BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FFASA operates through a corporate governance process that includes an Executive Committee that manages the day-to-day operations under the direct supervision of the Board of Directors.  FFASA's Board of Directors conducts quaterly meetings for the approval of budgetary matters, educational campaigns, and the overall evaluation of the organization's performance.

The Board of Directors is composed of 9 accomplished professionals who have distinguished themselves through their public service and private careers.  As a group, they have earned 18 undergraduate and juris doctor degrees.  In addition, three received cum laude honors and eight are former prosecutors.  Together and as individuals, they exemplify FFASA's professionalism and relentless committment to the advancement of public safety.   

  Juan Carlos Arias, Chairman & Founder

Mr. Arias was born in Puerto Rico and is the son of Cuban immigrants. He completed his primary and secondary schooling at the American Military Academy in Puerto Rico and holds degrees from Dickinson College and the Stetson University College of Law.  In 1996, Arias joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC) serving as a military prosecutor and Special Assistant United States Attorney.  His military awards and decorations include the Airborne Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.  After a stint as Sales and Marketing Vice President in his family’s business, in 2002 Arias returned to the practice of criminal law as a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit.  He prosecuted cases in the Misdemeanor, Domestic Violence, Felony, and Economic Crimes trial units.  Arias became a bar counsel for The Florida Bar in 2005 and is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of attorneys who violate the Rules of Professional Conduct.  Arias is a member of The American Legion, the Broward County Crime Commission, the Broward County Bar Association, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association.  Mr. Arias and his wife Zaida are the proud parents of two-year-old daughter Angelica Sofia.

  Gregg Rossman, Vice-Chairman

Mr. Rossman holds degrees from Florida State University and Nova Southeastern University. He has served as a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit since 1994.  Rossman’s experience includes serving as prosecutor and supervisor in County Court and the Felony Trial Unit.  He prosecuted cases in the Career Criminal Unit for five years and currently serves in the Organized Crime/Gang unit.  In 1999, Rossman was the proud recipient of the Prosecutor of the Year Award presented by the Broward County Crime Commission.  Rossman is an Adjunt Faculty Professor at the Broward Community College Institute of Public Safety and served as the Chairman of The Florida Bar Grievance Committee 17E.  Mr. Rossman is the proud father of two children and coaches Little League Baseball and Softball. 

  Daniel Kanner

Mr. Kanner holds his undergraduate and juris doctor degrees from the University of Florida.  He served as a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit from August 1992 to October 1998.  Mr. Kanner served as a senior lead prosecutor in the Felony Division and later prosecuted cases in the Sex Crimes Division. He currently specializes in criminal defense and is a partner in the Law Offices of Bauman & Kanner.   Mr. Kanner and his wife are the proud parents of three children.

  Elyse S. Miller

Mrs. Miller is a lifetime resident of Hollywood, Florida.  Miller attended Florida State University for her undergraduate degree, majoring in English and creative writing with a minor in Business.  She graduated magna cum laude in 1998.  In 2002, Miller graduated with honors from the University of Miami School of Law and became a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit.  As a prosecutor, Miller was assigned to the Misdemeanor, Domestic Violence, and Felony trial units.  Miller currently works in the family business, Sara David Realty, Inc., specializing in commercial real estate sales and development.  In addition, Miller handles a small amount of real estate law cases for the company.  Mrs. Miller and her husband Trey, also a local attorney, are the proud parents of son Nathan. 

  Alan A. Pascal

Mr. Pascal was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  He holds degrees from Loyola University of the South and Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law Center.  In 1992, Pascal joined the State Attorney’s Office for the 19th Judicial Circuit and served as a prosecutor in the Misdemeanor and Felony Trial Units.  In 1996, Pascal opened his own law firm in Fort Lauderdale and practiced in the areas of criminal and civil law.  He left private practice in 2005 to return to public service as a bar counsel for The Florida Bar.  As bar counsel, Pascal has argued before the Supreme Court of Florida.  Mr. Pascal has volunteered his time and energy to our community as a judge for the Broward County Teen Court Program and as Chairman of The Florida Bar Grievance Committee 17C.

  Peter T. Patanzo

Mr. Patanzo was born and raised in Upstate New York.  In 1995, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University, majoring in Political Science.  Before attending law school, Patanzo served as an assistant to a New York State Assemblyman in his home district of Syracuse, NY.  In 1999, Patanzo received his Juris Doctor Degree from ST. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, Florida.  Upon graduation, he began his legal career as a prosecutor with the Office of the State Attorney for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.  Patanzo served in the State Attorney’s Office for five years and was assigned to the Juvenile Division, Felony Trial Unit and the Drug Trafficking Unit.  Currently, Patanzo is in private practice specializing in criminal defense in both State and Federal Court.  Patanzo is a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel accepting appointed cases for indigent defendants charged with violations of Federal Law.  He is a member of the Broward Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, First Amendment Lawyers Association and the Dade County Bar Association.  Mr. Patanzo also serves as a committee member in The Florida Bar Grievance Committee 17 “J”.

  Phillip R. Semenick

Mr. Semenick was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he earned his B.S. Degree (with honors) from the Indiana University School of Business Honors Program and the Indiana University MBA Honors Program.  After graduation, Semenick began his career in the securities industry with E.F. Hutton, managing investment accounts for high net worth individuals.  He was soon promoted and worked in New York as a Vice President and training manager for Hutton. Semenick later transferred from New York to Fort Lauderdale, where he became a Senior Vice President and Sales Manager for Oppenheimer and Co.  Semenick accepted the position of Branch Manager and Senior Managing Director at Gruntal and Co., in Fort Lauderdale, and developed the start-up operation into Gruntal’s most profitable office.  To further his skills and knowledge, Semenick attended Nova Southeastern University School of Law and received his law degree cum laude.  Upon the sale of Gruntal and Co., Semenick fulfilled a lifelong ambition and joined the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit where he served in the Misdemeanor, Felony, and Sex Crimes units.  In 2006, Mr. Semenick returned to the securities industry by joining Newbridge Securities Corporation as its Executive Vice President at the corporate headquarters in Fort Lauderdale. 

  Raag Singhal

Mr. Singhal was born in Philadelphia and holds degrees from Rice University and the Wake Forest University School of Law.  In the early nineties, Mr. Singhal served as a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit and, for the past thirteen years, is a partner in the Law Offices of Kaplan & Singhal, P.A., in Fort Lauderdale.  He is a member of the Broward Bar Association, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is the past president of the Broward Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.  Mr. Singhal also serves the community as a member of the St. Thomas More Society, the Randazzo School Booster Club, and the Association of Indians in America.  Mr. Singhal is a frequent lecturer in the areas of DNA testing, polygraph admissibility, and fingerprint evidence.  Mr. Singhal and his wife Lisa Kay are the proud parents of three children.

  Francis Viamontes

Mrs. Viamontes was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is the daughter of Cuban Immigrants.  She graduated from Monsignor Edward Pace High School in 1995.  Viamontes attended the University of Miami where she graduated in 1998 with a BBA, majoring in Marketing.  Viamontes went on to pursue a career with Frito-Lay Corp as a District Sales Manager.  However, her dream was always to become an attorney.  She attended the University of Miami School of Law and during her legal studies, she completed an internship with the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit.  In 2002, Viamontes graduated cum laude and returned to the Office of the State Attorney where she prosecuted cases in the Misdemeanor and Felony trial units.  In 2005, Viamontes started her own law practice specializing in the areas of criminal and real estate law.  Her real estate title company is underwritten by the Attorney’s Title Insurance Fund.  Mrs. Viamontes is married to her high school sweet heart, Angel Canalejo, and they are the proud parents of a beautiful little girl, Abigail Nichole.