Mike is a seasoned insurance professional with 37 plus years’ experience.  He began his insurance career with Liberty Mutual as a claims adjuster and ended as their leading national sales executive.

 

After leaving Liberty Mutual in 1992, Michael became a principal at Davis Baldwin Insurance based in Tampa, Florida, a regional insurance boutique which sold to Wachovia Insurance Services in 2000. 

 

In late 2005 Michael started iLeader Solutions, which specialized in providing risk management and co-employment solutions to various industries. Michael sold to Wells Fargo Insurance Services in 2009 and retired for three years after 2012.

 

In 2015, Michael reunited with prior principals and joined BKS Partners as a  partner. Their holding company, BRP Group went public in 2019 and he oversees advisory for some of their largest clients.

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He also is the CEO of iPEO Solutions, a provider of co-employment solutions for large distressed companies and fast growing firms.

 

In 2021, Michael founded a charity in honor of his daughter, Christine, who battled opioid use disorder for ten years and passed from a fentanyl overdose in late 2020. The charity is committed to creating media about mental health issues & substance abuse, to transform the lives of those affected so they can seek recovery and thrive.

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The charity has produced a documentary film called ‘One Second at A Time’ to bring greater awareness, education, and inspiration to all those affected by the disease of addiction & mental illness.

 

Michael is a Florida State University (FSU) graduate and contributed in several ways to his alma mater’s College Recovery Program (CRP). The Christine Ortoll Charity has produced a mini documentary called “Safety Net: Helping College Students in Recovery Thrive”, so colleges can be informed on why CRPs are beneficial to all stakeholders.

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Additionally, the charity has produced powerful inspirational stories of redemption to provide hope.

 

Furthermore, the charity will continue to produce media to prevent early substance use in elementary schools & reforming the current addiction treatment landscape.

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He is a Miami native with strong ties to the Cuban/Hispanic community as well as an active speaker in the insurance industry.

Robin Piper Lutz has been the Chief Executive Officer and Clinical Director of Turning Point of Tampa for the past 25 years and prior to that was responsible for developing and implementing two nationally known programs for addiction and eating disorders.  

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She received her Bachelor’s from The Ohio State University, a Master Degree in Administration from Springfield College and a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University.  

 

Robin is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Master Certified Addiction Professional in Florida is also a National Certified Counselor, as well as a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.  

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She has served on an Addiction Advisory Board for The Joint Commission, has been featured in the Tampa Bay Medical News and is a contributing author for the first textbook on Food Addiction, Processed Food Addiction.  

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Robin currently serves on the Board of Director for the National Association of Addiction Treatment providers and is Chairperson of the Public Policy Committee

Jorge Valiente CPA/PFS CFP is the President and Managing Director of Bella Hermida Valiente, a general practice of accounting, management, and consulting, providing a full range of professional services since 1994. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), and Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

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Jorge has over forty-three years of experience in the profession. He was a senior management consultant with the international accounting firm of Deloitte (formerly, Deloitte Haskins + Sells) in the Emerging Business Service Group, providing accounting, auditing, tax and management consulting services to entrepreneurs and emerging companies. Jorge was the chief financial officer and Director of Finance for a very successful group of privately held companies here in the United States and overseas.

 

He currently serves in various non-profit organization boards in the Tampa Bay Area Communities and the State of Florida. He is a member in good standing with The American Institute of Certified Public Accountant (AICPA) and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA).

Laureen Jacobe was born in Ohio and raised there until she graduated from the University of Akron with a nursing undergraduate degree in 1996. She has worked as a nurse for most of her 27-year career in the intensive care unit. Laureen obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University and works as an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Tampa.

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She is also the proud mother of two daughters, one of whom is a nurse with a degree from the University of Oklahoma and works in Dallas in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit. The other is a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University majoring in social work.

Tim Searfoss is an international award winning director/producer/writer with a passion for storytelling and inspiring audiences.

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Born in Caracas, Venezuela Tim and his family emigrated when he was 7 years old to the United States. 

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With over 20 years of experience in the industry his films and productions have earned international recognition and more importantly have helped inspire many all across the globe. He has a passion for telling stories that help change lives.