HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 03 Approval of New Appointment to the CACOPD
City of Ocoee ▪ 1 N. Bluford Avenue ▪ Ocoee, Florida 34761
Phone: (407) 905-3100 ▪ www.ocoee.org
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: April 16, 2024
Item #: 3
Contact Name: Melanie Sibbitt Department Director: Melanie Sibbitt
Contact Number: Ext. 1026 City Manager: Robert Frank
Subject: Approval of New Appointment to the Citizen Advisory Council for Ocoee Police
Department (CACOPD). (City Clerk Sibbitt)
Background Summary:
Members of the Citizen Advisory Council for Ocoee Police Department (CACOPD) serve three-year terms.
The Resolution creating the Board allows no more than nine (9) members. At present, the board consists of
eight (8) members following the resignation of former Member Cory Garone in February for missing three
consecutive meetings. In accordance with the Board’s Bylaws, which were enacted by the Ocoee City
Commission, this number of unexcused absences must be seen as resignation from the Board: “Any member
who misses three consecutive regular meetings, or five regular meetings in a 12-month period, or does not
participate in one Board sponsored event, shall be deemed to have resigned by the CACOPD” (Article 3.5).
During the Regular City Commission Meeting held on March 5, 2024, while discussing the reappointment of
members to the CACOPD, Commissioner Firstner was asked to find a resident from District 3 to fill the vacant
seat, ensuring equitable representation across all districts on the board. Subsequently, on March 18, 2024, Mr.
Garone contacted the City Clerk expressing his interest in rejoining the CACOPD, citing his availability to
commit to the board. After speaking with Commissioner Firstner he shared his support for the application
submitted by Cory Garone from District 3, for a term ending January 2027.
Issue:
Should the Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners appoint Mr. Garone to serve a three-year term ending
January 2027?
Recommendations:
Staff respectfully recommends that the Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners consider appointing Mr.
Garone for a three-year term ending January 2027.
Attachments:
1. Board List
2. Application
3. Cory Garone Resume
Financial Impacts:
None
Updated 3/12/24
CITIZEN ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OCOEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Created by Res. #88-06 on 2/16/1988 (amended by Res. #91-09, 92-07, 96-20, 2003-19,
2006-006, 2010-006 & 2022-02)
Members are appointed for three-year terms.
(9-member board)
(50% plus one constitutes a quorum)
Member District Email Term Expires
1. Brad Lomneck 2 blomneck1@gmail.com 1/2026
2. Warren Lewis 1 walewis051515@gmail.com 1/2026
3. Darryl Braunskill, Sr. 4 dbraunskill45@gmail.com 1/2025
4. Annette Brown 2 annettebrown.ocoee@yahoo.com 1/2025
5. Gregory Meeks 1 gmeeks74@gmail.com
gregory.meeks@24-7intouch.com 1/2027
6. Jim Moyer 4 jimmoyer1956@gmail.com 1/2025
7. Jason Mellen 4 jasonmellen74@gmail.com 1/2026
8. Robert Garay 4 robert.j.garay@gmail.com 1/2026
9. Vacant 1/2027
Commission Liaison District Phone Number Email
Commissioner Kennedy 1 407-554-7130 skennedy@ocoee.org
Staff Liaisons Phone Number Email
Vincent Ogburn, Acting Police Chief 407-554-7223 vogburn@ocoee.org
Kurtis Beck, Sergeant 407-554-7074 kbeck@ocoee.org
Andrea Sanders, Officer (Backup) 407-554-7204 asanders@ocoee.org
Recording Clerk Phone Number Email
Yazmin Maldonado 407-554-7188 ymaldonado@ocoee.org
Cory Garone - page 1
Cory Garone
cory.garone@gmail.com ∙ Orlando, FL (Remote) ∙ ∙linkedin.com/in/corygarone
Career Summary
Accomplished Fintech leader with a robust background in risk management and compliance. Leveraging a deep
understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks, excelled in developing and implementing effective solutions.
Demonstrated success navigating complex landscapes and strictly adhering to requirements. Thrived in dynamic,
fast-paced environments, bringing agility, adaptability, and leadership skills to the table, with expertise in contract
development/negotiation and regulatory research. Track record of interactions with regulatory bodies (CFPB,
FDIC, FTC, FCC, and NYDFS) highlight my commitment to industry standards. Experienced in remote team
management and well versed in data breach and privacy laws (GLBA, CCPA, GDPR). As a collaborative partner
to C-Suite executives, addressed day-to-day operational matters with strategic insight. Adept in creating and
implementing effective solutions, I am poised to make a meaningful impact on your team, ensuring seamless
compliance and risk management in an ever-evolving business landscape.
Key Accomplishments
• Led a cross-functional Issue Management project which integrated 2 antiquated practices into 1 modernized
and more efficient process. This also included authoring new procedures and updating policies (included
engineering, compliance, and Atlas teams).
• Spearheaded the successful and timely integration of compliance training and HR software which
streamlined onboarding, offboarding, and training initiatives.
• Produced all new monthly and quarterly reporting for 4 complex compliance functions which provided
deeper insights for company leadership.
• Created and directed 9/11 20th Memorial Event (2021), including police and fire departments as well as the
public.
Leadership
• Oversee 4 complex functions for the Compliance and Risk Department
• Consistently engage employees and managers through training, mentoring, and coaching
• Led teams of up to 40 people, achieving a 32% increase in daily production and quality surpassing monthly
business goals (in-person and remotely)
• Chairperson of the Ocoee Police Department’s Citizen advisory board (2018-2023)
• Member of high-potential programs working with senior leadership as a mentee of the SVP of Marketing,
Public Relations, and Client Services. Was chosen through a rigorous assessment process.
Experience
Associate Director, Compliance Operations
Upstart 2022 – Present
Publicly traded Fintech providing AI lending platform across the United States that partners with banks and
credit unions to deliver consumer loans using non-traditional variables, such as education and employment, to
predict creditworthiness.
• Oversight of 4 critical compliance functions (Operations QA, Issue Management, Complaints Program, and
Compliance Training).
o This includes guiding a team of managers and leaders as well as other employees across multiple
levels.
• Provided subject matter expertise to the product, growth (marketing), and operations teams with respect to
compliance policies, procedures, and issue resolution.
• Regularly issue recommendations to senior leaders on compliance issues and reported progress.
• Employee engagement and development:
o Conduct regular training (live, pre-recorded, and webinar formats) as well as mentoring and coaching
(in-person and online)
• Directed cross-functional projects:
Cory Garone - page 2
o Issue Management - integrating two practices into a streamlined process, resulting in a 25%-time
savings and
o Combination of compliance and HR software which resulted in a 15%-time savings.
Mortgage/Underwriting/Quality Control Compliance Consultant
Deephaven Mortgage (non-QM mortgage lender), Sourcepoint (third-party mortgage services), and Digital
Risk (third-party mortgage services) 2015 - 2022
• Drove daily production and quality to surpass monthly business goals and quality levels by 32%.
• Proven knowledge and understanding of compliance and regulatory requirements applicable to consumer
lending, mortgage banking, and other mortgage-related laws and regulations, including but not limited to
federal regulations, laws, and programs (CFPB, TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FDCPA, FCRA, FACTA, AML/KYC,
FHA/VA, Reverse Mortgages, HELOC, Non-QM, Bankruptcy, U.S. Treasury/Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae
modification and refinance programs).
• Mentored large teams (40 people) of underwriters and team leads (interviewed, hired, and trained).
o Oversaw the development and promotion of multiple team members.
• Decreased personnel onboarding costs by 15% through innovative hiring tracking.
• Coached a large team of quality control and compliance analysts (10 people) focused on procedures
following government agency and business-specific requirements.
• Developed and implemented a rigorous quality control program to adhere to bank, federal, and state
guidelines which reduced failure rates by 28%.
Telecom Legal and Regulatory Compliance Director
Inteserra (Telecom Compliance Consulting) 2017 - 2021
• Tracked rule changes and docket/legislative activity in all 50 states, and provided in-depth, tailored research
on regulatory issues.
• Drafted and negotiated contracts for multiple services and clients.
• Created and designed the regulatory and legal content of company publications and services, including
Regulatory Briefings (summaries of legislative and regulatory actions) and the Inteserra Regulatory Blog.
• Organized special reports and aided telecom clients in writing and submitting comments to regulatory
bodies.
• Drafted privacy and security policies and procedures pursuant to HIPAA, GLBA, CCPA, and other statutes.
• Worked with C-Suite executives to implement new best practices which reduced time costs by 15%.
• Counseled HR regarding employee relations, hiring, termination, employee leave, compensation, benefits,
employee handbooks, and the development/drafting of new policies and procedures.
• Modernized HR process by researching, selecting, and converting to a brand-new HR management software
(Bamboo HR) for the company thereby impacting monthly revenue by 17%.
Bar Preparation Consultant
Barry University - Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law 2014 - 2015
• Instructed law students in preparation for the Florida bar exam by grading and providing feedback on essays.
• Chosen for the position after receiving a high passing score on the Florida Bar Exam.
Legal Internships
U.S. Department of Homeland Security and State Attorney's Office, 9th Circuit 2012 - 2013
• Drafted motions and numerous legal memoranda to be filed in immigration and state court, coordinated
legal research projects, and produced multiple legal memoranda on those issues.
• Collaborated with staff attorneys on a myriad of immigration cases, including asylum hearings, cancellation
of removal hearings (legal permanent residents and non-legal permanent residents), master calendar
hearings, individual hearings, trials, jury selection, sentencing hearings, motion hearings, and arraignments.
• Served as first and second chair for several different immigration hearings.
Police Officer
City of Groveland 2006 - 2011
Cory Garone - page 3
Technical Skills
Education
Barry University - Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law
Juris Doctor (J.D.) – Focus on contract, privacy, and administrative laws 2014
Pending Admission (2024) – The Florida Bar
IT Certificates: Cybersecurity (ITF+, A+, Network+, Security+, CEH) 2022
Community Engagement
Member - Citizens Advisory Council for the Ocoee Police Department 2017 - Present
• Elected Chair January 2018 (re-elected by the City Council every year and served through 2023).
• Consult with city commissioners on police department and public issues.
• Created and directed 9/11 20th Memorial Event (2021), including police and fire departments as well as the
public.
• Bilingual
• Patent, Trademark, & IP
• M&A
• Contract Drafting &
Negotiation
• Legal Research & Writing
• Privacy and Data Breach
• GRC
• AML/KYC
• MS Office Suite, MS Access,
MS Project
• Mac/Windows/iOS/Android
Software
• California Consumer Privacy
Act (CCPA), General Data
Protection Regulation
(GDPR)
• Risk Mindset
• Regulatory Affairs &
Compliance
• Telecommunications
• Mortgage/Financial
Compliance
• Business Problem Solving
• Prioritization and Execution
• People Management