Cheryl excels at helping teams and organizations achieve objectives more efficiently.
She is passionate about strategically improving processes and producing nuanced, accurate and succinct writing. Cheryl has been fortunate to deploy those passions to a large range of subject matters and professional environments, from practicing law in a law firm to facilitating attorneys’ projects in the federal government.
Cheryl’s broad background touches on many facets of mortgage lending, banking regulation and community development as well as on administrative requirements specific to federal agencies, such as the Freedom of Information Act, and the administrative and operational components essential to any business, i.e., contract management, timekeeping, scheduling, travel, expense reimbursement, event planning and execution, document management and records retention.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Legal Division
District of Columbia
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD), Field Policy & Management
District of Columbia
Freedom of Information Action Liaison
Congressional Liaison
Field Staffing Alignment
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD), Field Policy & Management
Florida
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD), Field Poilicy & Management
Florida
City of Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
As a community development specialist, Cheryl was responsible for day-to-day management of the City’s role as a HUD grantee for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) and the broader associated HUD requirements of a Consolidated Plan and Citizen Participation Plan. Therefore, she prepared public notices, memoranda and draft resolutions for City Manager and City Commission related to extensive revisions to the Citizen Participation Plan and 5-year Consolidated Plan. She oversaw the CDBG RFP process and evaluated subrecipient applications, including project proposals, staffing projections and draft budgets. She drafted legally compliant program documents, oversaw contract execution, and conducted monthly CDBG and ESG subrecipient monitoring, including expense verification and initiating grant drawdowns.
While only a City employee for 9 months, Cheryl also took on several large projects beyond her regular responsibilities. As City-wide United Way fundraising campaign manager, she visited all 28 City departments and increased employee participation by 25% and funds raised by 30%. As a result of these dramatic results, she received a commendation from the City Mayor at a Commission meeting. Additionally, Cheryl identified a gap in logistics coordination among City departments and with community stakeholders of the City’s upcoming public celebration of community development milestones and the relocation of a historic coral rock house. She stepped in after observing several weeks of delayed progress and oversaw all the City logistics. Her efforts resulted in a successful event and recognition by City and community leaders.
Miami-Dade Neighborhood Housing Services
Miami, Florida
Marketed, contracted for and managed inaugural consortium of 6 banks and 9 real estate firms to provide comprehensive and targeted homebuyer development program
Taught homebuyer education course to low income families
Provided individual counseling and loan prequalification services to low income renters pursuing homeownership
Developed and nurtured community partnerships, including novel arrangement for homebuyer education course to be provided through Miami-Dade Community College
Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz
Washington, District of Columbia
As an associate in the Financial Services practice, Cheryl continued working with the team that moved to Pepper together upon the dissolution of Melrod, Redman & Gartlan. At Pepper, she coordinated the document-intensive packaging of multifamily mortgage loan originations for sale to Freddie Mac. She drafted closing instructions, legal opinions and templates for single family mortgage loan programs, including TiLA and RESPA disclosures and mortgage, deed of trust and note instruments. Her multifamily loan transactional work also included reviewing title documents, surveys, estoppel letters, borrower’s counsel opinions and preparing closing binders.
Cheryl also developed cross-departmental marketing materials for the firm and authored client newsletter articles on legal and regulatory developments.
After leaving Pepper in 1994 to pursue non-legal positions, Cheryl continued to work as a contract attorney for the firm, conducting legal research on mortgage lending regulatory compliance from 1995 through 1997.