LOTANE & ASSOCIATES, P.A. - Key Persons
Anthony J. Steele was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and has lived in Florida almost his entire life. He enjoys golf, tennis, water skiing, snow skiing, and surfing. His hobbies are sports, music, and politics and is passionate about each.
Anthony earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science from The Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. After graduation from FSU, Anthony moved back to Tampa, where he landed a job with Cigna Property & Casualty, and gained his first exposure to the insurance industry. Anthony moved to Miami to attend St. Thomas University School of Law and received his Juris Doctorate degree from St. Thomas in 1996. He thereafter found a job with a small law firm in Miami with a high volume insurance subrogation practice. Anthony found his way back to the Tampa Bay area in 1998 where he developed his practice over the following 4 years into the areas of local government law, commercial litigation, simple wills & probate, commercial real estate transactions, and business law.
From 2001 until 2013, Anthony worked as a Senior Staff Attorney for a major, publicly-traded consumer debt buyer and has been involved in the debt collection industry ever since. He has also gained additional valuable insurance law experience defending Florida's largest home builder against construction defect claims and bringing first-party assignment of benefits claims against property insurance carriers. He currently practices debt collection and subrogation remotely from Tampa where he currently resides.
Bernadine Innocent Philippe was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She enjoys shopping and spending time with her family.
Bernadine earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Real Estate with a minor in English from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida.
Bernadine was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2011. She was a Criminal Prosecutor for the 17th Judicial State Attorney's Office in Broward County for 6 years (2011-2017). Thereafter, Bernadine practiced Civil Insurance Defense for 4 years; 2 years as an Associate Attorney at Cole, Scott, and Kissane and 2 years as In-house Defense Counsel for Allstate Insurance Company.
Bernadine is a Florida Bar member in good standing. She currently practices debt collection and subrogation remotely from Fort Lauderdale.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant for Troy
Jennifer Meeks is an Administrative Assistant for Troy R. Lotane and a Client Support Specialist with over 30 years of experience. Jennifer specializes in high-level Administrative Support, as well as building client relationships and client onboarding. She is an influential force in the workplace and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed.
In her free time, Jennifer enjoys boating with her husband and spending time with her family and friends.
Julie Thompson is happily married, a proud Mom, and a Director of Operations at Lotane & Associates since 2007. She is a native Floridian who landed in Brevard in 2006. She spent the first decade of her career at America Online learning about technology, operational and project management, leadership, HR, workforce management, and financial services. While at AOL, she was invited to get certified in Six Sigma and attend the Harvard Manage Mentor Program. This encouraged strong leadership skills, which matched her compassion for people and behavioural leadership.
Outside work, she loves travelling, music, baking, and spending time with her family. She has strong faith in God and loves to give back to her community in all ways. Julie has been a member of the Industry Advisory Council for Brevard Achievement Center since 2015 and joined the Board of Directors in March 2023. She has been an active volunteer for United Way of Brevard as a Workplace Campaign Manager since 2007. She serves as a Community Impact Team member to assess local agency programs and represent donors. She set up a Corporate Route for Lotane & Associates through Aging Matters of Brevard to deliver daily hot meals and wellness checks to local Senior Citizens. She enjoys giving her employees these opportunities for community engagement. She is passionate about the Collection industry and has been on the Board of Directors for Florida Collection's Association since 2018, serving as Treasurer & Secretary in 2022-2023 and currently is the President Elect for 2023-2024. She encourages others to give back and believes you're not living unless you are giving!
Keshia Anderson was born in New York and raised in Brevard County, Florida. Her passion for law geared her on her career path, where she obtained her Paralegal Degree from Brevard Community College. She enjoys crocheting and spending time with her family in her free time.
Keshia started her career with Lotane and Associates, P.A. over a decade ago as a Recovery Specialist due to her extensive call center background. She is currently a Legal Collection Manager who enjoys being a level of support for her team where she can empower them to reach their goals.
Tina Kukowski is an accomplished Financial Manager and Accounting professional with 20 years of demonstrated positive impact on company growth. She is a hands-on manager with proven skills in analysis, organization, troubleshooting, researching and monitoring of all accounting operations. Tina's experiences are in small, start-up, Corporate and Government sectors.
Tyesha Ware was born and raised in Orlando, Florida and has lived in Florida her entire life. She enjoys traveling to various countries and her hobbies include crafting with her Cricut machine.
Tyesha earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University in Miami, FL. She also holds a Master's degree in Business Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, FL. Prior to Law School, Ty worked as a Paralegal for 7 years in various areas of law in South Florida and Orlando. Tyesha earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Barry University School of Law in Orlando, FL. While in Law School, she interned in both the Immigration and Mediation clinics; as well as studied abroad for a semester in Cape Town, South Africa where she interned at Cliff Dekker Hofmeyr.
Tyesha was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2017 and is a member in good standing. She currently practices debt collection and subrogation remotely from Orlando, where she currently resides.