24 Feb THE MIAMI FOUNDATION APPOINTS FIVE LOCAL LEADERS TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Miami – February 24, 2020 – The Miami Foundation announces the appointment of five trustees who are leaders in business, law, communications and finance in Greater Miami. The new trustees are: Sheldon T. Anderson, former president and CEO of the Southeast Region of the Northern Trust Company; Yolanda Berkowitz, founder of Friends of Miami Animals Foundation; Ned Duggan, global senior vice president of marketing for Bacardi Rum; Erin Knight, president of Monument Capital Management and Abigail C. Watts-FitzGerald, Owner of Watts-FitzGerald Law, PLLC. Richard Berkowitz, the board’s current treasurer and founder and chairman of Berkowitz Pollack Brant, will now chair the board. Julie Neitzel, partner with WE Family Offices, will serve as vice chair.

“It takes a true passion to step up and serve in such a big way, and these noted business and community leaders are doing just that,” said Joseph A. Fernandez, interim president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “Their commitment to the Foundation’s work and, more broadly, Greater Miami puts us in a good position during this transition year, and beyond.”

Sheldon T. Anderson

Sheldon is the retired president and CEO of the Southeast Region of the Northern Trust Company. A Miami native, he serves on the boards of Baptist Health of South Florida, Grove Bank and Trust, Miami Dade College Foundation, New World Symphony, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Orange Bowl Committee. Sheldon is also past chair and member of the boards of the Beacon Council and the United Way of Miami-Dade County.

Richard A. Berkowitz

Richard is the founding and executive chairman of one of South Florida’s largest advisory and accounting firms, Berkowitz Pollack Brant, and a founder and chairman of Provenance Wealth Advisors. Richard is active in community organizations in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties that focus on community problems and cancer research. He joined The Miami Foundation’s board in 2016 and has served as treasurer for the past three years.

Yolanda Berkowitz

Yolanda is deeply involved in numerous charitable organizations. She is a board member of United Way of Miami-Dade, past chair of Voices For Children Foundation and has volunteered for nearly 20 years with the Guardian ad Litem Program advocating for neglected children. Yolanda’s most recent efforts involve founding Friends of Miami Animals Foundation, a nonprofit committed to improving pets’ lives and helping low-income qualified pet owners.

Ned Duggan

Ned Duggan has extensive experience in marketing and strategy for global firms. Over the past 14 years at Bacardi Rum, he has worked in Global and North American Marketing roles across a number of leading spirits brands. Prior to Bacardi, he worked in Capital Markets at the Inter-American Development Bank. Ned received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder and MBA from the University of Texas in Austin.

Erin Knight
Erin serves as president of Monument Capital Management, overseeing the strategic growth of the financial services firm. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and is a Certified Financial Planner™. Erin sits on the boards of the Baptist Health Foundation and the March of Dimes, and was recognized on the Miami Herald’s “20 Under 40 Rising Young Leaders” list and by Miami Today as “The Achiever” for her philanthropic leadership.

Julie Neitzel

Julie is a partner with WE Family Offices and has extensive experience in wealth advisory, private equity, business acquisitions, strategy and governance. She earned her MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management. Julie is a board member for NYSE Heico Corporation, NACD-Florida Chapter and the Miami Finance Forum, and has served on The Miami Foundation’s board since 2017.

Abigail C. Watts-FitzGerald

Abigail has over 40 years of experience as a corporate lawyer and acting as outside general counsel to a variety of for-profit and nonprofit corporations on all aspects of corporate governance. She earned her J.D. at University of Miami School of Law where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and has been honored by Best Lawyers in America® “Women in the Law” Business Edition,  Best Lawyers in America®  Mergers and Acquisitions and Best Lawyers in America® Non-Profit/Charities Law. Abigail is a current board member of Karen Peterson & Dances, Inc. and a former board member of The Miami City Ballet and Gulliver Schools, Inc.

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About The Miami Foundation: The Miami Foundation partners with donors to champion their causes and improve local quality of life. Since 1967, we’ve done this by taking leadership on civic issues, investing in our community and nurturing philanthropy. Thanks to our more than 1,000 donors, we currently manage more than $365 million in assets and have made over $400 million in grants that create opportunities for residents, make Miami-Dade County more resilient and foster home-grown creativity. MiamiFoundation.org