Annual Meeting Honorees

Melissa Buckner's involvement with the Greater Miami Jewish reflects her passion for strengthening Jewish identity. In addition to her place on the Board of Directors, she serves on the Women’s Philanthropy Executive Board where she is a Vice President for Area Campaign Development and is a member of the Committees for Israel and Oversees and Planning and Distribution. Her past Federation experience includes chairing the South Dade Women’s Philanthropy Board, Day School Committee and South Dade Branch and co-chairing PJ Library. She participated in the Momentum Program (formerly the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project) and is a Wexner Heritage Program alumna, where she was recently selected for its Leadership Skills Summit. She is a past Chair of the Board of the Gordon School of Beth David Congregation and Temple Beth Am Day School and currently serves on the synagogue’s Board of Directors.

Born and raised in Essex County, New Jersey, Melissa graduated from Rutgers University and received her Juris Doctor degree from its School of Law in 1994. She practiced commercial law in Atlanta and was employed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., before moving to South Florida. Melissa and her husband, David, live in Pinecrest with their three children.

Jennifer Fine is an attorney at Bilzin Sumberg in the firm’s Land Development & Government Relations and Affordable Housing & Tax Credit practice groups. Born and raised in Coral Gables, she attended The Gordon School at Beth David and Ransom Everglades. After a gap year in Israel, she graduated from the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy in 2011 and then the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2015. Now that she is back home, Jennifer is an active member of the legal and Jewish communities. Greater Miami Jewish Federation has always been a part of her life, thanks to her grandparents Pat and Marty Fine (z”l), and it’s important to her that she continue her family legacy of giving back. She is a proud Lion of Judah and is grateful to Federation for the opportunity to make a positive impact in Miami, in Israel, and around the world. In addition to serving as Campaign Co-Chair of the Young Leadership Division Executive Board and Co-Chair of the Jewish Incubator Grants Committee at Federation, she serves as Co-Chair of the AIPAC Miami Club and as a member of the AIPAC National Real Estate Division. Jennifer is also involved with Legal Services of Greater Miami, serving as the chair of the Young Professionals Council and a member of the Campaign Committee. She remains active at Beth David Congregation where she leads the Next Century Young Professionals Group, is a member of the School Board, and serves on the Building Committee for The Center for Jewish Life.

Lisa Jerles is a commercial litigator at Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen and Levine where shes focuses on complex business disputes and litigation strategy. Prior to attending law school Lisa worked in the fields of public relations and corporate communications in New York City. In her litigation practice, Lisa takes a holistic approach analyzing not just the litigation matter itself, but also how it fits into the client's long-term business goals. In 2019, Lisa co-founded All Before Dinner with Mara Geronemus to focus on generating business and providing personal and professional development for working moms.

As a community leader, Lisa is the President of Hillel at Florida International University, a past Chair of the board at the Gordon School and a member of the Women's Impact Initiative at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Barnard College and a J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Joshua Kligler is Co-Chair of the Young Leadership Division, Federation’s Young Leadership Division. He was born and raised in South Florida and fondly recalls attending Super Sundays as a young boy. After graduating from the University of Florida, Joshua attended Stetson University College of Law where he was President of the Jewish Law Student Association. Since 2014, he has participated in the Federation’s Leadership Development Institute, served on the Young Leadership Division Board and the Young Leadership Division Executive Board, and sat for several years on the Jewish Incubator Grants Committee. Joshua is a Partner at Dunn Law, where he manages the firm’s creditor’s rights and collections department. He has also acted as a mentor for young attorneys as part of the Florida Bar YLD Mentorship Program and the Federal Bar Association’s Mentorship Program. Joshua and his wife, Claire, live in Miami Beach with their two children, Moises (8) and Benjamin (5), and a mini goldendoodle puppy, Karma.

Michael Wagner is originally from North Miami Beach. He is a Co-Founder at Omnia Family Wealth, where he is responsible for the ongoing operational and business strategy of Omnia, as well as ongoing analysis of each client family relationship and development of Omnia’s team. His responsibilities also include participating in the firm’s investment committee, where he assists in manager selection, analysis, and risk management. Michael works closely with Omnia’s clientele and functions as the firm’s chief technology officer. Michael is also a frequent contributor in the financial media and has been featured in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report and Citywire. Locally, Michael has been featured on local network affiliate NBC 6 South Florida and quoted in the Miami Herald and Ocean Drive. Michael received his B.A. in Economics from Brandeis University. Michael holds the CFP® certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.

Michael first got involved with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation by joining a mission to Israel shortly after he graduated from Brandeis University. Michael became deeply committed to the Young Leadership Division and ultimately served as co-chair of the Federation’s young leadership division for three years. In 2014, Michael received the Sandra C. Goldstein Young Leadership Award. Michael is currently a member of the Ethiopian Israeli Initiative committee, co-chair of the Agency Support Committee, a member of the Federation’s board, and an executive committee member. Michael is also a member of the Jewish Federations of North America Young Leadership Cabinet. He is excited to be the incoming chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Administrative Committee.