OGC Attorney Biographies

Stephanie Velasquez
Associate General Counsel

• About

  Complex Contract Negotiations, Business Insights, Enterprise-Level Thinking and Execution, Team Leadership & Management, Contract Management Systems Stephanie leads the Contracts Management Team, a division of the Office of General Counsel. In her role, she manages the people, processes, and Symplr Contracts system supporting Moffitt’s contracting activities.

  Stephanie has diverse experience in settings such as private practice, in-house, and financial services. Prior to joining Moffitt, she served as an Associate Director with The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC).

  Since 2008, Stephanie has been a member of the Florida Bar. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stetson University and her Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law. She has a passion for health & wellness, culinary adventures, and Disney World. She is a proud parent of two young children.

Paula Kanne
Sr. Assistant General Counsel

• About

  Paula is a member of the Business Transactions Team with the Office of General Counsel. Her primary focus is on technology transactional work and providing advice to senior stakeholders on emerging technology. In her role, she counsels Moffitt with regards to business transactions and contracting, including technology contracts.

  Prior to joining Moffitt, Paula was a Senior VP at BNY where she advised on the strategy, planning and implementation of BNY’s technology projects and the adoption of emerging technology. Before BNY, she was a Senior Associate in the Technology Commerce Practice Group at the AM Law 100 law firm Dorsey & Whitney where she assisted clients across industries with complex commercial contracts and license agreements involving technology and IP rights. Prior to Dorsey, she worked at Thomson Reuters where she helped negotiate the company’s strategic technology deals and partnerships and was a Co‐Chair of the company’s global pro bono efforts. Prior to immigrating to the United States Paula was a labor and employment litigator for Banco do Brasil in Brazil. She has a Brazilian and an American law degree and an MBA in tax law from Fundação Getulio Vargas and has been a member of the Brazilian Bar (Distrito Federal) since 2004 and of the MN Bar since 2016 where she has served as Treasurer of the International Law Section and is also registered as an in‐house counsel with the FL Bar. Paula has served as the Honorary Consul of Brazil in Minnesota for 5 years and is one the founders of the Brazil MN Chamber of Commerce, the only Brazilian bilateral chamber of commerce in the Midwest and is fluent in Portuguese. She has also served as an Ambassador for the American Heart Association for 3 years and is an Adjunct Professor at Michell Hamline School of Law. She is a proud mother of two boys under 5 and has a passion for singing Brazilian jazz (bossa nova).

   

Melaine Schmiz
Assistant General Counsel I

• About

  Melaine Schmiz is an Assistant General Counsel with the Office of the General
  Counsel at Moffitt Cancer Center. Melaine focuses primarily on the review and
  negotiation of Moffitt business dealings, including equipment acquisition,
  procurement of goods and services, technology contracts, and other non-clinical
  service agreements.

  Prior to joining Moffitt Cancer Center, Melaine served as Associate General
  Counsel at Florida Polytechnic University. In that role, Melaine negotiated,
  drafted, and reviewed various types of agreements and provided legal advice to
  all university departments. Melaine also served as counsel to Florida Poly’s
  Foundation.

  Melaine earned her Juris Doctor degree from Western Michigan University Cooley
  Law school and her undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida.
  Melaine is admitted to the Florida Bar and is a member of the Florida Bar
  Education Law Committee.

Zarra R. Elias
Associate General Counsel

• About

  Zarra Elias serves as Associate General Counsel with the Office of General Counsel at Moffitt Cancer Center. In this role, she leads Moffitt’s labor and employment legal function, working closely with the Human Resources team and providing strategic guidance on a wide range of employment matters. Her collaboration extends across departments including Corporate Compliance, Risk Management, Security & Safety, and Enterprise, Engagement & Impact.

  Before joining Moffitt, Zarra was a partner at Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm, where she focused on labor and employment law and commercial litigation. She represented local, national, and international clients in employment matters and litigated cases before federal and state courts as well as government agencies.

  Zarra is deeply engaged in the legal and local communities. She serves on the Executive Committee of the City of Tampa Mayor’s Asian American Pacific Islander Advisory Council and is a past president and board member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Tampa Bay. Nationally, she served on the Board of Directors of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), chairing its Administration, Policy & Programs Committee and Nominations & Elections Subcommittee. She has also held leadership roles in the American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Tampa Bay International Business Council.

  Her contributions have earned numerous accolades, including recognition as one of Tampa Bay’s six “Asian American Leaders” and Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Business Woman of the Year Honoree and a “40 Under 40” honoree. NAPABA named her among its “Best Under 40.” She has also been recognized as one of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, Benchmark Litigation’s “Labor & Employment Star,” and a Super Lawyers “Rising Star.” Zarra has authored multiple labor and employment law-related publications and served as a contributor and editor of a labor and employment law treatise.

  Zarra earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the University of South Florida. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, and graduating high school in Hong Kong, Zarra is fluent in Tagalog and Chinese. Her legal leadership, community service, and commitment to Moffitt’s mission reflect a career dedicated to advancing both her profession and the communities she serves.

Jake Proudfoot
Assistant General Counsel I

• About

  Jake is an assistant general counsel with the Office of General Counsel at Moffitt Cancer Center. Jake’s practice focuses primarily on labor and employment matters. Jake has experience representing both public and private sector employers in a wide variety of labor and employment matters, including discrimination, retaliation, breach of employment contract, restrictive covenants, unfair labor practices, the Florida Civil Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, among others. Jake has litigated cases in both state and federal court and handled numerous matters before administrative agencies. In addition to advising and representing employers, Jake has experience supporting clients conducting mergers and acquisitions by providing labor and employment review of due diligence materials.

  Before joining Moffitt, Jake practiced labor and employment law at Akerman LLP. Prior to Akerman, Jake began his legal career at a boutique labor and employment firm in Tampa, Thompson, Sizemore, Gonzalez and Hearing, which then merged into GrayRobinson, P.A.

  Jake received his Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Gulf Coast University, where he majored in Finance and Economics. He received his Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law. Jake is licensed to practice law in all state and federal courts in Florida, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Jake is a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Theresa Latham
Associate General Counsel

• About

  Theresa helps lead the Research Team within the Office of General Counsel. She primarily focuses on overall Research agreement strategy and aligning the team with Moffitt’s strategic initiatives. Theresa advises Moffitt regarding strategic transactions including partnerships, alliances, and industry and academic research collaborations.

  Theresa was most recently at a university within their Technology Licensing Office as an Intellectual Property Officer. She advised on overall Intellectual Property portfolio management. Prior to the academic role, Theresa was a Corporate Intellectual Property Counsel where she led an IP legal team focused on transactional work as well as portfolio management. Theresa started out her career in private practice as an Intellectual Property Attorney focused on patent prosecution, transactional work, and litigation.

  Theresa is licensed as a US Patent Attorney. She also holds an attorney license with the Florida State Bar and California State Bar.

Michael L. Nichols
Sr. Assistant General Counsel

• About

  Michael is a team member in the Life Sciences Research practice group in the Office of General Counsel. His practice areas and specialties include research and regulatory compliance, research ethics and misconduct, sponsored research agreements, clinical trial agreements, material transfer agreements, data sharing agreements, intellectual property, strategic partnership and collaboration agreements, sponsored research grants, conflicts of interest management, export controls and foreign influence.

  Prior to joining Moffitt, Michael provided counsel to academic and business leadership on a broad range of legal and compliance issues and oversaw sponsored research and contractual operations for several academic research institutions, including the Research Foundation for the State University of New York, Emory University, Georgetown University, Florida State University College of Medicine and Northern Arizona University.

  Michael is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) and a member of the American Bar Association’s contracts and grants law practice division, the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA), the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), and the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE). He is also the former editor of the Research Management Review, a peer reviewed scholarly journal concerned with the broad range of issues affecting the administration of research. His pro bono work includes serving as legal counsel to the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), and attorney panelist for the New Mexico Medical Review Commission.

  Michael earned his doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, his Master of Laws (LL.M) degree from Texas A&M School of Law, a law degree from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law, a master’s degree from California State University, Fullerton, and his bachelor’s degree, cum laude and Distinction-in-Major from Temple University. He also earned a graduate certificate in Risk Management and Compliance from Texas A&M School of Law and served as a graduate Fellow in the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, and past Fellow in the Executive Leadership Academy with the Center for Studies in Higher Education and Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Michael also holds certifications in healthcare research compliance and corporate compliance and ethics from the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).

Vinita J. Witanachchi
Assistant General Counsel I

• About

  Vinita serves on the Office of General Counsel’s team as an Assistant General Counsel primarily supporting Moffitt’s bio-medical focused research enterprise. Her practice focuses on clinical trials, intellectual property, grants, ethics and regulatory compliance, and related contracting. She is well-versed in DHHS Human Subjects Regulations, IRB operations, HIPAA Privacy Regulations as it relates to human subjects’ research, as well as policy development and process improvement initiatives.

  Prior to joining Moffitt, Vinita worked in the USF-Offices of Research Integrity & Compliance and USF-General Counsel’s Office. She later served at Advent Health West Florida Division where she managed the IRB Program and acted as the primary regulatory contact for the research community on matters related to human subjects’ research.

  Originally an attorney from Sri- Lanka, Vinita received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. She is admitted to the Florida Bar and is also admitted to the New York bar (currently inactive status). She is a member of both the Hillsborough County Bar Association and of Professional Responsibility in Medicine & Research (PRIM&R).

Haviland Dorsett
Assistant General Counsel I

• About

  Haviland Dorsett is an assistant general counsel with the Office of General Counsel at Moffitt Cancer Center. Haviland specializes in Research and Compliance issues within Life Sciences. Her practice focuses primarily on the drafting and negotiation of Clinical Trial Agreements, IP Licensing, Non‐disclosure Agreements, Data Sharing Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, Consortium Agreements, and Research Collaborations.

  Prior to joining Moffitt Cancer Center, Haviland worked in the healthcare industry and served as a Senior Intellectual Property Attorney with the boutique intellectual property firm of Maxey-Fisher, PLLC.

  Haviland is admitted to the Florida Bar and North Carolina Bar, United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, as well as the Federal Circuit. She is also a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States and has served clients in prosecution of all types of intellectual property and represented clients in litigation proceedings in state and federal courts, as well as in front of the Patent and Trademark Trial and Appeal Boards.

  Haviland is a Tampa Bay native and received her Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Biology from Eckerd College and her Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law.

Shaterica N. Miller
Staff Attorney I

• About

  Shaterica Miller is a staff attorney with the Office of General Counsel at Moffitt Cancer Center. Shaterica supports the Life Sciences Research practice group primarily through the review, negotiation, and drafting of Clinical Trial Agreements.

  Prior to joining Moffitt, Shaterica represented clients in a broad range of civil matters, including product liability defense, real estate transactions, and contract disputes. Most recently, Shaterica supported a wireless infrastructure company by drafting and negotiating a variety of commercial agreements.

  Shaterica is admitted to practice in the State of Florida and State of Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University and her Juris Doctorate from Florida Coastal School of Law.