Return children to society well-equipped with the strategies to succeed; combined with the belief and experience that they can and they will.
About the Board
Carleen M. Spano, Ph.D.
DeVry University
Carleen M. Spano joined DeVry University’s South Florida Metro in November 2008 assuming the position of Dean of Academic Affairs with responsibility for academic programs, both graduate and undergraduate, in the College of Business & Management, College of Engineering & Information Sciences College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and College of Media Arts & Technology on the Miramar Campus, as well as at the Fort Lauderdale and Miami Centers.
Experience
Prior to her appointment, she served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at American InterContinental University’s South Florida Campus. In 2004, she retired from Miami Dade College where, for 35 years, she held a variety of academic administration positions, including Interim Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, Associate Dean of Arts and Letters, and Department Chair. She was also a Professor of English, humanities and theater appreciation.
Recognition
She is a 2015 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International inductee in the Mu State Hall of Fame, a former recipient of the Florida Professional and Business Women’s Annual Glass Ceiling Award, The Florida Association of Community College’s Presidential Award, Miami Dade College Medical Center Campus Professional Excellence Award and was selected to participate in the Leadership Hallmark in Higher Education Program.
Professional
Dr. Spano has served as a mentor to women administrators through the Florida Association for Women in Education, as a supervisor of secondary and college intern teachers and as Florida State Chair of the Delta Kappa Gamma Leadership Seminar. She holds life memberships in the Florida Association of Community Colleges and Phi Delta Kappa. She is also a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a society of key women educators.
Education
Her education includes a doctor of philosophy degree in higher education administration from the University of Miami. She also holds a master of education degree in educational research from the University of Miami where she studied through a U.S. Office of Education grant. Her undergraduate work was completed at Florida Atlantic University, where she holds a bachelor of arts degree in English with minors in Spanish and education.
Civic and Community Involvement
Dr. Spano is a member of the Rotary Club of Miramar-Pines. She was the 1996-97 governor of District 6990, serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, as well as Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas. She has served at the district and state level, organizing the training for the All-Florida Presidents-elect Training Seminar and training the state training leaders and trained discussion leaders within the Sunshine Division of the Rotary Leadership Institute. Various zone and international positions within Rotary, included International Assembly Training Leader, Chair of the North American Affairs Committee, member of the1Women in Rotary Committee, representative to the Council on Legislation, and others. She has been a President’s Representative and district conference speaker in California, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, Puerto Rico, Peru and Sicily and has presented at various international conventions and zone institutes.
Dr. Leo Mesa, Jr., Ph.D.
Dr. Leo Mesa, Jr. received his Masters and Doctorate of Psychology degrees from the Carlos Albizu University, formerly known as the Miami Institute of Psychology. Dr. Mesa has been in the counseling profession for 29 years and for the past 26 years has specialized in the field of domestic and workplace violence providing counseling services to victims, children, teens and batterers. Dr. Mesa is a national speaker and trainer with a presentation style characterized by his dynamic, enthusiastic and motivational approach of engaging his audience. He has served on the Governor’s Task Force on Domestic Violence Faith Committee and as Vice-President and President of the Broward Domestic Violence Council. In November 2009, Dr. Mesa was appointed by Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum, to serve as member of the State-wide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team.
Dr. Mesa received two gubernatorial appointments from Governor Jeb Bush; in September 2001 as Vice-Chair of the Florida’s Commission on Responsible Fatherhood and in October 2003 to the Commission on Marriage and Family Support Initiatives where he was elected by his fellow Commissioners to serve as the chair for two consecutive terms. He was re-appointed to this Commission by the Honorable Speaker of the House, Marco Rubio for an additional two-year term.
Dr. Mesa has also received three gubernatorial appointments by Governor Crist as member of the Child Abuse Prevention and Permanency Advisory Council, Faith Based and Community Based Advisory Council and the Visitation Standards Committee. In February 2010, Dr. Mesa was appointed by Chief Child Advocate Jim Kallinger, from the Office of Adoption and Child Abuse Prevention to serve as founding Board Chair of The Trust for Florida’s Children, Inc. In 2011, Dr. Mesa continued his public service as a member of Florida’s Child Death Data Review Work Group. In 2013, Dr. Mesa received a gubernatorial re-appointment by Governor Scott to the Faith Based and Community Based Advisory Council. He has been happily married to his wife Teri for the past 23 years and is the proud father of two daughters, 17 year old Emily Anne and 13 year old Erika Nicole.
Paul A. Marino
Executive Director
Miami Lakes resident, businessman and educator, Paul A. Marino, founded Guardian Watch, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 and its Managed Education Program to assist At-Risk Youth and to give back to the local community.
The objective was to assist local “At Risk” Students and address racial inequality through mentoring, tutoring, education advocacy and career development.
The Managed Educational program which was developed by industry professionals and implemented by state certified educators/professionals and psychologists is offered free of charge to qualifying youths without regard to their background, socio economic status, race, gender or orientation. Its aim is to address social injustice and inequality wherever it’s encountered.
Our goal is to foster a climate where “At-Risk” youth can become lifelong learners, self sufficient and responsible citizens who can make a contribution to our society.
Guardian Watch, Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries are committed to an open source platform and stand ready to assist any community organization working towards providing a positive impact on our community. In addition we strive to work alongside local and national social agencies to provide better outcomes to the population we both serve.
Jose Lopez
Board Member
In 1972, Jose Lopez began working in the Office Equipment Industry for Copy Statics, a manufacturer located in Miami Lakes, Florida. Throughout his tenure there he received many promotions and eventually took the position of Parts Manager. In 1981, the division was acquired by TRW Customer Service Division, based in New Jersey. In 1983, rather than relocating to New Jersey, he took a leap of faith and decided to open his own company of which he named Barlop Business Systems. The name is a portmanteau from Barroso (Bar) and Lopez (Lop).
Barlop began in a small 600 square foot office in Hialeah Gardens, grew to a larger 2,000 square foot office a couple of years later and by the early 90’s we moved into our long time warehouse facility of over 8,000 square feet. In October 2014, Barlop moved once again thanks to substantial growth to a brand new 15,000 square feet location in Doral, Florida. Today Barlop has grown from a two person operation to a thirty-three employee organization.
As an authorized dealer for several manufacturers, including Ricoh, Samsung and Okidata, Barlop is responsible for the sales, service and distribution of these office equipment products in the South Florida Region from Palm Beach to Monroe County. In addition, in 2016 our growth has allowed him to venture into the Managed Services Market through the affiliated entity Barlop Technology Solutions. The new IT Company has allowed us to assist our clients with all of their information technology needs including the installation and maintenance of their computers and network. 2017 marks Barlop’s thirty-fifth year in business.
