The Women in Legal & Corporate Leadership Summit [Virtual]: Miami

Ginger Barry Boyd represents clients in general commercial litigation matters. She handles a variety of litigation matters including multi-claim and class action litigation, RICO litigation, unfair and deceptive trade practices litigation, real estate litigation, securities litigation, bankruptcy litigation, contracts litigation, foreclosures, employment litigation, intellectual property litigation, and general business litigation.

Ms. Boyd also has appellate experience. Her reported decisions include: John Hall Elec. Contr., Inc. v. Allstate Constr., Inc., 917 So. 2d 310 (1st DCA 2005); Causey v. Causey, 36 So3d 893 (1st DCA 2010); Twin Oaks Villas, Ltd. v. Joel D. Smith, LLC, 79 So.3d 67 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011); Kearns v. Farmer Acquisition Co., 157 So.3d 458 (Fla. 2d DCA 2015).

Arden Joseph joined Deutsche Bank in 2015 as Assistant Vice President and Counsel in the Americas Legal Department located in Jacksonville, Florida.  In her role, she negotiates derivative contracts for hedge funds, corporate and institutional clients. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, she spent eleven years at Citigroup in New York as a senior member of their capital markets legal team. There, she partnered extensively with various stakeholders as a transactional attorney. She also served as a subject matter expert for the FX prime brokerage desk.  Ms. Joseph earned a Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School and her Bachelor of Science in Finance from New York University, Stern School of Business.

Margaret is Vice President, Regulatory, Compliance and Safety at Global Widget. She holds a Doctor of Law from North Carolina Central University. 

Lauren Fenton-Valdivia is a principal in the firm’s Litigation department and is Chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Lauren has a diverse litigation practice and routinely represents corporate clients in state and federal court.  Lauren has experience handling a variety of complex litigation, including commercial disputes, employment litigation, professional liability and environmental matters.  Lauren has experience in all stages of litigation, including handling complex written discovery, fact and expert depositions, and the oral argument of high stakes motions.  Lauren has further served as trial counsel for numerous corporate clients in state and federal court, trying cases to verdict, and in various arbitration proceedings.  Lauren also has experience in large scale, multi-district class action matters. 

Lauren strives to understand her clients’ business models and goals and integrate them into all facets of her legal strategy and defense.  To that end, Lauren’s litigation practice is complimented by her work counseling corporate clients on employment and regulatory matters.  Lauren is admitted to practice in Florida, New Jersey and New York and the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the District of New Jersey, the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Northern District of Ohio.

Lauren served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Thomas M. Moore, J.S.C., at the trial court level where her love of litigation and trial work first took hold. Lauren received her B.A., cum laude, in Political Science from Rutgers University, Rutgers College in 2008, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Sigma Iota. At Rutgers, Lauren was a Henry Rutgers and Carr Scholar and a member of the Honors Thesis Program, which Thesis was completed while Lauren worked full-time.  Lauren received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2011. At Seton Hall, Lauren was a Presidential Scholar, Dorothy Day Scholar, and a student lawyer in the Civil Litigation Clinic.

Kenya Pierre is a cum laude graduate in Chemistry/pre-med of Spelman College and a Law Review graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Kenya first started her law career as a patent attorney with the Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio supporting the Beauty Care Division.  She then moved to Atlanta to support global juice and nutritional research science with The Coca-Cola Company.  While at the Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Roswell, Georgia, Kenya served in a variety of roles supporting corporate research and innovation, litigation, global compliance and as the lead business counsel for Global Nonwovens.  As the general counsel for Arauco North America, a leader in composite panel manufacturing, she helped to oversee the legal operations of 10 mills in the US & Canada with various operations for engineering particleboard, MDF, laminates and other types composite panels. She currently serves as the general counsel of Yardstick Management helping a variety of clients with their diversity, equity and inclusion strategies within their organizations. 

Kenya has three daughters who keep the family busy with volleyball tournaments.  In her “spare time”, she is a certified 200 RYT yoga instructor who enjoys leading others in their journey to well being.  

Juana Watkins is a native of Pensacola, Florida.  She is a graduate of Florida A&M University and Florida State University College of Law. After moving to central Florida in 1999, Juana began a career in Law as an Assistant Public Defender for the Orange County Public Defender’s Office. Juana discovered a love for the real estate industry, after joining the Division of Real Estate as a Senior Attorney. Over the next 16 years, she went on to serve as Chief Attorney and Deputy Director of the agency, before an appointment by Governor Rick Scott to Director of the agency for nearly 7 years.

One of the highlights of her career was an appointment to the Federal Advisory Committee of The Appraisal Subcommittee of the US Congress, advising the agency on the rulemaking process.

Juana has worked for Florida Realtors first as Senior Counsel from 2005 – 2008, and recently as Interim Director for Executive Offices and Associate General Counsel. 

Presently, Juana serves as Vice President of Law & Policy and General Counsel for Florida Realtors.

Juana is also honored to serve on the Board of Directors for West Lakes Properties, an Orlando community development organization, and 1 Body Outreach, an organization empowering young people to tap into, and maximize their potential. Juana is also a member of the 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Government and Public Policy Advocacy Committee of the Florida Bar.

When not working, Juana enjoys promoting autism awareness and spending time with her family.

Executive legal and risk management adviser adept at evaluating commercial operations and corporate business transactions, identifying risks and resolving issues. Specialize in motivating and influencing counter parties and staff through effective communications. My passion is to continue developing and lead Women empowerment programs and Diversity and Inclusion projects because I believe inclusion is a way of living and the success of a company.

Shaina Stahl engages her technical and business experience as an engineer and M.B.A. to enhance the business side of her clients so that she may better resolve conflicts and develop beneficial solutions. She concentrates her practice in the area of complex business litigation with a focus on construction, commercial, complex civil litigation, class actions, intellectual property disputes, securities litigation and enforcement, and business litigation. 

Shaina also employs her technical and practical business skills on the transactional side of her client’s business, negotiating and drafting contract instruments. She is often hired as outside general counsel to handle all the needs of her business clients.

Nisha Bhatia serves as General Counsel for Pensam. Nisha first joined the firm as an intern in 2009. Nisha’s responsibilities include: ensuring internal corporate regulatory compliance, drafting and reviewing loan documents, corporate structuring, and assisting outside counsel in transactional work, including conventional mortgage loans, mezzanine financing, loan assumptions, loan structuring, and real estate acquisitions.

Nisha is a graduate of Rutgers University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 2007. She earned a Juris Doctorate from the University Of Miami School Of Law in 2010. While at the University of Miami School of Law, Nisha served as a member of the Student Bar Association, the Admissions Committee and the Orientation Committee.

Nisha is a member of the Florida Bar.

Brooke Bowen serves as Senior Legal Counsel for the University System of Georgia, the governing body over the 26 public colleges and universities in the State of Georgia.  Prior to assuming that role, Ms. Bowen was in private practice in New York City, representing numerous private higher education institutions in the State of New York.  Ms. Bowen has spoken at dozens of sessions on various matters of importance to higher education institutions with an emphasis on free expression, non-discrimination, and anti-harassment laws.  Ms. Bowen received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia in 2007, and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2010.  While in law school, Ms. Bowen studied Comparative Employment Law and Human Rights at the University of Oxford.  Ms. Bowen was inducted into the University of Georgia’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2018.

Heidi Maharaj is an Associate General Counsel at Diamonds International, a vertically integrated corporation that polishes rough diamonds, manufactures jewelry, and sells diamonds, gemstones, jewelry, and watches in its own chain of retail stores trading as Diamonds International, Tanzanite International, and Diamonds International Watch & Design. She manages legal affairs for all aspects of the company’s operations in over 18 jurisdictions in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Namibia, Ukraine and the United States.

Prior to going in-house, Heidi resided in the British Virgin Islands where she was in private practice with the offshore law firm, Appleby. Heidi is of Trinidadian-Canadian descent and holds a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, ON, Canada. She is qualified to practice in Ontario (Canada), Florida (Authorized House Counsel) and throughout the Commonwealth Caribbean.

She has lived and worked in Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, the British Virgin Islands and Florida. She is actively involved in a number of community service organizations including Rotary International and the Humane Society and is a current member of the Law Society of Ontario, the BVI Bar Association, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Broward County Bar Association. 

Melissa Aponte-Martini is Corporate Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Strenta, Inc. (Strenta). She is responsible for advising Strenta’s Board of Directors, executive management and other stakeholders on corporate governance, business and regulatory matters impacting Strenta.  Melissa has substantial experience in preparing and negotiating various financial and technology agreements, developing and implementing data security and privacy programs as well corporate governance policies and procedures and regulatory compliance.   Prior to Strenta, Ms. Aponte-Martini was an Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Banco Santander and was responsible for handling Banco Santander’s corporate governance, regulatory and data privacy matters.  Ms. Aponte-Martini began her legal career as a capital markets attorney at Deutsche Bank and was responsible for negotiating financial derivative agreements with the bank’s institutional clients.   Ms. Aponte-Martini attended Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, where she received her Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude.

Janna Maland currently serves as Associate General Counsel at Banco Santander International, which is part of the Spanish Grupo Santander’s Private Banking business. At Santander, Janna focuses on advising internal clients on structuring the bank’s investment products and drafting and reviewing documentation for credit transactions, as well as providing guidance regarding business development, marketing, third-party-agreements and corporate governance.  Prior to joining Santander in 2018, Janna spent her career at Shearman & Sterling LLP in New York City, where she practiced in the general corporate and finance groups.

Originally from Germany, Janna obtained her LL.B. degree from Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany, and her J.D. from Fordham Law School in New York City, and is licensed to practice in Germany, New York and Florida.

Curt Bender is a student, entrepreneur, and public servant – a student of life that creates adventures to pay forward the talents he was gifted. Curt earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, a minor in American Sign Language, and the prestigious Taylor Leadership Institute’s Leadership Certificate at The University of North Florida. Curt then started and failed a couple of companies before attending the Florida State University College of Law. At FSU Law, Curt started a hauling company and grew its revenue to six figures before graduating with a business law certificate.

Curt is an Assistant General Counsel at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, where he helps regulate prescription drug, medical device, and cosmetic manufactures and distributors. Outside of lawyering, Curt enjoys entrepreneurial adventures. He moonlights as a florist at Bouquets by Benders and operates an outdoor movie company, Bender’s Big Screen Adventures, to drive revenue to establishments hurting from the pandemic.