20140226 R9A R9 - New Business and Commission Requests
R9A Public Library Advisory Board Appointments.
(City Manager's Office)
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Date 2-2G-"!y
BARBARA S. HERSKOWITZ
4345 Jefferson Avenue
Miami Beach,FL 33140
305-788-8989
yalemiami(a,aol.com
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
• Prepared monthly consolidation reports and entries
• Generated IOk and annual reports
• Projected forecasts for the cruise line and subsidiaries
• Compiled annual budget for the entire company
• Developed and wrote the General Ledger manual
• Programmed the computer system
• Trained company employees on the computer application
• Ten years experience in all phases of accounting
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
• Excellent written,oral,and interpersonal communication skills
• Problem solver/team player with proven leadership qualities
• Able to lead a team or work independently
• Proficient in Microsoft Word
• Create budget and work within parameters of budget
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
• Manage and supervise volunteers
• Deal with vendors
• Handle public relations for events
ORGANIZATION SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
• Write all event invitations and literature
• Identify appropriate location for events
• Plan fundraising events for 500 plus attendees
Agenda Item IRA A
Date Z-2'o - iy
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
• Financial Reporting,Carnival Cruise Lines,Miami,FL
• Mortgage Loan Accountant,Centrust Savings Bank,Miami,FL
CIVIC AFFILIATIONS
• Greater Miami Hebrew Academy School,Member of the Board of Directors
• Miami Beach Board of Parks and Recreation
• Miami Beach Board of The Status of Women
• Miami Beach Board Waterfront Protection
CHRISTINE A. GUDAITIS
2155 Washington Ct.#603 •Miami Beach,FL 33139
(305)431-4397 •cagudaitis @yahoo.com
LEGAL EXPERIENCE
VER PLOEG& LUMPKIN,P.A.,Miami,Florida
Shareholder: January 2009—Present
• Represent construction, pharmaceutical, chemical manufacturing and other corporate
clients in complex commercial coverage litigation in state and federal courts in Florida
and nationwide
• Counsel corporate clients on insurance programs, liability and risk management
• Review and provide guidance on client contracts impacting coverage and liability
• Supervise national large-scale litigation for corporate clients
• Communicate and coordinate litigation with corporate officers and general counsel
• Tried cases in Florida's state and federal courts and in the Southern District of New York
• Represent individual policyholders in insurance coverage and bad faith disputes
• Conduct mediations and arbitrations
• Negotiate and draft settlement agreements
• Manage,direct and train associates and staff
• Oversee firm's charitable contributions and affiliations
Associate: September
2001 —December 2008
• Prosecuted and defended federal and state appeals
• Drafted and successfully argued case-dispositive motions in state and federal courts
• Participated in all aspects of litigation from client intake through trial
• Trained and mentored new associates
• Developed, implemented and managed associates' meeting program
Law Clerk/Summer Associate:January 2000—May 2001
• Assisted in drafting pleadings for use in state and federal litigation
• Researched and drafted legal memoranda
• Prepared attorneys for hearings,depositions,and trials
• Conducted prospective client interviews
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW,Coral Gables,FL
Juris Doctor,Cum Laude,2001
Law Review: University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review
Honors: Dean's Merit Scholarship Recipient, 1999-2001
Dean's List, 1999
CALI Excellence for the Future Award,2001
Activities: Moot Court Board, 1999-2001
Phi Delta Phi Honor Fraternity, 1999-2001
MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE, South Hadley,MA
Bachelor of Arts in Politics;Minor in English, 1990
BAR ADMISSIONS: Florida, 2001; U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of
Florida,2001;Middle District of Florida,2004;Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals,2004
Christine A. Gudaitis(cagudaitis(a-)yahoo.com) Page 2
PUBLIC SERVICE AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS
• University of Miami Citizens Board,2008—Present
• Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Representative,2004—Present
• Director and Past President,Miami-Dade Public Library Foundation,2008—2012
• Director, South Florida SPCA/Help the Horses Organization,2009—Present
• Panelist,United Policyholders"Ask an Expert"Forum,2012—Present
• MemberNolunteer,Young Patronesses of the Opera(Miami),2006—2012
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
• Dade County Bar Association,Construction Law Committee
• Commercial Real Estate Women of Miami
• Florida Justice Association
• Miami-Dade Justice Association
• Florida Association of Women Lawyers
• American Bar Association
RECENT PRESENTATIONS
• ABA Women in Insurance Network CLE Workshop: When Food Goes Bad: Coverage Issues
Arising from Contamination Claims,Chicago,IL,October 15,2013
• MC Consultants 7th Annual East Region Construction Defect& Insurance Coverage Conference,
After the Storm!Insurance Issues Arising After A Hurricane,Orlando,FL,June 19-21,2013
• ABA Hot Topics in Florida Insurance Coverage:Proving Covered Damages:Litigating
Construction Defect Cases,Miami,FL,May 30,2013
• NC Bar Association: Why Do We Call It Bad Faith?North Carolina/South Carolina Claim
Practice Trends,Co-organizer and Presenter: Where Policyholder and Insurer Disagree,
Charlotte,NC,April 11-12,2013
• Daily Business Review: Corporate Counsel Summit,Insuring a Business:Is Your Client Covered
for That?,Fort Lauderdale,FL,April 5,2013
• Windstorm Insurance Network, 14th Annual Conference,Assignment of Benefits:Is My Name on
the Check?,Orlando,FL,January 28-30,2013
• MC Consultants 6th Annual East Region Construction Defect& Insurance Coverage Conference,
Update on Coverage Issues for Northeast/Mid-Atlantic/Southeast Regions, Boca Raton,FL,June
6-8,2012
• Windstorm Insurance Network, 13th Annual Conference, When the Wind Claim Gets Off Track:
Documenting and Resolving Adjustment Disagreements, Orlando,FL,January 30—February 2,
2012
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
• Construction Today Monthly,Ensuring the Right Coverage,November/December 2012
• Inside the Minds Series:Negotiating Insurance Policy Disputes,Aspatore Books,2011
Christine A.Gudaitis
Christine A.Gudaitis is a shareholder in the law firm of Ver Ploeg&Lumpkin,P.A. She
concentrates her trial and appellate practice in the areas of insurance coverage and bad
faith litigation, representing both individual and corporate policyholders. Ms. Gudaitis
has written extensively on the subjects of insurance coverage and bad faith,and has been
a presenter at various seminars on insurance-related issues. She is admitted to practice
before the Florida Bar and the U.S. District Court for the Southern,Middle and Northern
Districts of Florida,and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Born in New Jersey, Ms. Gudaitis is a 1990 graduate of Mount Holyoke College and a
2001 cum laude graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, where she was a
Dean's Merit Scholarship recipient.ient. While in law school,she served as a member of the
University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review,the Moot Court Board,
and the Phi Delta Phi Honor Society.
Y
Ms. Gudaitis is a member of the Dade County and American Bar Associations, the
Florida Association of Women Lawyers,the Miami-Dade Justice Association, the
Miami-Dade County Bar Association Construction Law Committee, and the Florida
Justice Association.
In addition, Ms Gudaitis is Legal Chair and Director for the South Florida SPCA/Help
the Horses organization, a member of the University of Miami Citizens Board, a
volunteer for the Young Patronesses of the Opera, and a South Florida alumnae
representative for Mount Holyoke College.
Ms.Gudaitis resides in Miami Beach.
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