Interim President, New College of Florida
Richard Corcoran moved to Florida as a child in 1976. Both of his parents grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. They instilled a great sense of pride in public service and duty in him at an early age.
From them, Mr. Corcoran developed the principles by which he and his wife of over 24 years, Anne, who is also an attorney, teach their six children today.
Mr. Corcoran grew up in Pasco County, Florida where he graduated from Hudson High School. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Leo College in 1989 and a Juris Doctorate from Regent University in 1996. While enrolled in college, Richard also served in the U.S. Naval Reserve (1987-1993).
Mr. Corcoran has been a practicing attorney in Florida for almost 20 years. He also served as the Speaker of the Florida House from 2016-2018. During his tenure in the state House, he pushed through over $10 billion in tax cuts, the elimination of over 5,000 regulations, the massive expansion of school choice, and the strongest ethics and transparency laws in state history.
Mr. Corcoran is a passionate advocate for improving the education system in Florida. He fully believes every child can learn and that all children deserve the opportunity to receive a world-class education.
Judge, Florida Third District Court of Appeal
Prior to her appointment to the Court, Judge Gordo served as a Circuit Court Judge for over 8 years presiding in the Criminal, Civil and Family trial court divisions. Judge Gordo also served as Associate Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court Appellate Division in Miami-Dade County.
Judge Gordo is a member of the Education Committee of the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges and has taught judicial education courses on criminal sentencing enhancements and mitigation, career criminal designation, Florida corporate business entities and injunctions, receiverships and family rules of procedure relating to default judgments.
Prior to her service on the bench, Judge Gordo served as an Assistant State Attorney for over 11 years where she was a Division Chief responsible for supervising a felony division and investigating, indicting and seeking justice in homicide cases. While at the State Attorney’s Office, she also served as a senior member of the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit and Gang Strike Force Unit. Judge Gordo served on the Board of Directors for the Cuban American Bar Association and the League of Prosecutors.
Judge Gordo is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law teaching trial skills. Throughout her career as an Assistant State Attorney and Judge she has been actively involved in mentoring students and has sat as a volunteer for moot court competitions and mock trials for both Florida International University and the University of Miami School of Law. For the past four years she has presided over the mock trial final for homeschooled students throughout Miami-Dade County to assist homeschooled children develop a basic understanding of our court system.
Judge Gordo received her Juris Doctorate Degree cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and is a member of the University’s Iron Arrow Honor Society. She currently serves as a member of the Law School Alumni Board of Directors. Judge Gordo received her Bachelor of Business Administration and graduated with honors from the University of Miami School of Business.
Judge Gordo resides in Coral Gables with her husband, Albert, to whom she has been married for 19 years, and they have two sons—Jacob, 17, and Julian, 11.
Shareholder, GrayRobinson
Ashley is a shareholder in GrayRobinson’s Tallahassee office. Ashley practices general civil litigation in state and federal court, representing private clients as well as state and local government entities at the trial court and appellate court levels. Ashley also practices administrative law, including rulemaking and licensing disputes, and has represented both property owners and condemning authorities in eminent domain proceedings. Ashley also has experience in election law matters and litigation involving constitutional claims and defenses.
Chief Deputy Attorney General
Ryan Newman is currently Chief Deputy Attorney General for Florida Office of the Attorney General.
During the first Trump Administration, he served as Counselor to the United States Attorney General for national security and international affairs, Deputy General Counsel (Legal Counsel) for the Department of Defense, and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice. Prior to serving in the Executive Branch, Ryan was Chief Counsel to United States Senator Ted Cruz during the 114th Congress.
Ryan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the United States Supreme Court, the Honorable Richard J. Leon on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the Honorable J.L. Edmondson on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Prior to law school, Ryan was an armor officer in the United States Army assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Buffalo Soldiers). He deployed to Iraq in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Ryan graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1998. He earned his law degree with high honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 2007.
General Counsel, Office of the Governor, State of Florida
As General Counsel to Governor DeSantis, David manages the legal operations of the Governor’s office. This includes advising on a broad variety of state and federal law issues, formulating litigation strategy for significant cases involving the Executive Branch, providing legal guidance and oversight to the state agencies that report to the Governor, and recommending candidates for judicial appointments, among numerous other responsibilities.
David previously served as General Counsel to the Florida House of Representatives, where he advised House leadership on constitutional and other legal matters and represented the House's interests in litigation. He was also General Counsel to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, where he managed the legal operations of Florida’s primary business regulatory agency. Prior to joining the Department, David practiced commercial litigation at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in Miami. He received his law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Miami, where he served as president of the Federalist Society’s student chapter.
Interim President, New College of Florida
Richard Corcoran moved to Florida as a child in 1976. Both of his parents grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. They instilled a great sense of pride in public service and duty in him at an early age.
From them, Mr. Corcoran developed the principles by which he and his wife of over 24 years, Anne, who is also an attorney, teach their six children today.
Mr. Corcoran grew up in Pasco County, Florida where he graduated from Hudson High School. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Leo College in 1989 and a Juris Doctorate from Regent University in 1996. While enrolled in college, Richard also served in the U.S. Naval Reserve (1987-1993).
Mr. Corcoran has been a practicing attorney in Florida for almost 20 years. He also served as the Speaker of the Florida House from 2016-2018. During his tenure in the state House, he pushed through over $10 billion in tax cuts, the elimination of over 5,000 regulations, the massive expansion of school choice, and the strongest ethics and transparency laws in state history.
Mr. Corcoran is a passionate advocate for improving the education system in Florida. He fully believes every child can learn and that all children deserve the opportunity to receive a world-class education.
Shareholder, Heise Suarez Melville
Over 30 years ago, Mark began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable James Lawrence King, former Chief United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida. Since that time, Mark successfully pursued a broad spectrum of cases in arbitration or in state and federal courts.
Significant matters include:
In addition, Mark has successfully litigated numerous complex, significant matters, including multimillion-dollar insurance claims, the defense and prosecution of legal and accounting malpractice claims, and securities litigation on behalf of defrauded investors. Some of these reported cases include Flint v. ABB, Inc., 229 F. Supp.2d 1338 (S.D. Fla. 2002); Southeastern Staffing Services, Inc. v. Florida Dept. of Ins., 728 So.2d 248 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998); Christiania Holding, Inc. v. Koalick, 695 So.2d 491 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993).
Notably, one of his most meaningful and rewarding cases dates to his first year as a lawyer, when he represented an elderly woman whose 49-year-old son had suffered debilitating brain damage resulting from a vaccine he received as an infant. At the time, Congress had recently passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act and the mother approached Mark approximately two weeks before the expiration of the statute of limitations to file a claim. She only wanted one thing: the ability to die in peace knowing her son would be taken care of for the rest of his life. Although the case had countless challenges and nuances, Mark did not hesitate to take it on pro bono. He spent three years moving the case forward before the federal government and he eventually secured the outcome the family wanted: access for her son to an assisted living facility for the rest of his life and support to ensure that he could live as independently as possible. In addition to waiving his fees, Mark persuaded other attorneys involved in the case to follow suit so the son could keep the meager $30,000 provided for by the law to cover all the pain and suffering incurred throughout his life.
A true believer in giving back to support meaningful causes, particularly those related to our youth, Mark has spearheaded major donations of everything from back-to-school basics for underserved children at local schools to meaningful contributions to charitable nonprofit organizations such as Feeding South Florida, Children’s Home Society and Lotus House.
Chancellor, State University System of Florida
Ray Rodrigues is Chancellor of the State University System of Florida.
In this role, Chancellor Rodrigues is the primary liaison between the Board of Governors, the State Legislature, the Executive Branch, Departments, and Agencies throughout the State of Florida. The State University System has been ranked #1 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report since 2017. Additionally, the Chancellor is CEO of the Board of Governors and provides oversight, guidance, and administration by implementing policies and regulations adopted by the Board, which impacts 12 institutions and more than 430,000 students annually.
Chancellor Rodrigues started his career at a corporate component of General Electric, where he managed their U.S. Import Compliance team. Additionally, Ray Rodrigues then worked for 17 years at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he held positions of Director of Interagency Partnerships, Director of Community Relations, and Business Manager for the College of Arts and Sciences.
In addition to his professional career, Chancellor Rodrigues has an extensive career in public service, where he served as the Florida State Senator for District 27 and four terms in the Florida House of Representatives. During his time in the Legislature, Rodrigues served as the Chair of the Senate Reapportionment Committee, Chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee, Chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee, and the House Majority Leader. His ability to listen, build consensus, and be an agent of change led to his unanimous appointment as Chancellor.
Chancellor Rodrigues earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Berry College in Rome, Georgia, and in 2017 earned his Master in Public Administration (MPA ) from Florida Gulf Coast University. Ray is an avid reader, statesman, and storyteller. Ray, his wife Ruth, and son Rhett call Tallahassee home.
Judge, United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
Rodolfo “Rudy” Armando Ruiz II is a District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Prior to his judicial commission on May 3, 2019, Ruiz was a Circuit Court Judge for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida from 2014 through 2019, and a Miami-Dade County Court Judge from 2012 through 2014. Ruiz also served as an Assistant County Attorney with the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office and an associate with White & Case LLP.
Ruiz received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University and earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University. After graduating from law school, he was a law clerk to the Honorable Federico A. Moreno of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Legal Director, ACLU Florida
Daniel Tilley is legal director of the ACLU of Florida since April 2019. He joined the organization in 2012 as a staff attorney whose work primarily focused on the LGBT community. Among his other work, he served as lead counsel in the ACLU’s federal-court litigation that, as part of a pair of consolidated cases and a team of lawyers, brought marriage equality to Florida in January 2015. Daniel studied classical piano and German language and literature at New York University before returning to his home state for law school at the University of Georgia.
During law school, Daniel received the Spurgeon Public Interest Fellowship, was a member of the Georgia Law Review and the Order of the Coif, and interned in Arusha, Tanzania at the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Before joining the ACLU, Daniel clerked in Atlanta at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. While in D.C., he served on the D.C. Lawyer Chapter board of the American Constitution Society.
Panel 1: Does DEI Contribute to Increased Antisemitism?
2024 Florida Young Lawyers Summit
Coral Gables, FLLuncheon and Panel Discussion: Is DEI Compatible with Academic Freedom?
2023 Florida Young Lawyers Summit
Coral Gables, FLTopics
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