Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics

Back row (L-R) Michael H. Kugler, Kristin A. Vara-Garcia
Front row (L-R) Alan I. Blass, Rodney G. Romano, Peter L.Cruise

Rodney Romano is a Florida Licensed Attorney and Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator. He founded Matrix Mediation in 2006 to bring a next level of excellence and consistency to the mediation profession. Mr. Romano has conducted more than 22,000 hours of circuit civil mediations and has been a member of the Florida Supreme Court appointed Mediator Qualifications and Disciplinary Review Board since 2009. Rodney is a former Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney and served 4 terms as Mayor of the City of Lake Worth, Florida.

Mr. Romano earned his law degree from Nova Southeastern University and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University. Prior to admission to the Florida Bar, Rodney was a Florida Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and a Florida Certified General Contractor.

Rodney is a licensed (non-current) private pilot and Nitrox certified scuba diver, and a lifelong resident of Palm Beach County. He is married to Lynnette and has five children and six grandchildren.
For a more detailed resume, please see www.matrixmediation.com.

Alan Blass is the founder of AIB Forensics, specializing in forensic accounting and litigation support for attorneys and government agencies. With more than 40 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, he is widely recognized for his expertise in “following the money” to uncover complex fraud schemes, white-collar crime, construction disputes, business and governmental litigation, and matrimonial matters. He has served as an expert witness in numerous high-stakes proceedings and is known for delivering clear, persuasive analyses grounded in the highest ethical standards.

Mr. Blass’ background includes significant service in the public sector, notably as the Deputy Chief Auditor for the New York City Department of Investigation, where he conducted undercover operations and testified in cases involving organized crime and public corruption. In the private sector, he helped pioneer corporate forensic accounting at Kroll Associates and later performed essential oversight as a monitor for the deconstruction costs at the World Trade Center site following 9/11.

A recognized leader in the anti-fraud profession, Mr. Blass has served as President and Chairman of the New York City chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and as President of its South Florida chapter. He later founded the Palm Beach County chapter of the ACFE, where he also served as President and Chairman and now holds the title of President Emeritus. Mr. Blass remains a dedicated advocate for ethics and transparency and actively mentors the next generation of financial investigators.

Peter Cruise is Executive Director of the LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy and Affiliate Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University. Both his academic and professional careers have been focused on improving the ethical climate in public sector programs and organizations.

Since graduating with his Ph.D. in Public Administration from FAU in 1995, Dr. Cruise taught ethics and organizational behavior to both undergraduate and graduate students atuniversities such as California State University-Chico, Golden Gate University, Louisiana State University and Mary Baldwin University. Before beginning his academic life, his professional career started in West Palm Beach in the early 1980s, working at St. Mary’s Hospital, the Palm Beach Blood Bank, and later at Martin Memorial Hospital in Stuart.

In addition to many published articles, he is the co-editor of the Handbook of Organization Theory and Management: The Philosophical Approach (2nd Edition, 2006). In April 2015, Dr. Cruise was selected as a Distinguished Alumnus by the faculty of the College of Design and Social Inquiry at Florida Atlantic University.

Kristin Vara-Garcia has a wide range of experience from transactional to litigation. Ms. Vara-Garcia works for the School District of Palm Beach County in the Office of General Counsel as a senior attorney in the Business Operations group. Prior to joining the School District, Ms. Vara-Garcia was a real estate attorney in private practice and an Assistant State Attorney in Palm Beach County. 

Ms. Vara-Garcia is dedicated to serving both the legal community and community at large. She currently serves as the Treasurer of Guild of Catholic Lawyers of the Dioceses of Palm Beach and is a volunteer for GTS Husky Rescue. Ms. Vara-Garcia also a Member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association and has served as the co-chair/moderator of the real estate/transactional section of the Palm Beach County Bench Bar for the last two years. 

A native Floridian, Ms. Vara-Garcia graduated cum laude from the Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology before earning her law degree from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law, where she graduated cum laude. While at Nova, Ms. Vara-Garcia served as a Teaching Assistant for Professor Polli Camille Lamar in Legal Research and Writing, was a law clerk at a South Florida insurance defense firm, and a certified legal intern at the State Attorney’s Office in Broward County. She is also a published author whose article “Espionage: A Comparative Analysis” was nominated for multiple awards and published in the ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law.

Michael H. Kugler is a personal injury attorney with Goldlaw, who has dedicated his career to obtaining justice through our court system on behalf of all categories of victims. He approaches his cases with tenacity, compassion, and respect. He has the ability to relate with all victims in a unique and honest way that they know he is fighting for them.  Mr. Kugler litigates cases on behalf of individuals and families who have been wronged by the negligence of others.  He handles also personal injury matters including automobile and trucking crashes, premises liability, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, and product liability.

Mr. Kugler began his legal career at the Office of the State Attorney in Palm Beach County. With over 100 jury trials, Mr. Kugler prosecuted every crime from DUI to Capital Sexual Battery to the Death Penalty. As a vital member of the Special Victims Unit, Mr. Kugler prosecuted the most violent predators in our community and gave a voice to child victims of sexual abuse. Mr. Kugler is a member of the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) for Palm Beach County, which created and runs the county's first dedicated sexual assault examination site. The examination site coordinates the medical, law enforcement, forensic, and legal response to sexual violence in the community. Mr. Kugler gained national media attention with his prosecution of a former WPTV Weatherman who sexually preyed on young and vulnerable teenagers.

Originally from California, Mr. Kugler came to South Florida on an academic scholarship to the University of Miami where he obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration. Before attending law school at Nova Southeastern University, Mr. Kugler was a licensed stock broker working for a boutique broker dealer in Boca Raton. While at Nova Southeastern University Law School, Mr. Kugler was a member of multiple mock trial teams, and the Vice President of the school's trial organization.