PFAWL Board of Directors 2024-2025
Whitney Green
President
Whitney Green is the 2024-2025 President of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Whitney is a native and life-long Floridian. In 2009, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the University of Florida, cum laude. In 2012, she obtained her law degree from the Florida State University College of Law, with honors, and was admitted to The Florida Bar.
After law school, Whitney relocated to St. Petersburg. Wanting to focus her career on public service, she served for six years as a staff attorney in the Office of Court Counsel for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, followed by a three year tenure as an Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit where she specialized in postconviction litigation. Whitney currently practices local government law with the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office in the regulatory and employment division.
In addition to PFAWL, Whitney has served on the board of the Junior League of St. Petersburg. She also volunteers with Lawyers for Literacy and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. In her free time, Whitney enjoys yoga, trying out new restaurants, and traveling with her husband Henry and son Jude.
Alina Husain
President-Elect
Alina Husain is the 2025-2026 President-Elect for the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Alina relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida in 2018 and feels fortunate to have been introduced to the wonderful community of female attorneys at PFAWL to help develop her personal and professional network. She studied Political Science and Anthropology at the University of Toronto in Canada and completed her legal degree at American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.
She began her career in human rights law, working with immigrant survivors of violence. She now practices immigration and employment law for an international law firm in Tampa. Prior to attending law school, she worked with non-profit organizations, the media, and educational institutions in North America and internationally.
Outside of work, Alina tries to maximize her time with her husband and two children. She loves traveling, reading, running, and experimenting in the kitchen.
Jennifer Codding
Secretary
Jennifer Codding is the 2024-2025 Secretary of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Jennifer Codding is a senior attorney with Alexander S. Buchanan, PLLC with offices in St. Petersburg, Florida and Nashua, New Hampshire.
Her practice focuses on Florida and New Hampshire real estate transactions and Florida declaratory actions pertaining to unidentifiable mobile homes.
Elise Winters
Treasurer
Elise Winters is the 2024-2025 Treasurer of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawers.
Based in Clearwater, Elise K. Winters, P.A. assists clients in a range of commercial matters, including real estate, landlord-tenant arrangements, construction, corporate law, and business transactions. Ms. Winters has thirty years of legal experience and a diverse background and range of commercial expertise. Since 1980, she has personally managed all of her clients, representing a wide range of developers, commercial landlords, and businesses. With extensive litigation experience earlier in her career, Ms. Winters’ transactional clients regularly request her services as in-house counsel, so that she can oversee her clients’ trial attorneys when litigation arises.
Ms. Winters is a longtime officer and director of the Clearwater Bar Association, and served as President of that organization from 1991 to 1992. She is also a Past Chair of the City of Clearwater Downtown Development Board. Ms. Winters has received an award from the Florida Supreme Court in recognition of her pro bono work and devotion to public service. Ms. Winters received her B.S. and J.D. from the University of Florida, graduating with honors for both degrees. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1980.
Christina Pacheco
Membership Director
Christina Pacheco is the Membership (New Members) Director of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Christina is a senior attorney at the Florida Attorney General’s Office, where she handles appeals and litigation for the state’s death penalty cases. Christina has handled hundreds of appeals, and she has been involved in many high-profile cases that have made national news and been the subject of television and Netflix specials. Christina frequently practices in the Florida Supreme Court and routinely files pleadings in the United States Supreme Court. She also regularly appears in circuit courts throughout the state as well as federal district court for litigation arising from death row inmates.
Christina is board certified by The Florida Bar in Criminal Appellate Law. This is Christina’s fifth year serving on the PFAWL Board of Directors. Christina is also Vice Chair of the St. Petersburg Bar’s Appellate Section. She has previously served on the board for the Rotary Club of St. Petersburg Sunset and assisted local bar associations with their legal publications. Christina’s most important role, however, is being a proud mother to her two children—Ellena (4) and Lorenzo (3). In her free time, she enjoys practicing hot yoga, cooking, wine tasting, and exploring new restaurants in St. Pete with her husband, Tony.
Mercedes Buntz
State FAWL Representative
Mercedes Buntz is the State FAWL Representative of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Mercedes helps residents of Tampa Bay and of surrounding counties plan in order to save their loved ones money, time, and aggravation in the future. As the founder of Mercedes Buntz Law, PLLC, Mercedes focuses on Wills and Trusts, Probate, and Trust Administration to help clients plan for and navigate life’s major events. She is a Spanish speaker and practically a Florida native, having moved to Pinellas County, Florida at a young age from Puerto Rico. Mercedes graduated from The Florida State University College of Law and The University of Central Florida.
Mercedes uses her 24 years of legal experience to help clients make informed decisions about estate planning and probate. By informing clients about positive choices available and recommending options that suit the clients’ unique personal and financial needs, Mercedes helps clients keep control over what happens to themselves and their assets. Whether clients have a large or modest estate, they deserve the peace of mind from knowing their wishes will be honored and from providing loved ones a legacy in the most effective and efficient way.
In addition to being a member of PFAWL, Mercedes is a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law and of the Elder Law sections of the Florida Bar, the Clearwater Bar Association, the Tampa Hispanic Bar Association, the Guardian Association of Pinellas County, and BNI Business Connections chapter.
Amy Dilday
Programming Director
Amy Dilday is the Programming Director for the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Amy has been practicing law in the Tampa Bay area since 2005. She is Board Certified by the Florida Bar as an expert in appellate practice, and regularly handles appeals in both Florida state and federal courts. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in the areas of law approved for certification.
Prior to beginning her practice, Amy graduated cum laude from Stetson University College of Law. While in law school, she served as an associate for the Stetson Law Review. She was also a member of Stetson’s Moot Court Board, competing in both workers’ compensation and bankruptcy moot competitions. Amy also was invited to and completed Stetson’s Honors Program.
Upon graduation from law school, Amy was a staff attorney for the Honorable Douglas A. Wallace at Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal. She then practiced in the appellate departments of two insurance defense law firms before joining Englander Fisher’s appellate practice group.
In her professional career, Amy has also been a steadfast advocate for pro bono appeals on behalf of the Florida Guardian Ad Litem Office, firmly believing in the law’s ability to drive positive community change. Her unwavering commitment to providing legal assistance to those in need has garnered significant recognition, as she was among those honored at the 2024 Florida Bar Convention for her outstanding contributions to pro bono appellate work.
In her free time, Amy enjoys cooking, music, and time with her family.
Jovita Wysocka Ahava
Public Relations & Community Impact Director
Jovita Wysocka Ahava is the 2024-2025 Public Relations and Community Impact Director of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Jovita is a partner at Ahava Law Group, focusing on estate planning, probate, probate litigation, and personal injury law throughout Florida.
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Jovita graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in English and Communications. She graduated cum laude from Suffolk Law School in Boston. Jovita worked at large litigation firms in New York City and the Washington, D.C. area before moving to Florida nearly 20 years ago.
Jovita is passionate about giving back to the community. For more than 10 years, she has served on the board of Community Law Program. Additionally, as a fluent Polish speaker, Jovita is active in a variety of Polish organizations and communities in Florida, including serving as Vice President of the Polish American Society of St. Petersburg.
Sue LaGree
Sponsorship Director
Sue LaGree is the Sponsorship Chair of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Sue LaGree, a Realtor with RE/MAX Action First in Clearwater, specializes in assisting buyers and sellers with their real estate transactions.
As an attorney with 25+ years of family, probate and real estate experience in Boston, MA, Sue utilizes her legal background to secure the best deals for her clients throughout their real estate transactions. Her deep understanding of the Tampa Bay real estate market allows Sue to provide valuable insights for informed decision-making and streamlined processes for her real estate clients who are looking to buy or sell property throughout Tampa Bay.
Being a member of PFAWL and an active board member and volunteer is Sue’s favorite way to stay connected and to give back to the Florida legal community.
Rebecca Deming
Immediate Past President
Rebecca Deming is the Immediate Past President of the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Rebecca has been loving living in St. Petersburg since 2019, and never plans to leave. She joined PFAWL to get to know other women attorneys in the community and expand her local network, and found her professional family in the group. She is honored to be in a position to help lead PFAWL over the coming years.
As an accredited attorney with the Veterans Benefits Administration, Rebecca runs ProVet Legal, P.A., a law firm focused on assisting disabled veterans and their families obtain their service-connected disability benefits.
Rebecca’s early career path was influenced by her love for the law and her desire to contribute to the global war on terror. After working for two large international law firms, she joined the US Agency for International Development in 2011 and headed to Afghanistan to work on Rule of Law issues in support of US and NATO troops. After Afghanistan, Rebecca worked closely with a wide variety of military and civilian organizations in developing and complex environments. She has extensive experience working in Africa, Europe, and Central Asia conducting hands-on training and oversight of security sector reform, capacity building, educational, and institutional transformation projects. In addition to working as a Senior Human Rights Advisor for the US Department of State, Rebecca has taught lectures on human rights to UN Peacekeepers in Niger, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Rwanda, and Kenya.
In addition to the Board of Directors, PFAWL also has a group of amazing women serving as committee chairs who report directly to one of the Directors listed above and the Board. PFAWL is always happy to find members who would like to serve on a committee. Members can choose from:
AOC Grants Committee
Awards Committee
Bead-My-Valentine Committee
Continuing Legal Education Committee
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee
Health & Wellness Committee
Lobby Days Committee
Membership Drive Committee
Social Media & Creative Content Committee
Table For 8 Committee
Website Committee
Interested in Joining the PFAWL Board of Directors or Joining a Committee?
There are always opportunities to join PFAWL Leadership! If you’re interested and would like to become involved, please complete the form below. Would you like to become more involved but maybe not commit to a board position yet? You can join a committee, become a sponsor, or join us as a member! Feel free to let us know by filling out and submitting the form below!
Presidential History:
2024-2025: Whitney Green
2023-2024: Rebecca Deming
2022 - 2023: Daniela Carrion
2021– 2022: Meredith Gaunce
2020– 2021: Nicole Bell
2019 – 2020: Shavarne Dahlquist
2018- 2019: Kristina Feher
2017 – 2018: Carmen Johnson
2016 – 2017: Regina Kardash
2014 – 2015: Jennifer Codding
2013-2014: Alexandra White
2012 – 2013: Kyleen A. Hinkle
2011 – 2012: Brittany Maxey-Fisher
2008 – 2011: Robyn Featherston
2005 – 2008: Donna Rose
2003 – 2005: Susan Hartman
2001 – 2003: Elise Winters
For the latest copy of our bylaws, please email pfawlsecretary@gmail.comand request a copy!