WHO’S WHO IN LOCAL BUSINESS
NEWSMAKERS
COMMUNITY SERVICE
YWCA of Palm Beach County
has appointed Kalinthia Dillard, Esq., as president. Dillard serves as deputy inspector general and general counsel for the Palm Beach County Office of the Inspector General. She is a cum laude graduate of Florida State University College of Law and has practiced law for more than 20 years in both the public and private sectors. She is also a member of various professional, community and civic organizations including the Forum Club of Palm Beach County, The Links, Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Leadership Palm Beach County’s Class of 2016.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Michelle N. DeLong, Esq . an associate at Domnick Cunningham & Whalen, has been elected secretary of the Florida Justice Association (FJA) Women’s Caucus Section. DeLong is a plaintiff trial attorney with a practice focused primarily on representing victims of catastrophic personal injury and medical malpractice. She currently serves on the board of the Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL). The Women’s Caucus Section promotes women trial lawyers in all areas of the association. The caucus works hand in hand with the FJA and its mission of preserving the civil justice system and protecting the rights and safety of Florida’s citizens.
Broad and Cassel LLP,
announced that labor and employment attorney Kristin Ahr has been appointed to The Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. The Professionalism Committee is a standing committee of The Florida Bar that assists the Commission and Center for Professionalism in implementing programs, events and activities to promote professionalism throughout the state. Ahr has practiced law in Florida for more than 20 years, focusing her practice on employment litigation and compliance, and commercial litigation. She serves as counsel to a broad range of clients, public and private, in both federal and state courts, as well as before administrative agencies and alternative dispute resolution forums.
PROFESSIONAL
Palm Beach Opera has announced the appointment Jeffrey Alderton,
Sanford Fisher and David Genser as vice presidents to the board of directors. Alderton is a senior partner with Deloitte Consulting. He has served as chairman of the American Heart Association’s Palm Beach Heart Ball. Fisher is the former CEO of Media Access Corporation and has served as a board member at various arts organizations. Genser is the owner of Genser Insurance, which specializes in fine arts and personal insurance worldwide. He received his master’s at New York University and is on the board of Israel Cancer and chairman of the American Friends of the Museums in Israel. Brightline has hired
Bob O’Malley as vice president of government affairs. O’Malley will oversee government affairs and community outreach of Orlando to Tampa expansion efforts. He joins Brightline after serving 10 years as the resident vice president of government affairs for CSX Transportation, where he managed state and local government relations and community affairs throughout Florida. O’Malley previously held positions as director of central Florida operations for Tallahassee-based Sachs Media Group, and director of public affairs and strategic planning for MetroPlan Orlando, the regional transportation planning organization for Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties.
A graduate of the University of Central Florida, O’Malley has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA). He serves on the board of directors for Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) and the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce; the City of Altamonte Springs Municipal Planning Board; and the advisory board for the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida.
LEGAL
Boyes, Farina & Matwiczyk, P.A. have
added Zachary Rothman to the firm’s estate planning, administration and litigation team. Rothman, assists individuals, families, fiduciaries, business entities and charitable organizations in matters involving estates, trusts, wills, guardianships, asset and business disputes. His practice includes state and federal court litigation, estate planning and asset protection, probate, trust and guardianship administration and appeals.
Law firm Sachs Sax
Caplan has hired former Florida senator
Steve Geller as counsel in the firm’s Governmental and Land Use practice groups. Geller is the principal lawyer of Geller Law Firm, and is currently an elected Broward County Commissioner, representing District 5. He was a member of the Florida Legislature for 20 years, serving nine years in the Florida House of Representatives and 11 years in the Florida Senate, where he also served as minority leader. He has been listed in Florida Super Lawyers, South Florida Legal Guide’s Top-Rated Lawyers and the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. He received his juris doctor from the Florida State University Law School.
CONSTRUCTION
Suffolk, a national building contracting company, has hired Alexis
Leal as vice president of operations for South Florida. In this role, Leal will support Suffolk’s continued expansion of its South Florida portfolio. He joins Suffolk with nearly three decades of industry experience, with a special interest in overseeing operations of preconstruction, estimating, operational excellence and strategic growth. Leal has served as president and is on the board of directors of the Engineering Contractors Association of South Florida. He has also served on the board for the South Florida Association of General Contractors. Leal sits on the board of the Broward County chapter of the American Red Cross. He attended Barry University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Carlton Fields has
announced that Amanda
Romfh Jesteadt , an associate at the firm’s West Palm Beach office, has been named president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers Palm Beach County chapter (PBC FAWL). She will serve a one-year term. Jesteadt was inducted as president on May 31, 2018, during the chapter’s Board Installation Luncheon at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. Previously, she served the organization in several roles, including president-elect, secretary, treasurer and program director.
Weichert, Realtors-True Quality
Service announced that realtor Jessica Chen has set a new office record for a firsttime real estate deal closed by an agent at the Weichert affiliate. Chen closed a $579,900 home-buying deal only 38 days after joining the Lake Worth agency. Her record-setting achievement was also recognized by the Weichert national franchise system, which serves over 300 markets in 37 states.
Abigail Goodwin, vice president of grants and community investments at
Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.,
has been honored with a fellowship from the Terrance Keenan Institute for Emerging Leaders in Health Philanthropy. Fellows will gather at a retreat in Washington, D.C., to network with other fellows, participate in leadership development sessions and connect with seasoned leaders in the field of health philanthropy, many of whom are past fellows. To submit an announcement for Local Business People to Watch, please email a short description of the new hire, promotion or award, along with the location of the business and a high-resolution photo of the person to pbbusiness@pbpost.com.