BUSINESS NOTES

Miami Herald, The (FL) - Sunday, August 20, 2006
Author: Miami Herald Staff

Hector Lombana, of the Coral Gables law firm of Gamba & Lombana P.A., was reappointed to serve on the Third District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission for his third term. The nine member commission is responsible for nominating the judicial finalists for the Third District Court of Appeal who go before the governor for final selection. An attorney who has specialized in wrongful death, personally injury, insurance and medical malpractice litigation since 1977, Lombana earned magna cum laude honors from Rutgers University and is a graduate of the Rutgers University Law School.

The Junior League of Miami, Inc. has announced the organization's board for the 2006-07 term: Susan Lerner, president; Lauren Harrison Genovese, president-elect; Bibi Cruz-Ledón, vice president of communications; Leanne Tellam, vice president of community; Erin Knight, vice president of development; Lorrie Martin, vice president of finance; Michelle Patricios, vice president of membership; Bonita Whytehead, vice president of planning; Jennifer Buttrick, bylaws/parliamentarian; Stephanie Demos, community advisory board liaison; Katie Hartmeyer Cabanas, community partners chair; Ayana O'Rand, diversity outreach Chair; Jennifer Green, nomination Chair; Jana Hertz, placement Chair; Heather Schueppert, presidential liaison; Christina Urena, provisional Chair; Aniella Gonzalez, recording secretary; Claudia Kitchens, sustaining advisor; Caroline Blake, sustainer liaison and Betsy Harper, treasurer.

Michael Bander , a resident of Coral Gables, was re-appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to an additional term as a director of the Florida Bar Foundation. He is the senior partner of his boutique law firm, Bander & Associates, P.A., which limits its practice to immigration and nationality matters. Bander has been practicing immigration law for more than 25 years. He was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington,, served as an officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Asunción, Paraguay and was a captain in the U.S. Army. He received both his bachelor's of arts degree and his law degree from the University of Virginia.

The International Bank of Miami recently named Bernard Astor vice president and credit manager of the real estate division. The Kendall resident's responsibilities will include overseeing the underwriting of commercial and residential real estate loans. Astor has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Florida.

Florida-based accounting and management consulting firm Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra LLP announced that David Barbeito, Rosa Bravo and David Hollander were elected as partners.

Barbeito, a Miami resident, will practice in the area of auditing and business advisory services; Bravo, of Coral Gables, will practice in tax consulting and Hollander, a resident of Boca Raton, will practice in auditing and tax consulting.

South Florida real estate veteran Fritz Hawkins was promoted to general sales manager of The Keyes Company. Hawkins, who previously served as vice president/ regional manager for Keyes' southern region, brings more than 25 years of real estate sales and management experience to his new position. Hawkins is now responsible for overseeing overall sales and listing production for all Keyes' offices, spearheading the company's mortgage and title integration plans, and managing the policies and procedures for all associates.

Gisele Blum, a mortgage broker with Unlimited Mortgage Services Inc., passed the qualifying exams to earn the Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist (CMPS) Designation granted by the CMPS Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., a training and certifying program. Blum is a Coral Gables resident.

Business notes are compiled by Liana Kozlowski. To have items included in this column, e-mail biznotes@MiamiHerald.com, mail to Business Notes, c/o Neighbors, 7300 N. Kendall Dr., Suite 200, Miami, FL 33156 or fax 305-671-4350.