NEWSMAKERS
COMMUNITY SERVICE
The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington has appointed Marcella Montesinos to the advisory board. Montesinos is the manager of the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College at Palm Beach State College. She attended Palm Beach State and the University of Central Florida where she earned a bachelor of arts degree and received a master’s degree in business management from Nova Southeastern University. She serves as secretary of the School Advisory Committee at Binks Forest Elementary School. She is a member of the Hispanic Education Coalition of Palm Beach County and serves as an adviser at Palm Beach State College, Lake Worth campus.
PROFESSIONAL
O’Connell & Goldberg (O&G) Public Relations has promoted Sophia Fiat to senior account executive. Fiat manages day-today media outreach and press initiatives, as well as event execution and support for a variety of clients, including hospitality, real estate and industry service accounts. She joined O&G in 2016 from Golin Public Relations in Miami. Fiat is a graduate of the University of Miami and manages multiple ongoing projects, media metrics and social media.
RECOGNITION
Tracy L. Gerber, co-managing shareholder of global law firm Greenberg Traurig’s West Palm Beach office and co-chair of the firm’s Broker-Dealer Securities Litigation Practice, was selected by the National Law Journal as a 2018 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Champion. The third annual issue of ADR Champions is a special supplement of the National Law Journal to recognize law professionals who continue to make their mark in various aspects of alternative dispute resolution. Gerber has tried over 50 arbitrations to final award involving a broad range of issues affecting the brokerage industry. She regularly defends major Wall Street brokerage firms, registered investment advisers and other financial institutions.
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Board of Commissioners elected Brian
R. Lohmann as its new chairman. The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners appointed Lohmann to the Health Care District Board in September 2011. He was reappointed for a second fouryear term in 2016.
Lohmann is vice president, chief financial officer and general manager of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, which he joined in 2008. Prior to that, he spent three years with Pioneer Growers Cooperative and previously was the owner of B.R. Lohmann Inc. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida. The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington has appointed Carlos Alvarez to the advisory board. Alvarez is the market president of BBVA Compass for Palm Beach and Broward Counties where he leads a team of banking professionals and builds new client relationships. He has served in various leadership roles at Bank of America and PNC. He received a bachelor’s degree in management and finance from the University of Central Florida and is currently on the board of directors of the Association for Corporate Growth, advisory board member of Nova Southeastern University and sits on the board of Junior Achievement of South Florida.