PAC Seminar Series Speakers
Brian L. Bilzin, Jeffrey Newman, Richard Pollack and Steven A. Wagner will be the featured panelists at the PAC Seminar Series on The Art of Networking.
Brian L. Bilzin is a founding partner of the Florida-based law firm of Bilzin Sumberg. He leads the firm in its commitment to provide representation in a broad spectrum of legal areas, including complex commercial real estate and corporate transactions. His practice includes all major real estate matters, from sales, purchases and leases to financing, workouts and reorganizations. In the area of general corporate law, Bilzin also handles mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and lending matters, including structured financings. His decades of enthusiastic service to the Jewish community have culminated in his current position as Chair of the Board of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Among many Federation roles, he has also served as General Campaign Chair.
Jeffrey Newman is co-founder and President of National Planning Corporation and General Agent for The South Florida Agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Newman has served Guardian Life in several capacities, including as Director of Guardian’s Field Advisory Board and a lecturer at conferences on estate, business, pension and disability planning. Newman has been a guest lecturer at the University of Miami Business Planning Seminars for Closely-Held Corporations, as well as various banks and charitable organizations. He is a Trustee of The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and a past Federation Board member.
Richard Pollack is Director-in-Charge of Forensic and Business Valuation Services at Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors and Accountants. He specializes in business valuation, litigation support services (including bankruptcy matters), management consulting, accounting/auditing, business and tax planning, and lost profit and damage analysis. He is qualified to testify as an expert witness in the U.S. District Courts, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts and Circuit Courts. Pollack has also testified in numerous arbitration matters. Pollack recently co-authored the AICPA Practice Aid entitled Calculating Lost Profits, a publication which discusses roles the CPA may be asked to take in a lost profits damage analysis, the professional standards applicable to those services, and the basic principles and guidelines for preparing lost profit damages analyses. He has actively supported the work of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation for many years.
Steven A. Wagner is Managing Director-Wealth Management of Merrill Lynch Private Banking & Investment Group, a Miami-based firm addressing the financial needs of ultra-high-net-worth clients. He has provided wealth management services to individuals, families and private foundations since 1976. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 2009, Wagner spent more than 16 years at UBS, where he was a Managing Director in the Private Wealth Management Group. In 2011, Barron’s magazine recognized him as one of the Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in America. Wagner sits on The Foundation Investment Committee and the Planning and Distribution Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. He is also a Board member of Miami Jewish Health Systems, where he served for 10 years on its Investment Policy Committee.
