General Counsel
| Carlos B. Castillo General Counsel | Athletics Compliance BOT Office CFO & University Administration Compliance & Integrity Governmental Relations Internal Audit Oversight of Major Litigation President’s Office Other Assignments - Associated public records requests Compliance Support on related issues |
People Practice Team
| Liz Marston Senior University Counsel | Academic Affairs - Employment-law support for academic HR matters (including promotion & tenure) - Member of International Travel Team for faculty & staff - Related trainings (e.g., Tools of the Trade, Faculty Orientation, Chairs Workshop) - Support for UFF matters (e.g., collective bargaining, ULPs, NIRD complaints) - Faculty/staff immigration matters as needed - Academic intellectual property issues, with Ralph as needed Athletics - AD & Coaches' contracts - Employment-related matters Human Resources - Employment-related matters - Collective bargaining support - EOPD/Title IX support - HR projects (e.g., updating various policies & procedures) - Member of FAST team - Recruiting - Training as requested Office of Research & Economic Development - Support to the Research Misconduct Committee Other Assignments - Associated public records requests - DocuSign - Employment litigation - Minors on Campus - Other negligence litigation Compliance Support on related issues |
| Ryan Kelley Associate General Counsel | Academic Affairs - Enrollment Services - FERPA expert - Member of International Travel Team for students - Student grievance issues - Student immigration issues - Supports the Office of Student Access & Success - Any other student-related issues including those arising from the allied health care departments (e.g., COM, CON, etc.) Athletics - Member of NCAA Title IX Committee - Student Matters HR projects & assignments to be determined Office of Financial Aid - Student Financials Office of the President - University Police (including collective bargaining support) Student Affairs Campus Life - Greek Life - SGA Children's Creative Learning Center Housing (with Wendy) Office of the Dean of Students - Advise Dean of Students as necessary - Member of Behavioral Intervention Team - Student Radio Student Conduct - Admission Clearance team member - Advise SCCR as needed - Member of Student Conduct Other Assignments - Associated public records requests Compliance Support on related issues |
Transactional Practice Team
| Ralph Prohias Deputy General Counsel | Academic Affairs - Faculty/Global Affairs/International Program Committee - Major foreign academic transactions Athletics - Athletic contracts (except employment-related) - Back-up member of the NCAA taskforce - FIU Athletics Finance Corp. - Games contracts, etc. - Gift agreements - Sponsorship agreements External Relations - Branding/logo guidelines - Sponsorship contracts - Trademark Administration FIU Foundation, Inc. - Vilma to be back-up Intellectual Property - Everything such as use of logos except patents, tech transfers Museums Wolfsonian Museum Frost Museum Jewish Museum - Curator taskforce - Loan agreements Office of the Controller - Tax issue support including taxes relating to gifts, estates & trusts within expertise - UBIT tax issues, debt issuances Other Assignments - Associated public records requests - Gambling/raffles - Student Radio station (with Iris) Compliance Support on related issues |
| Wendy Vargas Senior University Counsel | Athletics - Facilities-related contracts Emergency Management - Contracts, etc. Facilities Management - Campus Development Agreements - Construction Agreements - Utilities Office of the Controller - Real Estate Taxation Issues Risk Management & EH&S - Contracts, etc. Student Affairs - Housing University-wide - Leases - P3s - Premises Use Agreements - Use of Space - Real Estate Support Compliance Support on related issues |
| Vilma Mesa Associate General Counsel | Auxiliary & Enterprise Development - Working with Christina Jardim and/or Ralph, as necessary CFO & University Administration - Business Services - Purchasing department - SOBE Division of IT - Contracts, etc. Foundation Contracts (with Ralph) - Purchasing contracts - Sponsorship agreements Museums - Back-up to Ralph Office of the President - Parking & Transportation Other Assignments - Associated public records requests - Bridge-related PRR (with Iris) - Other associated public records requests - TCM Project lead Compliance Support on related issues |
Healthcare Practice Team
| Val Aubourg Sr. University Counsel/Chief Legal Officer | Health Affairs - General legal support for all health-care colleges/department & FIU-HCN - HMCOM Dean's Office support (except student issues which Iris handles & HR issues which Liz handles) - HIPAA support - FIU Academic Health Center Self-Insurance Program - Contracts that require health care expertise Center for Children and Families HWCOM Physician Assistant Program Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Robert Stempel College of Public Health - Affiliation Agreements College of Arts & Sciences FIU Health Care Network, Inc. Other Assignments - Associated public records requests - Subpoenas Compliance Support on related issues |
Research Practice Team
| Diana Firvida-Oliva Senior University Counsel | Office of Research & Economic Development - FIU Research Foundation - Provides legal advice to the IRB & IACUC committees - Provides legal advice in general to ORED - Supports ORED technology transfer/intellectual property matters - Provides legal advice regarding conflict of interest in research matters Associated Litigation Other Assignments - Associated public records requests |
Regulations
| Carlos B. Castillo | FIU-117 Fraud Prevention and Detection |
| Ralph Prohias | FIU-1107 Investment of Agency & Activity Funds FIU-1502 Direct Support Organizations (with Diana & Val) |
| Liz Marston | FIU-107 Intimate Relationships FIU-113 Smoke, Vape-Free and Tobacco-Free Campus FIU-116 Educational Sites FIU-1111 Employee Debt Collection FIU-2507 Examinations and Assessments FIU-2508 Post-Tenure Faculty Review |
| Val Aubourg | FIU-1502 Direct Support Organizations (with Diana & Val) |
| Wendy Vargas | FIU-110 Expressive Activities in Outdoor Areas on Campus FIU-111 Camping FIU-112 Use of University Facilities FIU-114 Commercial Solicitation and Advertising (with Vilma) |
| Ryan Kelley | FIU-105 Sexual Harassment (Title IX) and Sexual Misconduct FIU-106 Nondiscrimination, Harassment and Retaliation (Title VII) FIU-108 Access to Student Education Records FIU-115 Skateboarding, Skates, Scooters, Ripsticks, and Other FIU-402 Admission to the University FIU-406 Foreign Student Admissions FIU-408 Foreign Exchange Visitor Insurance Requirements FIU-410 Application Fee & Admissions Deposit FIU-412 Undergraduate Admissions FIU-414 Admission of Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Professional Students FIU-1101 Tuition and Fees Schedule FIU-1103 Textbook and Instructional Materials Affordability and Transparency FIU-1109 Student Debt Collection (with Vilma as back-up) FIU-1113 Waiver of Tuition & Fees FIU-1114 Tuition and Fee Refunds FIU-1305 Military Veterans and Active Duty Students FIU-1310 Student Financial Aid FIU-2501 Student Conduct and Honor Code FIU-2502 Children's Creative Learning Center at FIU FIU-2503 Registration of Non-Student Organizations FIU-2504 Student Religious Observances, Practices, and Beliefs FIU-2505 Alcoholic Beverages FIU-2506 Academic Program Termination and Temporary Suspension of New Enrollments |
| Vilma Mesa | FIU-114 Commercial Solicitation and Advertising (with Wendy) FIU-1105 University Traffic & Parking Regulations FIU-1115 Los/Abandoned Property FIU-2201 Purchasing FIU-2202 Prompt Payment FIU-2203 Authority to Debar or Suspend Vendors |
| Diana Firvida-Oliva | FIU-1502 Direct Support Organizations (with Ralph & Val) |
Office Staff
| Eli Deville Departmental Administrator | - Budget Manager - HR Liaison - FIU Regulations - Signature Delegations - Records Retention |
| Lizvette Torres Paralegal III | - Bankruptcies - Garnishments - Public records requests - Subpoenas (including medical student subpoenas) - Litigation paralegal - Provides financial support |
| Charmaine Cavé Paralegal III | - Contract paralegal including SOBE contracts |
| Ronny Gadea Office Manager | - Contract Support, Administration & Management - Medical Records Request/Subpoenas - Provides financial support |