Class of 1992

View your classmates' news and accomplishments by selecting your graduation year! The most recent class notes entries appear first on each page. If you have anything that you would like to include as a class note, you may submit a class note online or contact Becky Shepherd.

Christopher P. “Bo” Boyd is a shareholder at Taylor, Day, Grimm & Boyd, which was recently ranked 74th on the Seminole 100 list. Posted 3.6.24

Charles H. Leo was recently recertified for his fifth time by The Florida Bar. He is now working on years 26-30 as a Board Certified attorney, and has been selected as a Florida Superlawyer for 15 consecutive years. Posted 10.1.23

 

Fred E. Karlinsky has been appointed to the Leadership Florida Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Karlinsky will be serving as development chair. Posted 7.10.23

 

The Law Office of Salesia V. Smith-Gordon is the proud recipient of the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Diversity Award at the Justice Barbara Pariente Judicial Reception presented by the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL). Each year, the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Diversity in the Workplace Award is bestowed upon a single law firm in the county that best promotes diversity in the workplace through its hiring and advancement of women, including women of color and women of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, and supports and encourages family life for both women and men. Posted 3.13.23

Fred E. Karlinsky was recently included in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Insurance Law and Administrative, and Regulatory Law. He also received the Outstanding Public Service Award from Florida Insurance Council, Inc., in July 2022, and was named to Florida Trend magazine's Legal Elite list for 2022. Posted 9.9.22 

 

Fred E. Karlinsky was recently reappointed to the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission by Governor Ron DeSantis. Posted 8.22.22

 

Christopher P. “Bo” Boyd is a shareholder at Taylor, Day, Grimm & Boyd, which was recently ranked 80th on the Seminole 100 list. Posted 3.2.22

Charles H. Leo has been named one of Orlando’s attorneys of the year. Leo is a board certified workers' compensation attorney and practices out of The Law Offices of Charles H. Leo, P.A. in Orlando. He has been named several times to the Florida Super Lawyers list and is AV rated by his peers and judiciary. Posted 8.6.21

Maria Fabre was appointed for a third term to the Florida statewide Judicial Nominating Committee for naming workers' compensation judges. Fabre practices at The Law Offices of Charles H. Leo, P.A. in Orlando. Posted 8.6.21

Fred E. Karlinsky has been named a “2021 Insurance Law Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal. Karlinsky is co-chair of the Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice at Greenberg Traurig, P.A., in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Posted 4.12.21

 

Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, R.Ph., along with Sia Baker-Barnes ('00) negotiated a $2M settlement, well beyond the $300,000 statutory caps on damages, in the Kedar Williams v. PBC School Board case, and made a significant change in the Palm Beach County School District. The district is now requiring a training program for professionals and paraprofessionals interacting with children with special needs, particularly autism, named the “Kedar Williams Exceptional Student Education Training Program." Posted 4.1.21

Mark Kaplan has been named to the 2020 edition of The INFLUENCE 100: The Most Influential People in Florida Politics. Posted 10.28.20

Fred E. Karlinsky has been named to the 2020 edition of The INFLUENCE 100: The Most Influential People in Florida Politics. Posted 10.28.20

Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, R.Ph. is serving on the FSU College of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 academic year. Posted 6.1.20

hobson_mark_web.jpgMark D. Hobson has joined Halloran Farkas + Kittila LLP as a partner in the firm's Miami office. He is an experienced securities, corporate, and transactional lawyer with more than 24 years of experience advising clients. Posted 1.16.19

 

Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, R.Ph. appeared on the cover of Legacy magazine as one of South Florida's Most Influential & Prominent Black Women in Business and Industry of 2018. She also wrote an article published by the Palm Beach County Justice Association. Smith-Gordon is the founder of the Law Offices of Salesia Smith-Gordon in West Palm Beach. Posted 11.19.18

blanton_donna_web.jpgDonna E. Blanton, a shareholder at Radey Law Firm in Tallahassee, was recognized as one of the 2019 Best Lawyers in America in the area of administrative/regulatory law and government relations. Posted 9.13.18

 

Mason C. Hall is now senior vice president, general counsel, corporate compliance officer, and secretary at Granite Construction. He joined the company in 2018 from Oldcastle, Inc. where he served as deputy general counsel for their Western Operations. Posted 8.30.18

blanton_donna_web.jpgDonna E. Blanton, a shareholder at Radey Law Firm in Tallahassee, has been named a 2018 Florida Super Lawyer in the area of administrative law. Posted 6.26.18

 

Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, R.Ph. was recognized by the International Career and Business Services Alliance for her 25 years in legal practice and community service. Smith-Gordon is the founder of the Law Offices of Salesia Smith-Gordon in West Palm Beach. Posted 6.11.18

Mark E. Kaplan was named vice president of Government and Community Relations at the University of Florida. He started his new role on June 7, 2018. Kaplan also was appointed to the Port Tampa Bay's Board of Commissioners by Governor Rick Scott. Posted 6.11.18

hobson_mark_web.jpgMark D. Hobson, of the Hobson Firm in Coral Gables, published the Business Law Todayarticle, “How Small-Fund Advisors Can Mitigate Money-Laundering Risks,” on March 13, 2018. Hobson is an experienced securities, transactional and corporate attorney licensed in Colorado and Florida. Posted 5.7.18

 

Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, R.Ph. was honored at the Illumination Awards Luncheon hosted by Northwest Community Consortium, Inc. on April 5, 2018 in West Palm Beach. She was recognized for her contributions to the Northwest community of West Palm Beach and the community at large. Smith-Gordon is the founder of the Law Offices of Salesia Smith-Gordon in West Palm Beach. Posted 4.10.18

Barbara D. Ray, managing director and global public sector lead at North Highland, was named one of the 2016 Top 25 Consultants by Consulting Magazine. Ray has more than 20 years of experience in and around state government. Her specific areas of expertise include consulting to state government executives and Fortune 500 business executives on the business of good, cost-effective, delivery-effective government. In addition, Ray was appointed by the State of Florida Senate president as a member of the Florida Government Efficiency Task Force in March 2015. Posted 12.14.17

Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, R.Ph. had a successful verdict in Earletta Blackwood vs. Palms West Hospital Limited Partnership vs. Charles Perry Partners, Inc.; Charles Perry Partners, Inc. vs. Salvador Construction, Inc. and Certified Roofing Specialists, Inc. She is the founder of the Law Offices of Salesia Smith-Gordon in West Palm Beach. The firm concentrates in the area of personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Posted 12.4.17

Marianne Howanitz had a successful verdict in Eliezer Soto Maldonado, Sr., et al., vs. Theorphilus Clark, Peoplease Corporation, Wayne T. Fellows, Inc., and Lanessa Riobe. She practices personal injury and wrongful death cases at Marianne Howanitz, PA in Ocala. Posted 11.21.17

Avery D. McKnight is a partner at Allen Norton & Blue, P.A. in Tallahassee. His practice area is labor and employment. Posted 2.27.17