Melinda H. Butler - Fort Lauderdale, FL

Ms. Butler has an extensive financial education and regulatory experience in both the public and private sectors. Therefore, Ms. Butler is uniquely qualified to assess a business’s current compliance with Florida regulatory law and is able to recommend efficient and effective modifications to a business for the purpose of enhancing profitability, along with future compliance.

Public Sector

Over the last 14 years, Ms. Butler has administratively prosecuted disciplinary actions and defended license denials.

· At the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (“OFR”) Ms. Butler was a Chief Counsel for over two years and Lead Attorney for over seven years. In her role at OFR she was regularly involved with:

· Assessing the compliance of Money Services Business, Consumer Finance Company, Mortgage Lender, Broker, and Loan Originator licensees and the qualifications of such license applicants.

· Regularly training consumer finance staff in the legal complexities of consumer finance law, including the fundamentals of how to best perform and analyze money services businesses examinations.

· From 2010 to 2013, Ms. Butler represented the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcohol and Tobacco, and the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Agents and Agencies.

· Assessing the compliance of Liquor, Catering, and Restaurant Alcoholic Beverage licensees and the qualification of such license applicants, and Tobacco Permittees and the qualifications of their permit applicants.

· Assessing the compliance of Insurance Agency and Agent licensees and the qualifications of such license applicants.

As an administrative attorney and supervisor, Ms. Butler regularly coordinated with Florida Assistant State Attorneys to assist them in their criminal prosecution of agency respondents.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Butler, was the technical aide to the Commissioner/Chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission, regularly performing reviews and providing recommendations for the resolution of all cases brought before the Commission.

Private Sector

Upon admission to the Florida Bar in 2009, Ms. Butler went into the private practice of criminal law.

Before moving to Florida, Ms. Butler served as the Vice President - Regulatory of Union Telephone Company and the President of the New Hampshire Telephone Association (“NHTA”).

· As the Vice President of the telephone company, Ms. Butler was the company’s liaison to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.

· As the President of the NHTA, Ms. Butler was the Chairman of the NHTA’s Legislative Committee, which developed and implemented the association’s legislative initiatives.