Workshop Presenters

Carolann Mazza is a family attorney and Florida Supreme Court certified family law mediator who helps divorcing couples and families in conflict handle their conflicts in a healthier way. She works solely with couples who choose out of court processes to find durable, lasting resolution as they transition into the new phases of their lives.

In Collaborative Law, Carolann has found her passion. As she built her family practice, she began to recognize that the destructive nature of divorce and the resulting unresolved conflicts lead to a vicious cycle of continued court involvement for the family. Consensual dispute resolution processes such as Collaborative Law help the family stay out of court and allow them the ability to resolve their differences with dignity, respect, promoting open and honest dialogue where emotions are recognized and addressed. These methods are the antidote to the toxicity of ending a marriage or relationship in an adversarial manner.

Carolann has been practicing law for a lot of years. She is licensed in both Florida and in Texas.

Carolann is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Collaborative Family Law Institute, the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida, the South Palm Beach County Collaborative Law Group, the Florida Association of Conciliation Courts and the Broward County Bar Association.

A former marathon runner, Carolann participates in short distance running, triathlons and practicing yoga. She paddle boards, kayaks and enjoys anything having to do with water. She loves to travel, cook and eat and is learning Italian so she can understand what her husband is saying about her.

Kristen Goss is the Managing Partner of KWG Family Legal and Mediation Services, a full-service family law and estate planning law firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Florida. KWG takes pride in advocating for families who desire to save on taxes and avoid guardianship and probate by remaining proactive and creating a prenup, postnup, Will, Trust, and the like.  KWG is also passionate about helping divorcing parents meet their goal of protecting their children by advocating for their interests and helping them maintain full control of the outcome by representing them outside of court through the collaborative law process. Ms. Goss is a collaboratively trained family law attorney, a certified family mediator, a certified Guardian Ad Litem, and was once a financial advisor who served families in the areas of 401k and other retirement planning vehicles, life insurance, and the like. Ms. Goss loves giving back to the community and founded Kids Demonstrating Worth, Inc. in 2003, a non-profit organization whose focus is providing holisitc services for foster youth. Ms. Goss has been married to Marlon since 2008 and they have three beautiful daughters who are currently 11, 8, and 2.

Jenny Vargas has an extensive background in the Family Law arena. Most notably, attorney Vargas has dedicated over eleven (11) years to this practice as a legal services attorney. Attorney Vargas is a managing attorney of Legal Advice & Trial or Resolution Associates, spearheading its Family Law department. Attorney Vargas is also a Certified Supreme Court Family Law Mediator. Additionally, Attorney Vargas is a joint founder of Hispano Collaborative Professionals, the nation's first Hispanic Collaborative Law practice group. She currently serves as president-elect of Hispano Collaborative Professionals, Inc.

Prior to becoming admitted to the Florida Bar, attorney Vargas obtained a Master in Child and Family Law from Loyola University School of Law in 2004. Attorney Vargas also obtained a concentration in Family Law and Law & Social Justice when she obtained her Juris Doctorate from the State University at New York (SUNY) School of Law in 2001. During commencement at SUNY, attorney Vargas was presented with the Maurice Frey Award to recognize her as the only member in her graduating class whose academic performance in the area of Family Law was most exceptional. In her endeavor to become a holistic advocate, attorney Vargas also obtained a Bachelor in Social Welfare from Adelphi University in 1998 and a Master in Social Work from New York University in 2002.

Tammy Berman, LMHC, NBCC is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a National Board Certified Counselor, an Accredited Collaborative Professional Facilitator, a Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, and a Qualified Parenting Coordinator. She is the current President of the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida,. She is a member of the South Palm Beach County Collaborative Law Group, the North Palm Beach Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals and serves on their Access to Collaborative committee. Tammy has also been a co-presenter of Second Saturday Broward since 2015. Tammy is highly invested in promoting and supporting the growth and access of the Collaborative Process to the professional and public community and specializes in helping people through the divorce process, in working with the teenage population and in Dialectical behavior Therapy. 

Sheva Ganz is an expressive arts therapist and mental health counselor intern who works with children, adolescents and adults.  She has specialized training and experience in education, play therapy, creative movement, and the therapeutic use of yoga, dance, meditation, and trauma recovery.  

Sheva is the co-founder of Shift, which creates educational and experiential workshops designed for various ages, and teaches simple and creative techniques to navigate life's challenges. Additionally, Sheva specializes in separation and divorce recovery, working with individual, groups and families.  Her workshop, Kid's Turn, allow for both parents and children to learn emotional awareness, communication and coping skills following divorce.  

As an expressive arts therapist, Sheva realizes that no single approach is best for every individual. She utilizes a variety of techniques, therapeutic approaches and a broad range of creative modalities (such as art, music, movement, drama, etc), to facilitate solution-focused healing, trauma resolution, positive change and personal growth. Her favorite aspect of using expressive arts therapies is connecting people with the power of creativity, allowing them to access feelings and thoughts language alone cannot express.

Sheva believes that when we tap into an inner creative source, we can uncover deeper levels of subconsciousness, which promotes a more profound sense of healing.  She encourages the use of arts therapies to discover the countless ways that creativity can enhance the quality of life and sense of wellbeing.

A transplanted New Yorker he earned his Masters and Doctoral degrees from the University of Miami. His clinical training included pre and post doctoral internships at the Children’s Psychiatric Centers in Miami, Florida.

He has been a staff consultant to the Northwest Dade Community Mental Health Center where he was responsible for the pre-doctoral internship training seminar in child assessment; and on the Staff of Charter Hospital of Miami where he served as co-director of the adult inpatient unit, responsible for the group psychotherapy programs and adult psychological evaluation services.

In addition to being a sought after child and adult therapist he is a frequent consulting and testifying expert in both Family and Dependency courts in Florida’s Eleventh and Seventeenth Judicial Circuits.

His forensic expertise includes serving as an expert in cases involving (a) discrimination and harassment claims in Federal employment law cases, and (b) as an expert in the assessment and defense of tort claims for emotional damages in cases involving children, adolescents and adults, and (c) as an expert in immigration law cases involving claims under the Violence Against Women Act, and in asylum appeals .

As an external review consultant he is a Level III third party reviewer of pediatric patient insurance appeals for National Medical Review of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Poliacoff has presented as a lecturer before numerous schools and  parent groups law firms on matters related to children and their development.  And, he has lectured widely to legal audiences. His articles have been published in Bar journals on topics including

When Luana was going through divorce in 1997-2000, it brought to her attention, with the precision of a laser beam, the myriad of issues people struggle with while transitioning from married life to single life. As a result, she founded Crossroads Consulting of South Florida, Inc. to help people with the financial issues of going through a divorce. As a CDFA, she helps divorcing couples evaluate the financial impact and tax implications of settlement options for dividing pensions and marital property and awards of child and spousal support. Her goal in the divorce process is to provide caring support, financial education, and to help the divorcing couple develop a strategy that makes sense of the dollars in their divorce and restores hope for the future.

Luana's first love is helping her clients develop a plan for living the rest of their life confidently and without regret. Her clients are an eclectic mix of business owners, retirees, families, and women on their own. She has figured out, though, that no matter who the client is – there is a natural gravitation to support the unique needs of women. Luana's goal continues to be that a husband and wife will be equally equipped to deal with the financial issues that survive divorce or death or incapacity of either spouse. Historically, though, she thinks women have a steeper climb to achieve the same comfort level as men, but she is on a mission to see that trend reversed.

Luana is currently associated with Crossroads Consulting of South Florida, Inc. to prepare people for life after divorce, Associated Financial Consultants, Inc. for non-securities related insurance and annuity products, and Associated Investor Services, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisory firm, for financial planning. She is securities licensed through Securities America, Inc. a registered Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA, SIPC. Advisory Services are offered through Securities America Advisory Services, Inc., a SEC Registered Investment Advisory Firm. Crossroads Consulting, Associated Financial Consultants & Investor Services, and Securities America are separate entities. 

Luana encourages her clients to live in alignment with their values. So, when it comes to living her life, she strives to live in alignment with her top 5 values, which are Faith, Health, Relationships, Integrity, and Meaningful Work. She makes time to study God’s word and give thanks for His many blessings. Exercise is not her favorite thing, but she makes time for it anyway. She loves spending time with family and friends, traveling, watching Hallmark movies, and taking Sunday afternoon naps. And, every day, she is grateful that her work allows her to do what she loves, with people she likes, for people she likes, always wanting to have a positive impact on their lives.

Alfred founded Florida Forensic Accounting, specializing in forensic accounting with a focus on family law. He provides financial analysis and expert witness testimony in litigation cases and serves as a neutral financial professional in collaborative divorce proceedings. His expertise extends to business valuation and economic damages. Alfred is involved in collaborative law organizations and has lectured on Collaborative Family Divorce and economic damages. He also holds leadership positions in several professional groups.