Training Council and Speakers - GAFM Global Academy of Finance and Management

Dr. George Mentz, JD, MBA, AMC, CWM -  is a licensed attorney and holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree (Latin JD) and an MBA in tax and financial services. Mentz is a bestselling author of several revolutionary books.  Formerly, Mentz was a Senior Wealth Manager at a major Wall Street Firm. Prof. Mentz is the author of 20 books and has been featured or quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The Hindu National, El Norte Latin America, Reuters, the Financial Times, The China Daily, & The Arab Times.  Dr. Mentz, as a professor,  has taught over 200 graduate and undergraduate, law and business courses at accredited programs, has won several awards for teaching excellence, and has earned various financial licenses, registrations and certifications from regulatory authorities. Prof. Mentz has established financial standards centers in over a dozen Countries around the world including USA, Latin America, Singapore, Bahamas, Arabia, EU, India, Africa, Asia, and The Bahamas. Prof. Mentz presently serves on the Advisory Board of the ACCE Association of Chartered Economists, The Indian Institute of Financial Management, The China Wealth Management Council, the Arab Leagues/Arab Academy of Financial and Banking Sciences Standard Board, and the LatinoAmericano Capitulo for Finance Executives, and has served as an advisor to the Global Finance Forum in Switzerland. His books addressing law, tax, management, operations, and compliance, include Wealth Management – A Treatise and Guide for the Wealthy, Investment Management Strategy and Policy, Trust and Estates Management and Regulation, Fundamentals of US Economics and Markets Basics on Investing, Financial Markets and Financial Planning, Project Management – Executive Summary for the Financial Industry, Anti Money Laundering Laws and Regulation, and Financial Planning Treatise Fundamentals. Mentz has consulted directly with agencies and departments the US Government, China Government, Brazil Government, UAE, and the United Nations to raise standards in the world of management and finance. Mentz is a chartered and accredited management consultant.

Prof Mentz is the Wealth Management and Investment Management graduate law school faculty Coordinator for Wealth and Investment Management Specialization, Professional Designations for the Diamond Graduate Law Program in finance and international tax with the Thomas Jefferson School of Law http://llmprogram.tjsl.edu .

James Lavorgna, JD, LLM, CWM, CFP is the President & CEO of Forsyth Wealth Management, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser and Business Services International, Inc., an international tax and wealth management advisory company. Business Services International, Inc. also provides wealth management instructional courses for the American Academy of Financial Management and the Royal Society of Fellows. Starting in the financial services industry in 1976, Mr. Lavorgna has provided extensive financial and estate planning services to professional athletes, high net worth individuals and business owners. He also works with non-profit organizations and clients that have an interest in charitable giving, family wealth planning, and asset protection. Mr. Lavorgna was an adjunct professor for investments and financial planning at Sussex County Community College during the 1980’s and currently teaches accounting, computerized accounting and business law, a course he developed for the Patrick Henry Community College distance-learning program. He was a thesis promoter and teaches international tax credits as an adjunct professor for St. Thomas University School of Law Masters of Laws Graduate International Taxation program. He now teaches as an adjunct professor for the Diamond Graduate International Tax Program at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He is also a Certified Instructor for the American Academy of Financial Management and currently teaches the Chartered Wealth Manager and Chartered Trust and Estate Planner designation courses. Mr. Lavorgna has been a financial planning radio talk-show guest, an international public speaker (recently speaking in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Barbados), has been quoted in trade publications, and has independently published numerous articles. He has written the Anguilla Chapter for the Offshore Financial Centers Database for Richmond Publishing, London and is currently completing a book on financial planning and investing called Educated Investing. He also writes articles for ProducersWeb.com, a web magazine for professional financial advisors with a membership of over three hundred thousand. He is listed in the National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals 2001-2002 edition and has been listed in the 2005-2006 “Guide to America’s Best Financial Planners” published by the Consumers’ Research Council of America.

Casimir Sayn-Wittgenstein, CWM, MFP, prior to co-founding Scimitar Oryx Partners, was Senior Vice President at Renaissance Investment Management, where he helped to launch an Emerging Europe Hedge Fund. As part of the African Origination and Structuring team at Renaissance Capital, Mr. Sayn-Wittgenstein focused on Investment Banking, Real Estate as well building Renaissance's Middle Eastern operations. Prior to joining Renaissance, Casimir was a Senior Officer at EIM Group in London where focused on Family Offices and HNWI. In 2004, Mr. Sayn-Wittgenstein joined EIM Group from Pictet & Cie where he was an Investment Manager in Private Clients and Global Custody. Casimir is a German and Austrian Citizen; he speaks English and German fluently and has a working knowledge French and Spanish. Casimir studied European Business Administration (BAEBA) at the European Partnership of Business Schools and graduated from Hendon Business School specialising in Management and Marketing. Mr Sayn-Wittgenstein currently serves on the Advisory Board of Armira Partners a private equity investment vehicle focussed on Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Casimir is the Chairman of the Royal Society of Fellows, the premier professional cross-disciplinary society that educates, trains and certifies professionals in international tax, compliance, anti-money laundering and corporate and computer security. He is a member of the International Council of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. 

Dr. Robert Munro is the author of twenty-three published books including the five-volume Money Laundering, Asset Forfeiture And International Financial Crimes and the three-volume Cybercrime And Security. A tenured law librarian at University of Florida College of Law, Dr. Munro is the Co-Director of the Center for International Financial Crimes Studies and a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Research for North America of CIDOEC at Jesus College, Cambridge University. His expertise is concentrated on International Financial Crimes, Organized Crime and Intelligence Analysis and he has addressed audiences at Cambridge University, the University of Florida, the University of London, the CIA and the U.S. State Department. He has also created, organized and chaired over 20 conferences on these topics in Miami, Aruba, Curacao, the Bahamas, Washington, D.C., New York City and San Francisco. He is a Barrister and an Attorney at Law. 

Phillips G. Gay, Jr., annually provides the AML training for 30 of the 50 state banking associations, as well as speaking at several national and regional banking association events. Moreover, he trains bank associations on bank security. He was a Senior Vice President at the Commercial Bank of Florida, in Miami, and President of the Compliance Advisory Service in Coral Springs. Before this, he managed the Compliance/Community Reinvestment Act programs for the Bank of North America, and for First Union Corporation. He is a founding partner and senior advisor of the Paragon Compliance Group. Phil attended the University of Alabama and Florida State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Management and Business Administration. He is a High Honors graduate of the School for Bank Administration at the University of Wisconsin and National Graduate Compliance School and has served on their faculties. He holds the designations of Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager, Certified Risk Professional, and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.

Dr. Knut Olsen  Head of Global Tax & Legal for a Nordin based multinational corporation with responsibility for 80 countries of operation, overseeing over 100 subsidiaries. He was formerly a tax and VAT inspector in Norway, has 25 years experience within taxation. For 4 years he was a lecturer at the Directorate of Taxes for County Tax Inspectors, where he had the sole responsibility for the tax syllabus for the 2nd year students. He was also lecturing at the Norwegian School of Management, Ostfold Regional College and Oslo Advanced College. He is engaged as an international tax course supervisor by PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he gives lectures for the tax lawyers. His Ph.D. subject is within international petroleum taxation / tax treaties. He fulfilled a LLM and a certificate in international taxation at St. Thomas University, Miami in 2003. He is also authorized as a legal services provider, equivalent to a chartered tax advisor, and as an authorized account. Furthermore, he has Special Subject Examination in Tax Law and 3 years of examination of law.

Rob Bloink Esq. started his career as a litigator for the IRS. In his governmental capacity, Mr. Bloink became recognized as an expert in the taxation of financial structured products. Mr. Bloink’s core competencies led to his involvement in prosecuting some of the biggest corporate tax shelters in the history or our country. Since leaving government service, Mr. Bloink has long been in constant demand as an advisor to America’s wealthiest families, private equity groups, hedge funds, and banking institutions.

J. Richard Duke Esq. has four times been elected by his peers to list of "Top 100 Attorneys" in the U.S., Worth magazine, December 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. He received his Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Miami School of Law and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law, Walter H. Diamond and Dorothy B. Diamond Graduate Law Program in International Tax and Financial Services, Thomas Jefferson School of Law (formerly teaching at the Diamond & Diamond Program at St. Thomas University School of Law, International Taxation (LL.M.) Program, Miami, Florida (2000-2007)); Professor of Law at Aristotle University College of Law, Carlsbad, California; and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (International Tax and Asset Protection Planning) (1983-1999). Member and Distinguished Fellow of The Royal Society of Fellows (RSOF); Member: International Tax Planning Association; Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP); International Bar Association (Section on Business Law; Committee on Taxes); Inter-American Bar Association; Tax Section of the American Bar Association; Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association (Committee on Asset Protection Planning); International Law and Practice Section of the American Bar Association (Committees on International Taxation and International Property, Estate & Trust Law, International Private Client Group); The Florida Bar (Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section, Tax Section, and International Law Section); Alabama State Bar (Tax Section). Co-author updating the six-volume set of books titled International Trust Laws and Analysis, Kluwer Law International; Author: Chapters, Tax Compliance and Reporting For Offshore Trusts and Uses of Foreign Life Insurance in International Estate Planning, Asset Protection Strategies: Planning with Domestic and Offshore Entities (The American Bar Association); contributing editor to Offshore Investment magazine, authoring the monthly feature "Dubai Digest"; Use of Trusts by U. S. Citizens in International Tax Planning, Trusts in Prime Jurisdictions, Kluwer Law International; and co-author of Controlled Foreign Corporation Guide; author of the U.S. chapter for Global E-Business Law and Taxation (in the process of being published by Oxford University Press); co-author Legal Ways to Save Taxes, Offshore Tax Strategies, and Offshore Tax Boot Camp Manual, Second Edition, Research Press, Inc. (Prairie Village, Kansas); and co-author of U.S. Tax Reporting Guide for Foreign Trusts, which is being published by Research Press, Inc. (Prairie Village, Kansas).

Dr. G. L. Salis Esq. is currently Principal Income Tax Analyst (International) at Vertex, Inc., which is one of the largest international tax software companies in the world. He is also Adjunct Professor of Economics at Webster University's MBA program, in Florida. Prior to his position at Vertex, he was engaged as international tax and economic advisor and consultant to various firms such as the St. Abbeys Group, (UK), The Quantum Group, LLC, JurisConsults International Group, LLC, The Scottish Rite Foundation, Inc., to name a few. From 1996 - 2005, he served as the Program Director for the Legal Studies Department at Keiser University, having designed and revised the Department's curricula several times during his tenure. He also served as Dean of academic Affairs of the Lakeland Campus of Keiser University from 1999 until 2002. He has taught Economics, Law, Business and International Trade related courses at several colleges in the US and abroad at the graduate and undergraduate level, and he is frequently a guest lecturer at various colleges and universities in the US, UK, and Europe. He is the author of two books on international law and policy, as well as numerous articles related to international economic law, taxation, global investments, trade, and compliance for various professional journals and trade magazines. A frequent speaker in the international conference circuit in the areas of international trade, tax and economic law, Dr. Salis was the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award twice at Franklin Pierce College, in New Hampshire, with other nominations later at New England College, Rollins College, and at Keiser University, Florida. He is a Distinguished Fellow in the Royal Society of Fellows, an international society of lawyers, bankers, and investment, compliance and tax professionals from around the globe and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Financial Management (AAFM), where he is a member of its Board of Standards. From 2003- 2005, he also served as Director of the Global Wealth Commission for the AAFM. Dr. Salis earned his Ph.D. in International & Comparative Law & Economic Policy, from The Union Institute & University, a Master of Laws in International Taxation from St. Thomas University School of Law, in Miami and a Post- Graduate Diploma in European & International Tax Law, from Robert Kennedy College's Graduate School of Law, in Zurich, Switzerland. He received his law degree with Honours, from the Honours Law programme at the University of Wolverhampton Law School in England, the Specialist Diploma in European Union Law from Holborn College London and Oxford University (UODLE). In 1988, he obtained a Master of Arts in Legal and Ethical Studies, from The University of Baltimore. He earned Bachelors degrees in Economics and Political Science (dual major) with Honors, from The University of the State of New York, Albany, and another in Philosophy and Humanities from Barry University, in Miami Shores. He is active in the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the London Court of International Arbitration, and the American Society of International Law, among other international organizations.

George Mentz is the Founder of the Institute of Certified E-Commerce Consultants in the late 1990s. The CEC Institute is the first vendor neutral e-Business Management Certification in the USA. Since 1998, Mentz has been teaching e-Business Technologies, E-Markeing, Internet Marketing, e-Business and Media Law. Mentz's articles on internet marketing and recruiting have been published in the top three college admissions journals. Mentz was formerly a member of the advisory board of the World E-Commerce Forum and the Global Finance Forum in Switzerland. The CEC ™ Certification is available to graduates of the law school courses in e-business. Mentz also created the Project Management certification programs and books for e-Business Managers. In his book, E-Business MBA Guide for CEOs, he stresses legal entity issues, intellectual property, trademark, and copyright law.

Financial Analyst Training Specialist and IFRS

Dr. Joel M. DiCicco, Ph.D., AFA®, CPA, PFS, CFF, CHE, CWM® - Dr. DiCicco has more than 25 years of practitioner experience in the areas of finance, taxation and accounting. While he gained much of his expertise in the valuation, tax treatment and structure of sophisticated financial instruments from his tenure with the IRS Financial Products Specialists division, his history includes work for the National Futures Association, Republic National Bank, and Security Pacific Merchant Bank. Currently, Dr. DiCicco is an adjunct Professor for Florida Atlantic University’s Executive MBA program and the Managing Partner at the DiCicco Financial Products Institute, LLC, providing training in all areas of finance, accounting, and economics. Additionally, he conducts certification programs for the American Academy of Financial Management, as well preparation courses for both the Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Analyst exams. Dr. DiCicco was twice invited to speak before Senate Finance Committee staffers on hedge funds and other emerging financial products issues. He was the Lead Instructor for all levels of the IRS Financial Products and International Taxation courses and taught numerous seminars for the IRS on topics such as Embedded Options, International Accounting, and Hedge Funds. In addition, he spoke in a variety of venues on a myriad of financial topics, including monetizations, financial synthetics, hedge funds, and fair value accounting, just to name a few. Dr. DiCicco earned his PhD in Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University with a concentration in public budgeting and finance and special emphasis on tax policy and structured financial products. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Manhattan College and a Master of Science in Taxation from Florida International University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the states of New York and Florida. In addition, Dr. DiCicco is a Personal Financial Specialist and Certified in Financial Forensics by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Lastly, Dr. DiCicco is a member of the American Academy of Financial Management and holds the Certified Chartered Economist and Chartered Wealth Management certifications.

Dr. Tefera Tibebu Beyene, CWM®, Ch.E., has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of management, accounting, finance, and taxation. He has Corporate, Government, and Oversees experience. Most of his tax accounting; tax treatment and structure of sophisticated financial instruments experience gained from his tenure with the State of Illinois Department of Revenue and with the IRS Financial Products Specialists division. Dr. Beyene is an adjunct Professor for many universities and teaches accounting, finance, and economics courses. Dr. Beyene is a President & founder of International Finance Training Institute LLC www.iftiti.net , providing training in all areas of finance, accounting, and economics. Additionally, he works with www.diciccofpi.com & conducts training programs and administrates examination for American Academy of Financial Management www.aafm.us. Dr. Beyene is named by AAFM as a chief nominator for Ethiopia.  Dr. Beyene earned his PhD in Applied Management & Decision Sciences concentration in Accounting from Walden University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree with double concentration in Accounting & Finance from Dominican University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Illinois. Dr. Beyene is a fellow and member of the American Academy of Financial Management ® (AAFM) and holds the Certified Chartered Economist and Chartered Wealth Management certifications. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA); American Accounting Association (AAA); and the National Association of Credit Management (NACM) and holds the Credit Business Associate certification.

Dr. T. A. Gionis, MD, LLM,  a United States Fulbright Scholar in Law, United States Fulbright Senior Specialist Program, serves as Chairman of the American Board of Healthcare Law and Medicine, and is an Adjunct Professor of Law, St. Thomas University School of Law ( Miami, Fl) in the Walter H. and Dorothy B. Diamond International Tax LL.M. Program where he obtained his LL.M. degree. Dr. Gionis previously taught International Health Law and Human Rights as an Adjunct Professor of Law at STU. While obtaining his LL.M. at STU, Dr. Gionis served as Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Society of Fellows Law Review, the official publication and law review of the International Tax LL.M. Program at STU and the Royal Society of Fellows. Additionally, Dr. Gionis is a Fellow of the American College of Legal Medicine; Fellow, International College of Surgeons; and Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons. After completing high school at 16 years of age, Dr. Gionis completed approximately 3 ½ years of college in one (1) year, and started medical school at 17 years of age. He received his M.D. degree at 21, in 1975, from the Medical University of South Carolina, whereupon Dr. Gionis was reported as the youngest person in the United States to complete this accomplishment. Dr. Gionis trained in general, thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Tulane Medical Center – Charity Hospital, New Orleans, La., and completed his Emergency Medicine Research Fellowship at Harvard University – Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Gionis received his JD from the John Marshall Law School, Chicago (Cum laude). He was a member of his law school’s Dean's List for every semester of law school, was in the upper five in class standing, was a member of the Honors Program and was selected as the Editor-in-Chief of the John Marshall Law Review. Dr. Gionis is a member of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Honors Society. Within one (1) year of graduation from law school, Dr. Gionis published three law reviews articles (John Marshall Law Review; Southern Illinois University Law Journal; American University Law Review). Concurrent with his first year of law school studies in Chicago, Dr. Gionis completed the Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA) program, at Seton Hall University, Center for Public Service. Dr. Gionis delivered the Commencement address at the Seton Hall graduation. Dr. Gionis also holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Pepperdine University , Graduate School of Business, where his thesis was selected for inclusion in the Graduate School of Business Library. As a United States Fulbright Scholar in Law, Dr. Gionis lectures world-wide on the law of corporate director fiduciary duties; professional attorney ethics; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; international law; the international protection of human subjects of clinical research and experimentation; global commerce law and E-commerce, and the law of scientific evidence law. Dr. Gionis has lectured regularly at Harvard University for the past 14 years. 

Prof. Step. Polak, MSA, CPA/PFS, CFE, CFF, AFA, AMA - He started his career with the United States Government during the mid 1980s as a "Staff Auditor" with the Department of Defense - Defense Contract Auditing Agency and has spent the last twenty years with the U.S. Department of the Treasury – Internal Revenue Service as an "Internal Revenue Agent". Currently he is assigned to a LMSB Financial Products group as a "Financial Products and Transaction Examiner" where he is responsible for the examinations of Financial Products used by Multi National Entities. Stephen Polak holds a B.S. Accounting (summa cum laude) from Johnson and Wales University, a M.S. Administration/Management (honors) from Saint Michael's College, and currently is working on his J.S.M. International Tax and Financial Services at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He is a licensed Certified Public Account, Insurance/Annuity Producer, Stock Broker/Registered Investment Advisor (NASD/FINRA Series 7 and 66) and is a credentialed, Certified Fraud Examiner, Personal Financial Specialist, and Certified in Financial Forensics. His outside activities include reviewing manuscripts for the "Journal of Accountancy" and "The Tax Advisor" as an Editorial Advisor and participating in various professional organizations in the Memphis, TN area, such as, the Tennessee Chapter of Certified Public Accountants, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the Institute of Internal Auditors. Professor Polak is a regular external/internal speaker for the Internal Revenue Service on advance tax topics and has taught financial/computer accounting and individual/corporate tax law at various colleges and universities.

*List as Approved By Dean. Byrnes. AAFM has legal agreement with Diamond LLM Law Program and TJSL to promote the program. All Names listed herein are Distinguished Professors (Hons) also recognized by the American Academy. Some professors are not affiliated nor members of the academy but are available to work for executive training or custom programs for in house education. Courses are offered by the law school as a private label offering.