Naked Politics | Miami Herald & MiamiHerald.com



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 6, 2006

Contact: Erin Isaac

(850) 410-0174

Crist Announces Citizen Review Group Team Leaders

~ Groups to assess state agencies and report strengths and weaknesses ~

TALLAHASSEE–Governor-Elect Charlie Crist today announced team leaders responsible for overseeing ten Citizen Review Groups.

The teams will conduct a thorough review of each state agency and provide a report to Governor-Elect Crist and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Kottkamp during the next few weeks.  Among the information gathered will be: administrative policy, legislative priorities, budget and funding priorities, organizational issues and federal law and policies. The end goal is to ensure that each state agency is performing with the utmost effectiveness and efficiency.

All members of the Citizen Review Groups are volunteers from the public and private sectors.  In addition to members of the Crist Transition Team, Citizen Review Group members will sign the Transition Code of Ethical Conduct. For a complete list of Crist Transition Team Members, please visit us online at .

Team Leaders announced today include:

Criminal Justice and Public Safety:

Group Leader Tiffany Carr serves as the President and CEO of Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She was appointed by US Attorney General Gonzales to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women.  Ms. Carr serves on the Board of Directors of Florida Legal Servies, Inc. and graduted from Florida State University.

Department of Corrections:

Bernie McCabe has served as a State Attorney since 1992. He previously served as a Chief Assistant State Attorney and is an active member of the state and national Bar Associations. Mr. McCabe graduated from Stetson University and Stetson University College of Law.

Division of Emergency Management:

Garrett Walton is a partner at Herons Forest Development Company. He served as president of the Home Builders Association of West Florida and is co-executive director of Rebuild Northwest Florida. Mr. Walton graduated from the University of Missouri, University of Missouri School of Law and New York University.

Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles:

Sheriff Jim Coats is the Sheriff of Pinellas County where he has served for thirty-three years. He served on Governor Bush’s Drug Policy Task Force Subcommittee and the Law Enforcement Information Sharing Analysis Committee. Sheriff Coats graduated from St. Leo University.

Representative Everett Rice represents House District 54 in the Florida House of Representatives. He served as the Sheriff of Pinellas County for sixteen years. Representative Rice graduated of the University of South Florida and Stetson University College of Law.

Department of Juvenile Justice:

Jeff McAdams is an officer with the Gainesville Police Department and the President of Alachua County’s Gator Lodge 67, Fraternal Order of Police. He is a certified criminal investigator, a certified narcotics officer and Vice President of the Board of Directors for Alachua Counties Boys and Girls Club. Mr. McAdams graduated from the Santa Fe Community College Police Academy.

Sheriff Bob White is the Sheriff of Pasco County and has served in law enforcement for more than twenty years. He was chosen by Governor Bush to serve on the Florida Violent Crime and Drug Control Council, and in 2003 was elected class president of the National Sheriff’s Institute.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement:

Mark McGarry is the Assistant State Attorney for Florida’s 6th District Judicial Circuit. He is a member of the State Bar Associations in Florida, Colorado and Texas. Mr. McGarry graduated from Auburn University and South Texas College of Law.

Department of Military Affairs:

Rear Admiral Kevin Delaney is the founder of Delaney & Associates Consulting and Co-Spokesman for Heartbeat of America Inc.’s Keeping America Strong. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and has had six command tours including the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville. Rear Admiral Delaney graduated from the United Sates Naval Academy and George Washington University.

John Hurley owns a law firm in Ft. Lauderdale and formerly worked as an Attorney for the Broward State Attorney’s Office. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and former Naval Commander of U.S. Forces Caribbean. He graduated from Florida State University and St. Thomas Law School.

Economic Development:

Group Leader Steve Swindal is a General Partner of the New York Yankees.  He serves on the Board of Directors for Marine Towing of Tampa. Mr. Swindal graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Agency for Workforce Innovation:

Mary Ann Stiles is the founding shareholder, Director, President and CEO of Stiles, Taylor & Grace, P.A. She formerly served as Vice President and General Counsel of Associated Industries of Florida. Ms. Stiles graduated from Florida State University and Antioch School of Law. 

Department of Citrus/ Citrus Commission:

J. Shane Platt is managing partner of Kissimmee Park Properties, LLC. He is a past president of Florida Leadership Program for Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni and a member of the National Association of Cattlemen. Mr. Platt is a graduate of Tarleton State University.

Enterprise Florida:

Adolfo Henriques is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Florida East Coast Industries. He was previously the CEO of the South region of Region’s Bank and is currently a member of the Board of U.S. Century Bank. Mr. Henriquez graduated from St. Leo College and Florida International University.

Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development:

Henry Rodriquez is President of Sarasota Development Corporation and Rodriquez Management Company. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Sarasota and former owner and CEO of LDC Telecommunications. Mr. Rodriquez graduated from Broward Community College.

Jorge Arrizurieta is chairman of the International Policy Group, for Akerman Senterfitt.  He served formerly as chief executive of Florida FTAA, Inc. and was nominated by President Bush to serve as 10th U.S. Alternate Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank. He serves on the State of Florida’s Board of Governors.

Department of Revenue:

Paul Bedinghaus is the President of Bedinghuas & Company CPA’s. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Florida Institute of CPA’s and formerly served as the treasurer of the Republican Party of Florida. Mr. Bedinghaus graduated from the University of South Florida. 

Clayton Hollis is vice president of public affairs for Publix. He is a past chairman of the Florida Retail Federation and is active on both the state and Lakeland Chamber of Commerce boards. Mr. Hollis graduated from Florida Southern College.

Education:

Group Leader Paul Peterson is the Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government and Director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University. He is editor and chief of Education Next and a former Director of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and of Governmental Studies program at the Brookings Institution. Mr. Peterson graduated from the University of Chicago.

Deputy Group Leader Marty West is an Assistant Professor of Education, Political Science, and Public Policy at Brown University. He serves as the research editor of Education Next and is co-editor of School Money Trials: The Legal Pursuit of Educational Adequacy and of No Child Left Behind? The Politics and Practice of School. He graduated from Harvard University and Oxford University.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities:

Senate President John McKay was first elected to the Florida Senate in 1990. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Calendar, the Committee on Commerce and Economic Opportunities, and the select Committee on Litigation Reform. Mr. McKay graduated from Florida State University.

Department of Education:

Catherine Crist Kennedy is the Director of Curriculum & Student Success for the College of Education at St. Pete College. She serves on Governor Jeb Bush's Educational Advisory Committee. Ms. Kennedy graduated from the University of South Florida.

Dr. Sandy Shugart is the president of Valencia Community College. He served as president of North Harris College in Texas and Vice President of the North Carolina Community College System.  Dr. Shugart graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Family and Citizen Services:

Group Leader Robert J. Sparks is the Director of External Affairs in the Office of the Attorney General. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and spent seventeen years in professional baseball administration as a communications and planning executive. Mr. Sparks graduated from Indiana University.

Department of Children and Families:

Adam M. Goldstein is President of Royal Caribbean International. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Travel Industry Association of America and on the board of Trust of Our Kids, Inc. Mr. Goldstein graduated from Princeton University and Harvard University. 

Gene McGee is a member of the Board of Directors of Kids Central, Inc. He served as Legislative Affairs Director for the Florida Department of State. Mr. McGee was instrumental in formulating legislation to create Enterprise Florida and served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army.

Department of Veterans Affairs:

Representative Jennifer Carroll represents House District 13 in the Florida House of Representatives. She is retired Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy and a former Executive Director of the Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Representative Carroll graduated from the University of New Mexico.

Department of Elder Affairs:

Benjamin Leon, Jr. is president and CEO of Leon Medical Centers, a managed healthcare system in Miami-Dade County. Mr. Leon has more than forty years of experience in managed care.

Barbara Lumpkin is the associate executive director of the Florida Nurses Association. She is a past member if the Governor’s Medicaid Advisory Task Force. Ms. Lumpkin graduated from Rollins College.

Government Affairs and Management:

Group Leader Robert Bernstein was appointed to the North Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners in 2005 by Florida Governor Jeb Bush. He has more than twenty years of experience as a business and healthcare executive and has served on the State Lottery Commission. Commissioner Bernstein graduated from Florida Atlantic University.

Department of Business and Professional Regulation:

Jeff Cooner founded Cooner & Associates, Inc., a survey and mapping firm. He was appointed by Governor Bush to the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers, and has coordinated survey and mapping of hundreds of miles of water, sanitary and sewer lines. Mr. Cooner graduated from the University of Florida.

Department of Lottery:

C.W. “Bill” Jennings is the Executive Director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. He has over twenty years of experience in aviation management and is a member of numerous professional associations for the advancement of aviation and airport management. Mr. Jennings graduated from Florida A&M University.

Department of Management Services:

Manuel Kadre is the Vice President and General Counsel of the de la Cruz Companies Ltd. He was a member of the law firm of Murai, Wald, Biondo & Moreno and a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Federico Moreno, United States District Judge, Southern District Florida. Mr. Kadre graduated from Iona College and Fordham University School of Law.

Scott Peelen is the Managing Director of Moreno, Peelan, Ruggie, Pinto and Clark in Orlando. He previously worked at television news stations in South Florida, Tampa and Orlando and is the recipient of numerous sales and achievement awards. Mr. Peelan graduated from Michigan State University.

Department of State:

Michael Ertel is the Supervisor of Elections for Seminole County. He served in the United States Army for eight years and worked in public relations for twelve years, including as a public affairs representative for the United States Army. Mr. Ertel is on the Board of Directors for the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections.

Growth and Environment:

Group Leader Mayor Rick Baker is the mayor of St. Petersburg. He served as chairman of Governor Bush’s Mentoring Initiative and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Baker graduated from Florida State University and Florida State University College of Law.

Department of Community Affairs:

Honor Bell is Director of Community Service and Outreach for the Commander of Naval Education and Training. He is retired from the United States Army and has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the USO and the United Way. Mr. Bell graduated from Cameron University and Jacksonville State University.

Senator Jim Scott is chairman and a founding director of Tripp Scott. He served as Florida Senate President from 1994 to 1996 and as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Scott was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Coast Guard and graduated from the University of Kentucky and University of Kentucky College of Law.

Department of Environmental Protection:

Eric Buermann is an attorney and Of Counsel with the Miami office of Squire, Saunders and Dempsey, LLP. He is a member of several corporate and community boards of directors and was appointed by Governor Bush as a commissioner on the Miami River Commission. Mr. Buermann graduated from Brown University, the University of Miami, and the University of Miami, School of Law

Department of Transportation:

Senator Jim Sebesta is chairman of the Transportation Committee and majority whip in the Florida Senate. His is chairman and founder of the Bay Area Legislative Delegation and chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference and cultural affairs committee. Senator Sebesta graduated from Loyola University and DePaul University.

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Fish & Wildlife Commission:

Dr. Allison DeFoor is State Coordinator for Earth Balance, an environmental restoration firm. He has served as a county judge, circuit judge and sheriff and on the Board of Directors of the Florida Bar Association. Mr. DeFoor graduated from the University of South Florida, the Florida Center for Theological Studies and Stetson University College of Law.

Health Care:

Group Leader Dr. A.K. Desai is a commissioner and chairman of the White House Commission on Asian American, Pacific Islanders Health Committee advising the President on issues affecting Asian Americans. He was appointed by Governor Bush to the Council for Education Policy, Research and Improvement and the Florida Board of Governors. Dr. Desai graduated from Government Medical College and George Washington University.

Agency for Health Care Administration:

Ruben King-Shaw, Jr. is chairman and CEO of Mansa Equity Partners, Inc. He served in the George W. Bush Administration as Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Mr. King-Shaw graduated from Cornell University and Florida International University.

Department of Health:

Akhil Agrawal is the president of the American Medical Depot. He has served in leadership roles with the Health Industry Distributors Association, the National Minority Medical Suppliers Association and the National Healthcare Alliance. Mr. Agrawal graduated from the University of Florida.

Dr. Alan Mendelsohn is a partner in Eye Surgery Associates and Eye Surgeons & Consultants, P.A. He served as president of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology, as an officer in the Broward County Medical Association and has served on the Florida Society of Ophthalmology Board of Directors for the past fifteen years. Dr. Mendelsohn graduated from Northwestern University and Northwestern University Medical School. 

Other Citizen Review Groups:

Department of Administrative Hearings:

Group Leader Richard Doran is a shareholder with Ausley & McMullen, P.A. and is a former Attorney General for the State of Florida.    He is the past chair of the Florida Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee and a member of the Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee. He graduated from Bethany College and Stetson University, College of Law.

Office of Financial Regulation:

Group Leader Román Martínez, IV was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the State Board of Administration, serving as a member of the Investment Advisory Council. Mr. Martinez serves on the Board of Directors for Alliant Techsystems Inc., CIGNA Corporation and International Rescue Committee. Mr. Martinez graduted from Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania.

Office of Insurance Regulation:

Group Leader Representative Randy Johnson was elected to serve House District 41 in the Florida House of Representatives in 1998. He served as Chairman of the Finance and Tax Committee and the Growth Management Committee and was the President and CEO of the Central Florida Sports Commission. He served as a Naval Carrier Pilot in the United States Navy and graduated from the University of Florida.

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