SAVE Inc.

Orlando Gonzales - (Chairperson, Board of Directors) Orlando Gonzales is an entrepreneur and educator who most recently successfully launched, and now owns and manages a thriving business in scholastic journalism with Jostens Printing and Publishing.  Gonzales has exercised his interests and experience in fundraising and development, communications, and public relations with various private and non-profit organizations.  Human rights, the proliferation of art and culture, as well as the defense of the first-amendment are the social causes that Orlando chooses to regularly champion.  He earned a bachelor of arts in sociology from Georgetown University where he focused his studies in community service, race, culture, and women's studies.  Orlando has lived in Miami since 2000 and was born and raised in El Paso, Texas.
 

Elizabeth Regalado - Liz's interest and expertise in social services planning and coordination evolved from her role as Assistant Director in the County Manager's Office of Homeless Coordinator, overseeing the countywide process of assessing  and placing  homeless individuals into the continuum of care and services. She has served in various capacities within county government, including the Census 2000 Outreach Campaign and has had oversight of programs providing a variety of services to individuals with HIV/AIDS, substance use and mental health disorders.  Her interest is to ensure that social services are delivered in an integrated and comprehensive manner with emphasis on accountability and the impact these services have on the consumers.

 

Joe Falk - Joseph Falk is Past President and Legislative Chairman of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers. He was President of NAMB in 2001-2002 and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. In 2007, Mr. Falk was named a member of the Consumer Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board. Mr. Falk is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and received his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1978. Joe is a licensed mortgage broker. He is President of his own mortgage firm and a consultant with the law firm of Akerman Senterfitt.

Mr. Falk resides in Miami, Florida.

 
Georg Ketelhohn - Georg is an attorney with Siegfried, Rivera, Lerner, De La Torre & Sobel, P.A. specializing in condominium construction litigation. He previously served on the SAVE board from 1998 to 2004 and served as Chair for one year, 2002-2003. He served as SAVE's Field Operations Co-Chair 1998 to 2001, and then as SAVE's final campaign manager in the final months of the 2002 referendum campaign to defeat repeal of the Miami-Dade Human Rights Ordinance. Prior to moving to Miami, Georg served as spokesperson for a similar campaign in Gainesville, Florida to defend a Human Rights Ordinance passed in Alachua County, Florida.
 
Pamela Sweeney - Pamela holds degrees in Marine Biology and Women’s Studies from the University of West Florida. Pamela is a marine biologist working for the FL Department of Environmental Protection and the Marine Animal Rescue Society. While her work in marine mammal science is her specialty, activism is her passion. While attending college, Pamela resurrected the local chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in Pensacola, Florida, infamous for its abortion clinic violence and ultra-conservative views. As President of NOW, Pamela helped organize the city’s first Transforming Rape Culture Conference and “Take Back the Night”—a nationwide event to honor victims of domestic violence and empower women—an event that has become an annual one on campus. Pamela and NOW were featured in the HBO documentary “Soldiers in the Army of God,” highlighting the treacherous anti-choice groups that bloomed in Pensacola and the effects the murders had on the city and American psyche. Her efforts were recognized soon thereafter at a dinner with Gloria Steinem. Pamela is the co-chair of SAVE’s Grassroots Action Committee, mobilized to do the grassroots organizing it will take for Miami-Dade County to turn out the votes necessary to defeat Amendment 2 in November 2008.
   
Monica Cepero - Monica is a seasoned political insider with over 16 years of State and Local government experience at the top levels of leadership. At the State level of government in Florida, Ms Cepero served worked for former Governor Jeb Bush for seven years, where she served in a lead lobbying role on his behalf to both the Florida House of Representatives and to the Florida Senate. She served as his Environmental Policy Advisor, where she was responsible for the policy and budget recommendations of over $6.5 billion for the environmental and agricultural agencies of the State. Her career in public service, however, began following college when she worked for the City of Tallahassee for eight years, serving in a variety of budget and policy based positions. Currently, Ms Cepero serves as the Assistant to the County Administrator in Broward County. In this role, she serves as the liaison overseeing the administration of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the County’s Transportation and Transit system, the Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department, and the County’s Finance and Administrative Services Department (which includes the County’s Tax Collector component).

On a personal level, Ms Cepero has lived in Florida for most of her life, and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs and Master’s in Public Administration degree from the Florida State University. Philanthropically, she serves a variety of non-profit organizations. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors to two other advocacy based organizations: Susan G Komen for the Cure, a vibrant organization committed to saving lives and ending breast cancer and to Sustainable Florida which promotes sustainable best management practices through collaborative educational efforts throughout the State. She is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade County, a grant making organization that serves as a catalyst for social change and economic justice within the community with the goal of creating a community where all women and girls reach their full potential. Ms Cepero’s passion for public policy and championing equal rights for all, is what drives her to serve the LGBT community. She and her partner Vicki have a 10 yr old son who sails competitively and they live in Coconut Grove.

   
Abby Corbett - (Treasurer) Abby Corbett is an attorney in the Miami office of Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., where she specializes in complex commercial litigation. Prior to joining Stearns Weaver, Ms. Corbett served as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Paul C. Huck of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Before her clerkship, Abby was an Associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Covington & Burling LLP where she was a member of the corporate, real estate, and election law groups. While at Covington, she assisted several corporations and political candidates with federal election law issues.

Abby is a 2006 magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. At Georgetown, she served as a Legal Research and Writing Law Fellow, President of the Georgetown Student Animal Defense Fund, and as a Law Fellow at the Human Rights Campaign. Before attending law school, Abby worked on various political campaigns, including managing a successful U.S. Congressional reelection campaign in 2002. A fourth-generation Floridian, Abby grew up in Central Florida and received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Florida Southern College where she majored in political science.

Ms. Corbett is a member of the bars of the State of Florida, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
   
Juan Del Hierro - Juan is more than a volunteer. He is dedicated and active in a variety ways within the community. He is a founding member of Empowering U, a first of its kind non-profit organization which provides empowerment series for boys in the Miami-Dade Juvenile Justice Program. He is also active within Habitat for Humanity and oversees a partnership program for Community Partnership for the Homeless. Social justice has always been a focus of his time and energy, even while attending Florida State University and Florida International University where he studied Political Science and Economics. Currently, Juan works at Unity on the Bay as Director of the Sacred Service Ministry, overseeing their volunteer and outreach programs. He is also studying to become a Licensed Unity Minister. Aside from his position as a Board Member for the SAVE Foundation, Juan is the Co-Chair of SAVE’s Grassroots Action Committee mobilized to do the grassroots organizing it will take for Miami-Dade County to turn out the votes necessary to defeat Amendment 2 in November 2008.
   

Nate Bodner - Since moving to Miami five years ago, Nate Bodner has been actively involved in Pridelines Youth Services, Temple Israel and SAVE Dade.

Beginning his Pridelines stint by volunteering at the Youth Prom, he moved on to become a weekly volunteer with the youth, a member of the Board of Directors and co-chair of a very successful fundraiser, “A night in the Jungle.” He also taught “Money Talks, a financial awareness class.

At Temple Israel, Mr. Bodner was a member of the Social Justice Committee and a member of the Board, playing a leading role in strategic planning for the organization.

Mr. Bodner recently retired as VP of Supply Chain Management at Nueva Cocina, a Miami-based gourmet Latino foods company. Previously, he served as VP of Purchasing for Borden Foods, Director of Commodities for Kraft-General Foods, and Director of Purchasing for Entenmann’s Bakeries.

During his tenure at General Foods and Borden, he also served as Chairman of the Sweetener Users Association, a Washington-based trade organization, and as a member of the USDA Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Sweeteners, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.

At SAVE Dade, Mr. Bodner will put his organizational and lobbying experience to work as Chairman of the Policy and Lobbying Committee.
   

Merry Bodner - An Adjunct Professor of Communications at Franklin University, Merry Bodner has been active in social justice since marching for civil rights in the mid-sixties. During her lengthy career in advertising, she has done volunteer marketing for The Lighthouse for the Blind, Special Olympics, the Columbus (OH) Youth Orchestra, Special Education PTAs, and many faith-based organizations.

Since moving to Miami six years ago, Merry has served as VP of Temple Israel Sisterhood, co-chair of Pridelines Youth Services” “A Night in the Jungle” fundraiser, and as a member of Temple Israel’s Social Justice Committee. She is presently chairing SAVE Dade’s Marketing & Communications Committee.
 

Brian S. Adler – Brian is a Partner in the Land Use & Government Relations Group at the law firm of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP. Focused primarily on land use, zoning and environmental matters in unincorporated Miami-Dade County and the various municipalities throughout South Florida, Brian represents property owners, developers and contractors in permitting, platting, zoning, comprehensive planning and development, from inception to representation at hearing and post-hearing approvals. Brian grew up in Miami and graduated cum laude from both the University of Miami in 1990 and from the University of Miami School of Law in 1993, where he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Law's Masters Program (LLM) in Real Property Development.

Brian has volunteered and/or served on committees for numerous charities, including serving as past co-chair and committee member for several Cystic Fibrosis Foundation events. In addition, he has mentored foster children aging out of the system for Educate Tomorrow and is an annual volunteer at the Miami-Dade County Special Olympics.

Brian recently has been serving on the SAVE Dade Policy and Lobbying Sub-Committee.
   
Kim Stone - Bio Coming Soon!
   

Christian Ulvert - Christian Ulvert is the Managing Partner and majority shareholder of EDGE-Communications, LLC., a communications and political consulting firm. A communications and public policy expert, Mr. Ulvert served the Florida House Democratic Caucus as a senior communications advisor and counseled House Minority Leader Dan Gelber during his two-year leadership term. His knowledge of strategic communications, public opinion and message development allowed elected officials to effectively deliver their message to statewide media outlets. His strong verbal communications skills had Christian serving as a bilingual spokesman of the Democratic Caucus and every campaign he joined.

Christian has served on and led several successful campaigns across the state of Florida, most recently managing three successful state house campaigns during the 2008 election cycle. One of Christian¹s notable campaigns was the 2008 local gaming referendum in Miami-Dade that won 62 percent voter approval. In addition to his work with EDGE-Communications, Christian is a partner and senior public policy advisor with the Tallahassee-based lobbying firm, Prieguez & Weems, LLC. focusing on state governmental relations. Christian also spends his time as an adjutant faculty member with Miami Dade College where he teaches American National Government. A native of Miami, Christian graduated from the Florida State University with a Bachelors of Science in Political Science and a Masters of Science in Public Administration and Policy.