Mediator Resume

Cedar Ventures LLC - Managing Member

Investment Banker, Municipal Financial Advisor, Lawyer, Arbitrator, Mediator

Owner, Cedar Ventures LLC, 2000-Present; Consultant, LVHS Corporation, 2016; President/Vice President, Cedar Equities (affiliate of Western Indemnity Insurance), 1993-1999; Vice President/Legal Counsel, Healthcare Insurance Services, 1991-1995; Vice President, Chemical Banking Corporation (now J.P. Morgan Chase) and Texas Commerce Bank, 1984-1991; Associate Attorney/Deal Executor, Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon, 1981-1984.

Investment banking and municipal advisory firm registered with the SEC and the MSRB. Arranged financings for $200+ mm of ground up construction and acquisition projects using bonds, guarantees, specialty lender debt, and EB5 financing for Senior Housing (Assisted Living, Memory Care, Nursing Home, Independent Living), Work-force Housing and Student Housing. Arranged sales of health care service companies including $100 mm revenue HMO sold to HealthSpring HMO (later acquired by Cigna in 2011); arranged for sale of behavioral company to Providence Services Corporation (Nasdaq: MODV), arranged for sale of hospice company to regional hospice company: Hospice Advantage, merged surgery centers. Founder/CEO of Cedar Equities, a venture capital affiliate of medical malpractice insurer Western Indemnity Insurance Co. Approximately $10 mm allocated to alternative investments, including in funds and in direct investments. Developed strategy for investing, selected funds, sourced, reviewed, negotiated, and monitored fund agreements and direct investments by participating at investor meetings and Board meetings of portfolio companies. Two of the three fund investments selected achieved positive returns in the 20%-30% range during tenure, and some of the direct investments achieved profitability. Member of Senior Management team of parent holding company and attended Company Board Meetings. Drafted and executed legal investment and broker agreements, working with General Counsel. Vice President of New Business Development for Healthcare Insurance Services, a medical malpractice insurance broker, affiliate of Western Indemnity Insurance Company, generated 45 new accounts including some major public health care companies, $33 mm in premiums, $3 mm in commissions, 7 of top 70 accounts generated. Assisted individual brokers with generating business. Previously Legal Counsel and Director of Corporate Finance. Vice President and Investment Banker for JP Morgan Chase/Chemical Banking Corporation and Texas Commerce Bank, initiated health care investment banking unit in Southwest, initiated partnership with outside Wall Street firm to increase product and distribution, generated $4-$5 mm in fee income, 20 new accounts, over $1 billion in tax-exempt bond financings for hospitals, recruited others to build a team, 1989 ranked 3rd in Texas among investment bankers for hospital debt placements, tax-exempt bond financings. Significant deal team member on two leveraged buyouts, $1.7 billion debt, $30 mm in fees generated, traveled overseas to assess foreign hospitals, analyzed British and Swiss health care systems, worked with syndication desk for bank debt, interaction with Asian banks. Securities Lawyer for Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon, New York City, Public debt and equity offerings, public power, rural electric power cooperatives, aircraft, utilities, equipment leverage leasing, hospital debt offerings, industrial development. Generated two clients, 26 financial transactions executed. Consultant to French based software company selling to elder care market in United States.

Advocate and [informal] mediator in investment banking fee disputes with developer clients from 2006 to present, working with outside counsel, successfully negotiated settlements of fee awards, some ranging from ~ $175,000 to $310,000. Of the five disputes, four were successfully negotiated outside of arbitration or court. Used small claim courts to successfully collect smaller investment banking fees due from clients. Successfully negotiated consumer disputes in the areas of: (i) Medicare coverage with respect to rehabilitation nursing benefits, (ii) Surprised billing matters with respect to emergency care ambulance bill, (iii) Medicare Advantage plan claim for hospital care initially denied, (iv) Surprise billing for Medicare annual physical, (v) Surprise billing for optician care, (vi) Credit card dispute with respect to the sale of travelers checks for use in a foreign country that did not honor them, (vi) Consumer dispute regarding telecommunication service bill, (vii) Software service dispute.

Contract disputes, general business law, disputes over health care insurance coverage, consumer protection law, laws with respect to telecommunication service. Completed 28 hours of Civil Mediation training in 2021, approved by the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, at Henning Mediation & Arbitration Service, Inc. which included practicum sessions.

I see my role as the mediator, to facilitate a candid, robust and respectful exchange of information. I strive first to be an impartial, patient, engaged listener in order to understand the issues and their importance to the parties. I employ open ended questioning to stimulate the process. Discerning whether the dispute has an underlying emotional issue or it is purely monetary is important. My level of activism is dictated by the desire of the parties, the nature of the dispute and the dynamics of the mediation. I strive to assist the parties to find mutual ground upon which to base their resolution and can clarify past miscommunications between the parties, thereby removing obstacles that were preventing resolution. My job is to assist the parties to assess the information and to provide a safe environment to realistically evaluate the potential outcomes in order to find closure.

Regularly use online platforms such as Zoom, Teams, GoToMeeting and am very comfortable conducting hearings using these platforms. Have used separate break out rooms on Zoom as well. In terms of electronically stored information, have used electronic data rooms, drop box, share file, one drive. Cedar is a subscriber to Files.com. Is a quick study re: other software programs. Use quick books for financial management, billing and payments.

New York University Graduate School of Business Administration (Visiting Professional Program-1983); Villanova School of Law (JD, Law Review-1981); Bucknell University (BA, Economics, Political Science, cum laude-1978).

Admitted to the Bar: New York (1982), Texas (1992). Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution; Securities Licenses Series 24, 50, 79, 63, 54.

American Bar Association (prior) (Dispute Resolution Section); Atlanta International Arbitration Society; National U.S.- Arab American Chamber of Commerce (prior); Texas Bar Association. Consumer and Commercial Section; CREW Network (Commercial Real Estate Women); Women in Public Finance; Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation (prior); Registered with the Municipal Securities Rule Making Board (and SEC) as a municipal advisor; Financial Industry Regulatory Association (Arbitrator); Emory Winship Cancer Center (Research Advisory Board, Patient Advocate) 2009-2020; Founding Advisory Board Member, Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Healthcare Industry Foundation, 2001-2006; Lion’s Eye Bank Foundation ( Advisory Board, Research Grant Committee, TX) 1992-1999.

Moderator of Investor Panel: "Equity Capital, from Angel to Exit," Commercial Real Estate Women, Greenville, S.C. 2023; Moderator, Technology Panel and Participant on Finance Panel: Southeast Senior Living Conference, 2016; Speaker: BMW Diversity Supplier Conference, 2014; Panelist: McGuire Woods/Grant Thornton Southeast Healthcare Conference, 2011; Author: “Raising Venture Capital for Physician Groups,” The Nuts and Bolts of Building and Managing IPAs, published by The IPA Association of America, 1998; Interviewed: “Raising Capital,” TIPS on Managed Care, 1998; Speaker: “Raising Capital for Physicians,” The IPA Association of America, Texas Meeting, 1996; Speaker: “Liability Issues in a Managed Care Setting,” Group Health Assoc. of America Annual Meeting Workshop, 1993; Panelist on Health Care: National Bond Lawyers Association Meeting, 1990.

Atlanta, Georgia and travel by car within 2 hours of Atlanta, GA. For example, no charge for travel to Birmingham, AL or Greenville, S.C. If overnight stay involved outside of Atlanta, then hotel charge will be reimbursed.

Hourly Rate: $400.00 Daily Rate: Not provided Study Rate: $375.00/hr Cancellation: Not provided Cancellation Period: 7 Days Comment: No charge if give 7+ days cancel notice, unless study time incurred. One time cancel fee of $1,000 if < 7 days. Reimburse for travel costs: plane, train,or where travel by auto exceeds 2 hours in each direction.

English

United States of America

Atlanta, Georgia