Board Members
Barry A. Nelson, Esq.
Co-Founder and Co-Chair
Barry Nelson is a Florida Bar Board Certified Tax and Wills, Trusts and Estates Attorney and shareholder in the law firm of Nelson & Nelson, P.A. in North Miami Beach, Florida where he practices in the areas of tax, estate planning, asset protection planning, probate, partnerships and business law. He provides counsel to high net worth individuals, families and business owners and assists them to most effectively pass their ownership interests from one generation to the next. As the father of a child with autism, Barry combines his legal skills with compassion and understanding in the preparation of Special Needs Trusts for children with disabilities. Mr. Nelson is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney. Barry is named in Chambers USA High Net Worth Guide and Best Lawyers®. Barry has authored numerous professional articles and publications including Estate Planning and Asset Protection in Florida: A Plan to Survive Unexpected Financial Threats.
Judith S. Nelson, Esq.
Co-Founder
Judith Nelson is a Former Judge of Compensation Claims and currently a private workers compensation and employment discrimination Mediator with Resolution Solution. Judith is a panel member of American Arbitration Association Commercial Panel and their Mediation Special Program Panel. She is also a shareholder in the trusts and estates law firm of Nelson & Nelson, P.A. in North Miami Beach, Florida. Judith received her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 1982. Judi retired from the Bench in 2001 and became a Supreme Court certified mediator so she could devote more time to The Victory Center which she co-founded with her husband, Barry Nelson. Judith received The Woman of Valor award from the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Spectrum Award from the American Red Cross and The Steel Service Award from Steel Hector & Davis LLP. She has served on the Board of Directors of The University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disabilities as well as The Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund. She is currently serving on The Workers Compensation Statewide Judicial nominating Commission.
Martin Dvorkin, MBA
Co-Chair
Retired Vice President, Director of Finance, Xerox Corporation. Currently, President, Peak Strategies, LLC. Small Business and Management Consultants.
Judge Caryn Canner Schwartz
Secretary
Caryn Canner Schwartz is a Senior Judge, certified by the Florida Supreme Court to preside over all County and Circuit Court cases throughout Florida and is a Commercial and Consumer Arbitrator on the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial and Consumer Panels. Caryn previously served for 26 years as a Miami- Dade County Court and Acting Circuit Court Judge in the Civil, Criminal, Domestic Violence and Family Divisions of the 11th Judicial Circuit. Before becoming a Judge, Caryn was a business/estate planning/tax attorney for 8 years with national and local law firms in Florida and California and was a High School Biology/Math teacher for 10 years. She has an LL.M. in Taxation – New York University School of Law; J.D. with Honors – University of the Pacific (UOP) McGeorge School of Law; Secondary Science Education Certification with honors – Florida International University; and a B.A. in Psychology – University of Maryland. Caryn serves on several committees for non-profit organizations and serves on the Board of Directors for Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus, UOP McGeorge School of Law Alumni Association, and Committee for the International Teen March of the Living. Caryn was a member of the Israel Ride and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training 100 mile: Tahoe Cycling Team and Intracoastal Cycling Team. Karen has received numerous awards including the Dade County Bar Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2017) and recognition from Chief Judge Bertila Soto and Colleagues of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for outstanding contributions and dedicated service to the Judiciary and the Citizens of Miami-Dade County, Florida (2018).
Howard Lucas, CPA
Treasurer
Howard Lucas is a retired CPA and Partner at BDO U.S.A. LLC. Howard received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Florida and has over 40 years of experience in serving high net worth individuals, trusts, corporations, and partnerships in meeting their tax, accounting and estate planning needs. Howard received his designation from the American Institute of CPAs as accredited in Business Valuations in 1997. Howard is deeply involved in the community and has held leadership positions for a multitude of local organizations including: Create a Jewish Legacy Miami, Certified Legacy Advisor; Dade County Chapter of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Estate Planning Council of Miami; Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants; and Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Professional Advisory Committee. Howard was named 2010 Business Leader of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal and is a recipient of the President’s Award for Service by the National Kidney Foundation of Florida.
Rhonda Hill
Parent Association President
Rhonda Hill is a First Citizens commercial banker. Rhonda earned her Bachelors degree from Texas Tech University with a concentration in Finance and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of North Texas with a concentration in Finance. Her career includes over 22 years in banking with the majority of that time spent in the Commercial Banking space. Rhonda is the parent of one son and they have made South Florida their home for over 13 years. Rhonda is passionate about serving as the Parent Association President and representative to the Board of Directors at The Victory Center. She has co-chaired the center’s past annual fundraising galas and continues to be involved in the future endeavors of the school as it supports those individuals on the Autism Spectrum as they grow into adulthood.
Moshe Banin, CEPA
Board Member
Moshe Banin is a Financial Advisor and Senior Portfolio Management Director at Morgan Stanley. Moshe graduated from Yeshiva University with an economics degree and later earned his M.B.A. at New York University. Moshe’s financial services career began in 1993 when he joined Bernstein Global Wealth Management, where he spent 19 years before joining UBS. At Bernstein, Moshe took on many crucial roles. Early in his career, he supported the development and distribution of services for high net worth investors. Over time, he rose to Director of International Strategy, a position that required Moshe to identify trends in the international high net worth marketplace and helped launch Bernstein’s London-based private client practice. He then became a financial advisor focusing on high net worth clients, family offices and foundations. Moshe takes pride in becoming an integral part of his clients’ lives and helping them and their families or businesses to succeed.
Gilbert Drozdow
Board Member
Dr. Gilbert Drozdow is an anesthesiologist who was the former Chief Medical Officer for Envision Physician Services. After completing is clinical training at New York University/Bellevue Medical Center he joined a regional anesthesiology practice as an associate clinical anesthesiologist serving primarily the Memorial Healthcare System. He served in several executive roles in the company’s rapid clinical growth culminating as Chief Clinical Officer, responsible for a multispecialty, national healthcare network of over 30,000 clinicians. Dr. Drozdow continued his education earning a master’s degree at the University of Miami School of Business Administration and he maintains his board certification in anesthesiology and license to practice medicine in the States of Florida and New York.
Mirlene Dubreuze
Board Member
Mirlene Dubreuze is the Law Office Administrator at Nelson and Nelson PA, a trusts and estates law firm in North Miami Beach, Florida. She holds a BS in Business Administration and worked previously as a paralegal for five years. Mirlene is a Certified Daily Money Manager® and a co-founder of AM-Financial Management, LLC which provides support to small business clients with a focus on busy professionals who do not have the time to manage their elderly parents’ finances. Mirlene also aids adults with special needs. For young professionals starting their careers, Mirlene helps them create a budget that will serve them long term. Mirlene has been active in her community and continues to hold board positions in various not-for-profit organizations.
Marta Goldberg J.D.
Board Member
Marta is a Managing Director for Grove Bank & Trust. She works directly with clients to address their investment and wealth management needs. Her clients consist of families with complicated multiple trusts, requiring a broad spectrum of investment and wealth management expertise. Marta has over 35 years of investment and wealth management experience including 16 years at BNY Mellon. Prior to joining BNY Management, she held several management positions for investment and wealth management firm. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida with Honors and a law degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston Texas. Marta is a member of several charitable boards as well as professional associations.
Brad Gordon
Board Member
Bradley Gordon works at Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Florida and occupies the role of Executive Strategist – Assistant to the Chair (A2C), a post-MBA program in which he works directly with the CEO and CFO on various corporate strategic growth initiatives across the firm. Prior to this, he spent four years at AllianceBernstein, a global asset manager, and two years at CIM Group, a private equity real estate firm. Outside of the office, Bradley serves on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Florida West Coast Chapter) Board of Directors. Bradley graduated with a B.S. in accounting and finance from the University of Southern California, and most recently with his M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He enjoys rooting for the Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, running long-distance, weightlifting, cooking, golfing, and collecting Jordan sneakers.
Robert I. Werner
Board Member
Robert I. Werner is a leader and volunteer who, in almost thirty years of retirement, works with non-profit organizations. He was the Senior Vice President of Technology at Werner Company, a leading ladder manufacturer. Bob uses his extensive business and trade association experience, plus training in fundraising and board governance, in his activities.
Professional Advisors
Michael Alessandri, Ph.D.
Professional Advisor
Dr. Michael Alessandri is the Executive Director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD). Dr. Alessandri has worked with individuals with autism and their families since 1981 in various capacities. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Rochester and obtained his MS and Ph.D. in Psychology from Rutgers University. Dr. Alessandri is also a Clinical Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics and serves as the Department of Psychology’s Assistant Chairman for Community Outreach and Engagement. Dr. Alessandri has received numerous community service awards, including the Autism Society of America’s Wendy F. Miller Autism Professional of the Year Award and National Autism Program of the Year for CARD. He is also the recipient of the March of Dimes Community Excellence in Health Care Award (2007), the Health Services Coalition Outstanding Community Leader Award (2009), and many other awards.
Anibal Gutierrez, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Professional Advisor
Dr. Anibal Gutierrez is an Associate Director at the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD) and Research Associate Professor at the University of Miami. He is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with experience in the assessment and treatment of problem behavior and in the development of adaptive skills for individuals with autism. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Dr. Gutierrez’s current research interests focus on early intervention, variables related to treatment effectiveness for individuals with autism, and the use of technology to bring about behavior change.
Yanerys Leon, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Professional Advisor
Dr. Yanerys León is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology of the University of Miami and Director of Applied Research and Behavioral Training at UM-NSU CARD. Dr. Leon was named the 2021 recipient of the BF Skinner Foundation Applied New Researcher award presented by Division 25 of the American Psychological Association and currently serves on the Board of Editors of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. In her role as faculty in the Department of Psychology, Dr. Leon directs the Learning and Behavior, Research and Training Lab. The overarching aims of the lab are to a) advance research in behavioral interventions promoting foundational skills and preventing the development of severe behavior disorders, b) provide early scholars and professionals with behavior-analytic clinical practice and research experience, and c) disseminate contemporary methodology and findings.
Robin Thompson
Thompson Training & Keynote, Inc.
Robin Thompson is a dynamic independent business consultant with corporate executive experience. She has held positions of Vice President for a University and a Nonprofit Foundation, Executive Director of a Foundation Board, Professional Speaker, and is an author. Her company, Thompson Training & Keynote, Inc., was founded in 1995 with a mission to create imaginative solutions through collaboration and technology. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, charitable organizations, and small business ventures.