools to reduce or eliminate coverage. Recently, Mr. Wyatt has been fervently litigating disputes over the payment terms that carriers are attempting to strong-arm both public adjusters and attorneys into accepting. As carriers attempt to dictate their payment terms in contradiction to basic ethical and contractual obligations, it is crucial to understand your rights and responsibilities for properly accepting and distributing client funds.

Mr. Bishop is a multi-state licensed structural engineer and a Florida General Contractor with extensive experience in the evaluation and design of wood, aluminum, steel, masonry, concrete, and light gage steel structures. His career focus is on structural consulting for code compliance during hurricane events. Mr. Bishop is skilled in evaluation and rehabilitation of existing buildings, and the evaluation of damage to structures from natural disasters and from man-made causes. He has thirteen years of experience with high-volume specialty structural engineering for architects, contractors, product manufacturers and their distributors, and the public; demonstrating consistent record of increasing gross revenue, professional abilities, and departmental productivity throughout tenure. Mr. Bishop’s strengths include extensive field experience, product evaluations, structural design with focus on components, code requirements of glazing, canopy, and life-safety structures, value and reverse engineering, design of anchorage systems, conflict detection, personnel management and project budgeting.

Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mr. Rubin studied civil engineering at UCF in Orlando. He is a structural engineer specializing in aluminum design for building components. Mr. Rubin has more than 8 years in experience in structural building components such as pavilions, glass canopies, fabric shades, trellises, louvered roof systems, sunshades, flood barriers, flood gates, flood doors, flood windows, flood glass railings, stairs, railings, fences, gates, rooftop screens, AC stands, mechanical unit tie-downs, solar panels, cladding, mullions, roll down shutters, rigid/fabric storm panels, and signs subjected to wind/snow/flood/ice/live/dead loads.

Mr. Shaw is a certified floodplain manager and has worked within the flood mitigation industry for over 15 years. As Senior Vice President in Sales and Marketing at Floodproofing.com, he leads a team of flood mitigation specialists that focus on proper floodproofing techniques to ensure resilient structures. Floodproofing.com is a turnkey supply company of floodproofing products that specializes in flood barriers, floodproof windows, and flood vents. The team of certified floodplain managers, flood mitigation specialists, and engineers provide the industry with a portfolio of innovative dry and wet floodproofing systems. Their flood design services assist with engineering and design, floodproofing analysis and assessment options, to code compliance and flood insurance consulting.

Mr. Evers joined Pavement Technology Inc. in 2012. He also serves as the executive coordinator of the Florida Pavement Preservation Council (FPPC). Mr. Evers has 29 years of experience in the heavy highway construction industry. He has been involved in all facets of the asphalt industry from binder supplier to contractor – consultant to association leader. Mr. Evers is the past-president of the American Public Works Association (APWA) Florida Chapter where he founded the Public Works Director Roundtable. As an active educator for the public works industry, he has spoken at 54 conferences, is the author of 32 magazine articles on Public Works and Pavement Preservation and produced over 40 hours of recorded webinars through Florida LTAP and FPPC. APWA National bestowed him with their highest honor, Top Ten Public Works Leader of 2023. Mr. Evers is married with 16-year-old twins and lives in Vero Beach, FL.

Mr. Golden is the founder and CEO of Pavement Management Group, headquartered in Heath, Ohio, with satellite offices in Tampa, Florida; Oviedo, Florida and Branson, Missouri. With over 23 years of experience directly within the pavement management, maintenance and engineering industries, his passion truly lies in helping local governments to develop better roadway networks through a standardized pavement management blueprint.

Environmental Resource Program Manager, St. Johns River Water Management District
Ms. Dewey has a BS degree and an MS degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Central Florida. She has worked for the St. Johns River Water Management District for 32 years, and most of her time has been within the Environmental Resource Permitting Regulatory Division. Ms. Dewey started at the District as a permit review engineer and progressed to her current position as program manager for the District’s permit review engineers. In the early 2000s she was the senior engineer for the Lake Apopka and Upper Ocklawaha Basin projects for four years. Ms. Dewey is a registered professional engineer in the state of Florida.

Senior Project Manager, S&ME, Inc, Orlando
Mr. Hale is a senior project manager within the Civil Engineering Group for S&ME. He has split his career between designing and managing municipal water and wastewater systems and land development projects. He also spent a year as the engineering director for a company that managed large-scale stormwater construction management projects. Mr. Hale obtained a BS degree in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University Institute of Technology and an MS degree in Engineering from Marshall University.

Jay Hood is a principal landscape architect with Catalyst Design Group. He has over 35 years of experience with master planning, urban design, and landscape architecture for public spaces. He takes an integrated and comprehensive approach to design, striving for sustainability and multiple community benefits on each project. His innovative approach to green infrastructure is featured in the design of places, such as Gainesville’s Cade Museum of Creativity + Invention; PK Avenue Streetscape in Auburndale, Florida; and the public realm design for the NoMa Business Improvement District in Washington D.C. Mr. Hood is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences and has spoken on low impact development and the benefits of green infrastructure investment at APWA, FSA, FDOT Design Conference and FRPA. His design philosophy focuses on functional and timeless design, grounded in context and equity of users. He brings this integrated approach to each project, leveraging his client’s investment to create a public realm that enhances the quality of life of residents, businesses, and visitors.

Drummond Carpenter
Mr. Mullon is a principal with the firm based in Orlando with over 18 years of experience practicing civil, environmental, and water resources engineering. His career has focused on the mutual interaction and balance between the natural and built environments. Mr. Mullon has provided professional engineering services to over 20 municipalities and state agencies in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California, providing solutions to address flooding, water quality impairment, total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulatory challenges and compliance, natural systems degradation, water availability, and climate change vulnerability. Mr. Mullon is a subject-matter expert in stormwater management, watershed management, and civil infrastructure. He has direct professional experience designing, funding, permitting, constructing, and monitoring both conventional and innovative stormwater best management practices (BMPs), including stream restoration, flood control systems, lake management improvements, pollution forensic analysis, intelligent stormwater infrastructure, dam breach and safety analysis, and erosion control design. His proficiencies are evident from his work serving as an expert consultant in multiple litigation matters related to the Clean Water Act compliance, stormwater numerical modeling, pollution control, and stormwater BMP design.

Samah (“Sam”) T. Abukhodeir was born and raised in Lake Wales, Florida. Following high school, Ms. Abukhodeir moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to pursue a B. S degree in Psychology with a minor in Arabic and Child Development at Florida State University. Ms. Abukhodeir obtained her J.D. degree from Florida International University College of Law, where she was on the Dean’s List and earned two CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Islamic/Sharia Law and Judicial Externship. While in law school, Ms. Abukhodeir worked as a graduate assistant to law professor Cyra Choudhury and was a judicial intern for the Honorable Marisa Tinkler Mendez, Circuit Court Judge in the Criminal Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida, and the Honorable Maria M. Korvick, Circuit Court Judge in the Probate Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida.

Ms. Cabrera was born and raised in Miami, Florida, has been committed to serving her community from a young age. Starting her legal career at 16, she gained early experience that confirmed her passion for law. Ms. Cabrera earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Florida International University in 2002 and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law in 2005. Licensed to practice law in Florida since 2006, she specializes in Probate and Guardianship, with additional experience in Family and Real Estate Law. Fluent in English and Spanish, she effectively serves a diverse client base. In addition to her legal practice, she previously owned her own firm, showcasing her leadership and entrepreneurial skills. Ms. Cabrera is committed to helping individuals and families navigate complex legal issues, particularly in the areas of probate and guardianship, where her experience and personalized approach make her a trusted advocate for her clients.

Ms. DiLella Freidzon focuses her practice on the administration and litigation pertaining to estates, trusts, and guardianships, in addition to performing estate planning. Born and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Florida to attend the University of Miami School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2015. Prior to joining FLPFL, Ms. DiLella Freidzon worked as a law clerk and thereafter an associate attorney, practicing in the areas of probate, guardianship, and trusts. Additionally, she was an Assistant State Attorney, prosecuting an array of criminal offenses and trying misdemeanor and felony cases to verdict. She focused much of her time prosecuting violent crimes of domestic violence and has maintained an interest in advocating for vulnerable families in our community. Ms. DiLella Freidzon is admitted to practice in Florida and New Jersey.

Ms. Gross has focused her legal practice on trusts and estates for more than thirty years, which includes the drafting and administration of wills and trusts as well as probate administration. Additionally, she has been serving other law firms as Of Counsel since 2011 where she handles estate planning and administration as well as represents individuals and businesses in connection with integrating estate planning with asset protection plans. Ms. Gross graduated with a B.A. from the Florida International University. She went on to receive her law degree from New York Law School in 1992 and her Masters in Law (LL.M.) in the Heckerling Program in Estate Planning from the University of Miami, School of Law in 1993. Ms. Gross is currently admitted to the New York and Florida bar. Since 2010, she has served as an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University where she currently teaches Trusts, Estates and Probate for the Legal Assistant Program. Ms. Gross serves on the many boards for the South Florida Jewish Federation and Trustbridge Hospice Foundation of Broward. She is also a member of the Greater Boca Raton Estate Planning Counsel.

Born, raised, and educated in South Florida, Mr. Leon attended Florida International University where he earned a degree in International Relations from the School of International and Public Affairs. Upon completing his undergraduate studies in 2010, Mr. Leon enrolled in the Florida International University College of Law where, while completing his Juris Doctor, he clerked for the Honorable Maria M. Korvick, the Administrative Judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit Probate Division. He has been involved in the Probate and Guardianship community since before his admission to law school. Upon his graduation and licensing, he continued practicing in the areas of Estate Planning, Probate, and Guardianship until eventually starting his own law firm to better serve his clients in late 2016. Mr. Leon also served as a Supervising Attorney/Adjunct Professor for the Florida International University College of Law Clinical Program in the areas of Probate, Guardianship, Elder Law, and Special Needs. He is personally involved with all the cases in the firm, from start to finish, and thoroughly discusses each specific need with any prospective client prior to accepting representation.

Ms. Mallol was born in Cuba, and she migrated to the United States at the age of 4 with her parents. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science, a major degree in Criminology and a minor degree in Sociology from Barry University in Miami Shores, FL. After graduating college, Ms. Mallol worked closely with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office as a Victim/Witness Counselor and working there confirmed her desire of attending law school and becoming an attorney. Thereafter, she attended Florida International University College of Law and obtained her Juris Doctorate in 2017. While in law school, Ms. Mallol was a probate law clerk for a solo practitioner, where, with the oversight of an attorney, she worked cases such as estate planning, probate administration, guardianship administration, and trusts and estates litigation. After graduating from law school, Ms. Mallol passed the Florida Bar and began practicing as a Trusts, Estates, and Family attorney. She practices in the areas of Estates, Trusts, Guardianships, Estate Planning, and Family Law. Ms. Mallol is fluent and highly proficient in speaking, reading, and writing English and Spanish.

Mr. Gilbert brings over 28 years of experience in the renewable energy industry and holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is president of Azimuth Solar where he provides solar energy consulting, training and inspection services within the solar energy and real estate industries. From 2013 to 2016 he served as director of operations and maintenance (O&M) for Vigilant Energy Management, overseeing a portfolio of over 100 commercial PV systems. In 2000 Mr. Gilbert co-founded Chesapeake Solar, a leading mid-Atlantic solar energy company. In 2008 his company was listed on Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest-growing small companies, and later that same year the company was acquired by groSolar, one of the nation’s leading solar energy companies at the time. He served on the board of directors for the local chapter of the Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA) and was chair of the Potomac Region Solar Energy Association (PRSEA) for four years starting in 1998. Mr. Gilbert has been certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) for both thermal and photovoltaic systems. 

Dr. McCoshum has designed urban, suburban, and rural conservation projects across the United States. His research expertise includes monarch ecology, milkweeds, and native bee communities, and he has more than 15 years of experience working in the arid Southwest. Dr. McCoshum has extensive experience rearing monarchs in laboratory settings, growing milkweeds, and creating vegetation management plants, and urban conservation designs. In addition to his research and professional work, he is the author of Inviting Pollinators and Other Wildlife into Your Garden, which dives into the processes of creating robust, aesthetically pleasing, wildlife habitats.

Mr. Robbins is a residential designer and energy consultant since the mid-1980s whose projects have been mostly in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan. His projects aim for lower energy usage and less negative environmental impact. He has designed and consulted on passive solar homes which sometime include solar water heating and solar electricity. He has also consulted on stand-alone renewable energy projects like the battery-backed PV electric system which has powered his office since November 2001.

Mr. Robbins has two certifications from Association of Energy Engineers (AEE): CEM for energy management and CSDP for sustainable development. He has received six awards from AEE since 1990 for energy and environmental achievements, including 1994 SW Ohio Energy Engineer of the Year and 2004 SW Ohio Environmental Engineer of the Year. In 2012 AEE honored Mr. Robbins as its Region III Renewable Energy Innovator of the Year. He was also co-recipient in 1998 of the Ohio Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency in the Education Category.

A renewable energy advocate and user who once led the SW Ohio Alternate Energy Association (AEA) 1995-2005, Mr. Robbins nonetheless encourages, assists and teaches energy users to become much more aggressive in minimizing their heating, cooling and non-HVAC energy use. He has developed and taught energy-focused continuing education courses for Great Oaks Institute in Ohio, Appalachia – Science in the Public Interest in Kentucky, Columbus (OH) Green Building Forum, Impact Management Services in Cincinnati and HalfMoon Education.

Mr. Robbins sells no products, receives no commissions for referrals and has had no commercial affiliation with manufacturers and retailers of products or services he uses, recommends or specifies.

Mr. Joseph is a professional and forensic engineer with an extensive structural background. With over 25 years of experience, he works with residential and commercial clients to achieve cost-effective results on your project. Mr. Joseph earned his M.E. degree from Washington University in St. Louis and his M.B.A. degree from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Ms. Layton is the Director of Clemson’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute and a retired professor of forestry. She spent most of her 23 years at Clemson as Director of the School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences and chairing the two predecessor Departments (Forest Resources and Forestry and Natural Resources). Before joining Clemson University, she held various positions with the American Forest & Paper Association, Scott Paper Company, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Owens Illinois. She serves on the Board of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Pat is a native of South Carolina and has forestry degrees from Clemson University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Florida.

Ms. Layton is the Director of Clemson’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute and a retired professor of forestry. She spent most of her 23 years at Clemson as Director of the School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences and chairing the two predecessor Departments (Forest Resources and Forestry and Natural Resources). Before joining Clemson University, she held various positions with the American Forest & Paper Association, Scott Paper Company, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Owens Illinois. She serves on the Board of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Pat is a native of South Carolina and has forestry degrees from Clemson University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Florida.

Mr. Hanrahan has more than 47 years of industry experience. In addition to presentations in Canada, Taiwan and the Dominican Republic, he has also presented at the national level for many organizations, including the International Erosion Control Association, the Land Improvement Contractors of America, the Geotechnical Fabrics Institute, the National Working Waterfront Network, and the American Water Works Association. Mr. Hanrahan’s articles have been published in many magazines, including Erosion Control, Land & Water, Geosynthetics, and Landscape Architect & Specifier News. He has produced webinars for the International Erosion Control Association, the International Association of Hydroseeding Professionals, the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, and Forester University. Mr. Hanrahan has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of Mississippi, Ohio Northern University, University of New England, and Vermont Technical College. He has also been active in industry organizations. He was national president of the International Management Council in 1991-92 and served four terms as president of the Northeast Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association. Mr. Hanrahan is also a member of the Senior Advisory Committee of Envirocert. He has developed and delivered training events throughout his career. From 2008 to the present, he has organized coastal erosion control training events up and down the New England Coast, with multiple seminars in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Event co-sponsors for these events have included the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Sea Grant, the Rhode Island Coastal Management Council, the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center, Connecticut College, and Connecticut Sea Grant. Mr. Hanrahan has also assisted with the development of erosion control standards with the Illinois Tollway Authority, and the State Departments of Transportation in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois.

Mr. Adams is CEO of 1UP Aerial Drone Service, which sells drones and sensors, and provides expert consultation & aerial services to a range of industries, including engineering, commercial real estate, land development, construction, insurance, forensic science, & surveying. Mr. Adams is an FAA Part 107 certified pilot, and a tenured information technology and cloud industry veteran who has spent more than 25 years in the high-tech industry: the last 7 in UAS, AI, and machine learning.

As an arbitrator, structural/civil engineer, and expert forensic consultant with nearly four decades of experience, Mr. Hemmatyar has provided extensive expert services for defendants’ and plaintiffs’ attorneys on numerous construction litigation matters throughout the United States and Canada.

He has been retained as an expert engineer in over one hundred and fifty litigation matters on single and class-action legal cases by the U.S. government, law firms, and insurance carriers at the State and Federal levels, working with both plaintiff and defendant sides.

Mr. Hemmatyar’s understanding of core engineering and legal concepts has enabled him to effectively assist a wide range of clientele. He brings diversified experience in structural and civil engineering design, and in forensic engineering, investigation, and evaluation. Mr. Hemmatyar also conducts research, has assisted in the development of building codes and standards, and has supervised the construction of domestic and international projects. His experience includes special structures and new buildings as well as modifications, alterations, seismic/hurricane retrofits, and upgrades to existing structures. Mr. Hemmatyar has provided failure analysis, expert consultation, structural forensic investigation, and damage assessment services for numerous litigation and insurance-related matters.

He actively presents continuing education lectures to audiences of licensed engineers, architects, and general contractors on topics of structural and forensic engineering throughout North America. Mr. Hemmatyar has been the principal structural engineer on projects for clients such as NASA and several other high-profile agencies. Currently, he directs PSFEG and has served as Director for SEAOSC from 2011 to 2013. He has been interviewed by public media, including the History Channel (documentary episode: “Collapse of Ancient Structures”) and Reuters (Mexico City school collapse).

Dr. Nur Yazdani is a professor and past chairperson at the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Arlington. He received his MS and PhD degrees in Structural Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, and the Univiversity of Maryland, College Park, respectively. A Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), and the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), he is the author or co-author of more than 180 articles in journals and proceedings and an invited speaker at conferences and seminars. Dr. Yazdani is well-known for his research on bridge design, evaluation and rehabilitation, sustainable technologies for the built environment, resilient and high performing infrastructure, Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), concrete properties, coastal infrastructure and building codes. He has a P.E. license from the state of Texas. Dr Yazdani has received numerous awards for his teaching and research accomplishments and secured more than $18 million from research projects. Funding sources have included a wide variety of federal, state, and local sources, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), FEMA, USDOT, TxDOT and FLDOT. Research results have been widely adopted and practiced by state and federal agencies. He has been an active consultant to local, state, international and private entities for many years. Clients have included the World Bank, International Code Council (ICC), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Dallas Cowboys team, Texas school districts, Texas Motor Speedway, City of Benbrook, Texas, and the FLDOT. Much of the consulting work has focused on bridge and culvert design, evaluation, rehabilitation, and evaluation, NDE, material characterization and structural hazard mitigation, preparedness, and recovery (wind, flood, seismic, blast, fire, hail, impact). The work has encompassed experimental, numerical, and field work, as well as the development, adaptation and implementation of building and bridge codes/specifications (ACI, AASHTO, IBC). Dr. Yazdani has been very active in national societies, such as the ASCE, ACI and the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Leadership roles have included the chair of the ACI-SEI Committee 343 on Concrete Bridge Design, SEI Committee on Retrofit of Structures under Dynamic Loads, SEI Membership Committee and SEI Fort Worth Branch. He leads the Disaster Mitigation Center (DMC) and the NDE Laboratory at UT Arlington.