PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2012 : Speaker and Member, Harvard Law School Prevention and Protection Workshop
2012 : Member, Casey Family Programs Forum : Improving Child Safety and Reducing Child Maltreatment Fatalities.
2012 : Opening Remarks, U.S. Department of Justice Defending Childhood Initiative Task Force Meeting
2012 : Vice Chair, Early Learning Coalition of Miami -Dade County
2011: Community Advisory Member, University of Miami’s LEND Emerging Transformational Leaders Program
2010: Member, Florida Child Care Standards and Improvements Work Group
2008 – Present: Board of Directors, Early Learning Coalition, Miami-Dade County
2008 – 2011: Chair, Florida Child and Family Safety Review (CFSR) Committee
2008-2010: Member, Florida Task Force for Fostering Success
2008: Executive Certificate in Juvenile Justice: Multi-System Integration, Georgetown University
Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform
2004: Member, Child Trends Consortium on Child Well-Being Indicators for Child Welfare Populations
2002: Toll Fellow, Council of State Governments
2002-2008: Board of Trustees, National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges
2001- 2007: Chair, Community Based Care Alliance, Miami-Dade County
2001- 2003: Member, Executive Session on Deviant Peer Contagion, Duke University,
Center for Child and Family Policy
1999: Fellow, Zero to Three, Leaders of the 21st Century Initiative
1999: Founder, Girl’s Advocacy Project (GAP), an educational intervention for girls incarcerated in the Miami-Dade Juvenile Justice Detention Center
1999: Co-Chair, Out of Home Placement Workshop, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
1998 – 2005: Member, Board on Children, Youth and Families, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
1998: Member, Panel on Juvenile Crime, Prevention, Treatment and Control, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
1997- 1999: Commissioner, Florida Supreme Court Commission on Fairness
1997-1999: Member, House of Delegates, American Bar Association
1995- Present: Honorary Community Advisory Board, Junior League of Miami
1995-1997: Member, President Clinton’s National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women
1995 – 1996: President, National Association of Women Judges
1994- 1997: Member, Committee on Family Violence Interventions, National Academy of Sciences National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
1993 -1999 Faculty, National Judicial College
1990- 1991: Commissioner, Florida Supreme Court Ethnic and Racial Bias Study Commission
1986-1987: President, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Dade County Chapter
PROFESSIONAL HONORS
2012: Judge C. Clyde Atkins Civil Liberties Award
2011: Founder’s Award, Casa Valentina
2011: Invited Speaker, Harvard Law School, Child Advocacy Program
2011: Invited Address, Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Montreal, Canada
2009: Gavin K. Letts Outstanding Jurist of the Year Award, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyer
2009: The Statewide Florida Guardian ad Litem Leadership Award
2009: Douglas M. Halsey Community Service Award, Florida Foster Care Review
2009: Distinguished Public Servant Award, Unity on the Bay
2008: Colloquium Speaker, Harvard Center on the Developing Child, “How Judges use Neuroscience to Break the Cycle of Child Maltreatment”, Harvard Law School
2008: Community Partnership Award, Department of Children & Families
2005: Thelma Gibson Award, Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Miami
2005: Colonel Harry Zubkoff Award in Child Development, Community Action Agency, Miami, Florida
2004 Honorary Doctorate degree in Criminal Justice, Johnson and Wales University
2003: Women of Impact XV Award, Women’s History Coalition of Miami Dade, Inc.
2003: Elected Official of the Year Award, Miami Dade Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers
2003: Elected State Official of the Year Award, Florida Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers
2002: Distinguished Service Award, The National Center for State Courts.
2001: Monsignor Walsh Outstanding Human Services Professional Award,
United Way of Miami-Dade County
2002: Judicial Community Service Award, The Greater Miami Jewish Federation
2000: Heart of Miami, Switchboard of Miami, Inc.
2000: Champions for Children Leadership Award, Children Services Council
1999: Woman of Valor, The National Council of Jewish Women
1999: The William E. Gladstone Award, Florida Supreme Court, for improving the lives of Florida’s children
1999: And Justice for All Award, Victim Services Center, Miami-Dade County
1998: Most Valuable Protector Award, Voices for Children Foundation
1997: Governor's Peace at Home Award, Governor Lawton Chiles
1995: Women Who Make a Difference Award, Miami Law Women.
1993: Mattie Belle Davis Award, Florida Association for Women Lawyers
1991: In the Company of Women Award, Miami Dade County