Yolanda Berkowitz. A native of Cuba, Yolanda immigrated to the United States with her parents and brother on one of the last Freedom Flights from Cuba in 1967. She was raised in Chicago and after travelling extensively, returned to Miami in 1995, and continues to call Miami home. Yolanda is a currently on the Boards of Directors of Voices For Children Foundation, Jackson Memorial Foundation and of the United Way of Miami-Dade. She also serves as Committee Co-Chair of the Center For Excellence in Education on the United Way campus. Yolanda has worked for over 15 years with the Guardian Ad Litem Program and Voices For Children, directly advocating for abused, abandoned and neglected children in dependency proceedings in Miami-Dade County, and raising funds to support that effort. She also supports a variety of other organization in our community including Miami Children’s Museum, Common Threads, Humane Society of Greater Miami, Kristi House, The Vizcayans, and Sylvester Cancer Center.

Peter Bermont. For more than 35 years, Peter has provided financial guidance to a select group of high net worth individuals, families, institutions and not-for-profit corporations. Peter is a nationally respected advisor and consultant who has served his community in many capacities. He was a founder and first chairman of the Miami Bond Club, a founder and vice chair of the Bank of Coral Gables and a founder and director of Equinox Bank Corp. He is a past chairman of the board of Miami Children’s Hospital and the past chairman of the board of Ransom Everglades School. He is a current board member and past president of Temple Israel. He currently serves on the boards of the United Way and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Great Miami. Peter is a trustee of the Collins Center for Public Policy. He is a graduate of Texas Christian University School of Business where he serves on the board of trustees. He is also a member of the Chancellor’s Council and a Centurion of the Addison and Randolph Clark Society.

Sissy De Maria. Sissy is President of Kreps De Maria, a mid-sized, full-service public relations and marketing agency in Coral Gables. A Miami native, she is a graduate of the University of Miami. Kreps De Maria, which she co-owns with partner Israel Kreps, is a multi-faceted agency providing a broad range of specialized, results-driven services and expertise and is one of the largest independently-owned public relations and marketing firms in Florida. Sissy is an Active Member of the Young Patronesses of the Opera, the Advisory Board of the Lotus House Women's Shelter, and is an Associate Member of Beaux Arts of the Lowe Art Museum.

Hank Klein. Vice chairman of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, Hank is one of South Florida’s leading commercial real estate veterans. Formerly the Executive Director of Cushman & Wakefield and Vice Chairman of Flagler Real Estate Services, Hank served as Chairman of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce in 2007-08, has been Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Miami-Dade College for the past nine years, and sits on the Miami-Dade/Broward Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries. Klein is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Dade Community Foundation and Fiduciary Trust International of the South.

Melissa Krinzman. Melissa is the managing director of Venture Architects LLC, a firm that positions private companies for success in the capital-raising process through the development of business plans. Since 1998, Venture Architects has worked with over 600 early and growth-stage companies, which have raised approximately $750 million in investment capital. Melissa was the former president of Tyber USA, a subsidiary of a European fabric manufacturer and fashion company. She also helped launch three national nonprofit organizations. Melissa currently serves as a board member on the Ransom-Everglades Alumni Board and Locust Projects, and is the Senior Entrepreneurial Fellow at The Launch Pad at the University of Miami.

David Lawrence, Jr. David retired in 1999 as publisher of The Miami Herald to work in the area of early childhood development and readiness. He is president of The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation and “University Scholar for Early Childhood Development and Readiness” at the University of Florida. He is Founding Chair of The Children’s Trust, a dedicated source of early intervention and prevention funding for children in Miami-Dade. Named by Governor Jeb Bush to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness, David chaired that oversight board for two terms. He sits on several prominent boards and is the namesake of The David Lawrence Jr. K-8 School, a Miami-Dade Public School for ultimately 1,600 students, opened in 2006 across from the north campus of Florida International University. A fully endowed chair in early childhood studies has been established in his name at the University of FL College of Education.

Marilyn Milian, Esq. This Florida state circuit court judge is currently enjoying her ninth season as the judge on The People's Court TV show. She is the first female judge to preside over the long-running show and the first Hispanic judge to sit on the bench of any English language television court show. Marilyn was appointed to the position of Assistant State Attorney for the Dade County State Attorney's Office by then-state attorney Janet Reno. In 1999, Florida governor Jeb Bush appointed her to the Miami Circuit Court. In 2001, Marilyn replaced Jerry Sheindlin as judge of The People's Court.

Dabney (Bud) Park. Bud is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator with deep experience in conflict resolution, strategic planning, executive team building, organization development, executive recruitment, and leadership training. Formerly President of Performance Executive Search and Management Consulting, Inc., he now serves as President of Performance Mediation. Prior to Performance, he was Senior Partner in Mark Stanley & Company / EMA Partners International, Executive Vice President of Thoughtware, Vice President of the Higher Education Management Institute, and Executive Officer of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. Fluent in Spanish, Bud has worked extensively in business and industry in the U.S. and Latin America.

Lee Schrager. One of the nation’s preeminent event planners and public relations experts, Lee serves as the Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events at Southern Wine & Spirits of America. He is the creator of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival®, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2011, as well as the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival. He is a Founding member of The White Party, a benefit for South Florida's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization, Care Resource. Schrager is also working on the release of his first book, Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, Fall 2010).

Leslie Smith. Leslie is a partner with Foley & Lardner’s Distribution & Franchise Practice and chairs the Litigation Practice in the firm’s Miami office. She litigates a range of commercial matters at both the trial and appellate levels in both federal and state courts. America’s Leading Lawyers for Business recognized her as one of the top franchise attorneys nationwide in 2010. She earned her J.D., with honors (1988), from the University of Florida, an M.A. (1981) from the London School of Economics, and a B.A., cum laude (1979), from Southern Methodist University. Leslie’s memberships include the Governing Committee of the Forum on Franchising, American Bar Association; International Franchise Association; Board of Governors Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee, past member; and the Florida State Bar Association. She currently serves as secretary of the Dade County Bar Association and is a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization Miami Chapter.

Mike Tomas. Mike is CEO of Bioheart, the company that helps monitor, diagnose and treat heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. He is also and President of The Astri Group, an early-stage private equity investment company which he co-launched in 2001. Mike began his career at MCI at the age of 17, where he worked for 17 years until he became chief marketing officer at Avantel. Since then he has played many roles including telecommunications insider, entrepreneur and investor. Mike is Chairman of the Board of Advisors at Florida International University's Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center. He also serves on several boards.