Leadership

Robert G. Smith serves as President of FirstService Residential’s South region, overseeing strategic growth and operations throughout Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

Robert’s career spans more than 20 years in various executive roles across sectors of the Southeast real estate and finance industries. Prior to joining the property management industry, Robert spent almost ten years in land acquisition and development for one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. Robert held leadership positions with residential property management firms, financial institutions and real estate developers. In these roles, he was responsible for directing all functions of statewide management operations, business development and land acquisition, management of 200 developing communities and crafting service initiatives designed to deliver exceptional results.
 
Robert joined FirstService Residential in 2017, as president of the Florida Condo-HOA Division. During his tenure, he solidified partnerships with area developers, focused on people and company culture to build high-performing property management teams, elevated the level of service delivered to our customers, and significantly grew the lifestyle segment for the organization.
 
Robert earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Utah, lives in South Florida and enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and three children.

Danny Ellis serves as President in the South Region of FirstService Residential, overseeing operations and growth initiatives in Georgia, Tennessee, and the Florida Panhandle.
 
Danny joined FirstService Residential in 2012 and offers more than 30 years of experience in operations and management of commercial and residential communities. At FirstService Residential, Danny expanded our footprint across the Gulf coast from Destin to Perdido Key and Alabama. In doing that, he built and developed teams with a focus on operational and service excellence, with proven expertise in natural disaster mitigation.
 
Danny has held leadership roles with various financial and property management firms as well as equity lifestyle developers and was responsible for management operations, business development and land acquisition for more than 1,350 property sites in three Florida communities.

Danny earned a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Alabama, serves as President of the North Gulf Chapter of CAI, and is a Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA).
 
Danny prides himself on his work with special needs children, coaching Special Olympic athletes. He and his wife are avid fitness enthusiasts and enjoy RVing with their family.

Bobet Bennett-Marshall serves as Senior Vice President, Financial Services, leading the teams that provide accounting and financial services to the 1,600 community associations managed by the South region of FirstService Residential.

Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Bobet spent more than 17 years with Wyndham Destinations Inc., most recently as Regional Vice President of Resort Operations-Florida, Caribbean and New Orleans. She also held leadership roles in finance and corporate services including Vice President Division Controller-Wyndham Vacation Ownership and Vice President of Finance-Enterprise Shared Services for Wyndham Worldwide.

Bobet holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rutgers University, a Master of Science degree in Management from Stevens Institute of Technology, and is a licensed Community Association Manager (CAM).

She is a native of Jamaica and enjoys listening to music, reading and spending quality time with her three sons.

Paula Allen serves as the Vice President of Human Resources for FirstService Residential’s South Region. She joined the company in 2015, bringing with her over two decades of human resources expertise.

Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Paula’s experience included major South Florida organizations, including Baptist Health, the largest healthcare organization in South Florida with more than 15,000 employees, and Burger King, where she led a team that supported operations with annual revenue in excess of $10 billion.

Paula focuses on forging trusted partnerships with business leaders and developing highly effective teams that proactively respond to business needs. She holds professional certifications in facilitation and coaching, as well as the DiSC® and Hogan assessment tools.

Paula earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel/Resort Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology and is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management, the Greater Miami Society for Human Resources Management, The Women’s Fund Miami and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Lillian Guerrero serves as Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the South Region of FirstService Residential. Lillian oversees all marketing and communications initiatives for the region, including the direct support of the company's sales and customer retention efforts, public relations and crisis management.

Lillian joined FirstService Residential in 2012, bringing with her over two decades of marketing and branding expertise, much of that focused on the real estate and hospitality industries. She is a graduate of Florida International University, with degrees and certifications in Marketing, Advertising and Business Administration.

Lillian, a native New Yorker, is a long-time resident of South Florida and supports a variety of causes including St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Camillus House and Miami Rescue Mission. She enjoys traveling, snorkeling, films, music, and reading.

Andrew M. Haas serves as Vice President of Sales for FirstService Residential’s South region. As a key member of the region’s leadership team, he manages and sets strategic direction for the business development team and collaborates with the marketing team to support the region’s overall growth goals.
 
Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Andrew spent 21 years at Marriott International, where he held leadership roles in sales, marketing, and revenue management. In his most recent role with Marriott, Andrew led business development strategy and programs for 65 North American franchise management companies and over 300 full-service hotels. Throughout his career, Andrew has developed a variety of innovative hospitality programs to drive revenue growth.
 
Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the Johnson & Wales University and a certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments & Asset Management from Cornell University.  
 
Andrew, a native New Yorker, and long-time resident of South Florida, resides in Parkland with his wife and two daughters, and supports a variety of causes including the YMCA of South Florida, SOS Parkland, and Orange Ribbons for Jamie.

Rob Huguet serves as Vice President/Controller for FirstService Residential, where he is responsible for the company's internal corporate reporting and cash management functions for the South Region. Rob’s responsibilities include delivering and supporting capabilities that improve business processes, internal reporting, and controls, integrating acquisitions and enhancing performance across the region.

Rob joined FirstService Residential as Controller in 2015. Prior to that, Rob held senior corporate level positions within the transportation and consumer product industries, including Spectrum Brands as Vice President of Global Finance, where he led the financial reporting team throughout Europe, Latin America, North America, and China.

Rob is both a certified public accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant, beginning his career in public accounting. He holds a Master of Science degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Rob lives in Fort Lauderdale with his family and enjoys boating, diving, and flying throughout Florida.

Mara J. Jockers serves as Vice President, General Counsel for the South Region, overseeing legal matters and risk management for the organization. Mara joined FirstService Residential in 2010 as Associate General Counsel and has more than two decades of legal experience.

Prior to joining FirstService, Mara worked for a law firm focusing on association, business and real estate law. Mara holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami.

Originally from Atlanta, Mara lives in Cooper City with her husband and two daughters and enjoys spending time outdoors, exercising, reading and traveling. She supports several civic and charitable organizations, including Legal Services of Greater Miami’s Tenant’s Equal Justice Clinic, The Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard, The Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar and Broward County Schools.

Landy F. Labadie serves as Vice President, Community Solutions, responsible for delivering exceptional service to FirstService Residential-managed communities.

Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Landy served as Senior Vice President + Chief Development Officer for Club Quarters Hotels, which manages boutique, lifestyle and luxury hotels in the United States and the United Kingdom, playing a key role in all facets of lifestyle operations, asset management and real estate. Landy’s hospitality career also includes executive roles held with Two Roads Hospitality, Thompson Hotels, Compass Group, and Tom Colicchio’s Crafted Hospitality.

Landy leads the teams that support our properties with resident experience, lifestyle, residential hospitality initiatives, technology solutions, food and beverage services, energy management solutions, cable programs and vendor management.
 
A native of Northern New Jersey and a Florida State University alumnus, Landy is a strong supporter of numerous charitable and civic endeavors, including the FSU Dedman College of Hospitality, March of Dimes, Amigos 4 Kids and Mercy Hospital. He lives in Miami with his wife and three children.

Sy Windell serves as Vice President of Developer Relations, providing leadership support to the food and beverage operations of FirstService-managed communities to impact and elevate the resident experience.

Sy joined FirstService in 2021 with an impressive pedigree in the hospitality space that includes Acqualina Resort & Residences in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida; Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox, Massachusetts; and Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa and Thaba Ya Batswana Eco Lodge and Spa, both in South Africa.

A native of South Africa and based in Orlando, Sy has a passion for travel, sports and outdoor activities.

Mindy Anderson serves as Director of Lifestyle for the South Region, where she oversees and provides lifestyle operations support to FirstService-managed communities.

Anderson joined FirstService Residential in 2021, bringing more than 20 years of property and luxury lifestyle and amenity management experience with her. Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Mindy held leadership roles at the Castle Group and WTS International, where she served as Regional Director.

Originally from Tampa, Mindy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from the University of South Florida. She is a licensed Community Association Manager (CAM) and is a Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA).

Mindy lives with her husband, two children and their puppy in Lithia, Florida and enjoys fitness and sporting activities in her spare time. She supports a variety of causes, including the YMCA’s Teen Leaders Club.

Robert Baldwin serves as Director of Food & Beverage Services for the South Region, where he oversees and provides leadership support to food and beverage operations of FirstService-managed communities, specializing in high-rises. Robert joined FirstService Residential in 2021, bringing more than 20 years of food and beverage expertise and hospitality experience with him.  

Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Robert held multiple senior leadership roles in the hospitality industry. In his most recent role, he served as Director of Food & Beverage for the Williams Island Property Owners Association.

Robert studied culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University and has a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida. In his free time, Robert enjoys playing golf, pool and running.

Jeff Edelstein serves as Director, Residential Hospitality for FirstService Residential, where he oversees the Residential Hospitality team, including coordinators and area specialists. Jeff’s team supports over 200 properties in the tri-county area and lends assistance throughout the region, offering specialized training and support to include a one-of-a-kind Residential Hospitality program.
 
Jeff joined FirstService Residential in 2007, bringing more than 13 years of property management experience. Prior to that, he served as Clubhouse Manager for the Florida Marlins.
 
Jeff’s hometown is Cleveland, Ohio, and he studied at The Ohio State University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.
 
Jeff is married with one son and is an avid Ohio State football and Cleveland sports fan.

As Director, Security Operations for the South region, Timothy Fowler provides security guidance, solutions and services to condominium and homeowner associations managed by FirstService Residential. Timothy works with client-facing staff, such as security personnel and valet attendants, to provide residents with the highest level of customer service through specialized training, staffing, and quality assurance programs.  
 
Timothy joined FirstService Residential in 2013, bringing an impressive background in the hospitality industry to the company. His expertise includes 17 years as a security leader for luxury brands such as The Ritz Carlton, Canyon Ranch, Setai and Intercontinental. Timothy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Flight Education and is a certified first aid, CPR, and AED instructor. He holds a Security Manager License in both Florida and Alabama, is a Certified Lodging Security Director with American Hotel & Lodging, and is a D-licensed instructor in Florida, able to provide training to security officers.
 
Timothy hails from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is a licensed pilot and enjoys RVing with his family.

Jennifer Lasseter serves as the Director of Property Solutions for FirstService Residential, where she oversees process improvement through solutions architecture, innovation, and the creation of technology applications for FirstService-managed properties as well as internal operations. Jennifer is the regional product owner of the company’s proprietary management software and is involved in the development and rollout of enhancements and strategic initiatives.
 
Prior to joining FirstService Residential in 2012, Jennifer was a project manager in the global organizational consulting industry, working with diverse Fortune 500 companies. She also has a background in research, having worked at Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine.
 
Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston College, a Master of Business Administration (Sigma Beta Delta) from Nova Southeastern University and is a Certified Scrum Professional® Product Owner (CSPO).
 
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Jennifer enjoys the Florida weather with her family, baking and fitness/wellness activities.

Chris Normandeau serves as Director of FirstService Energy. Chris is tasked with optimizing energy and water savings, and through his subject matter expertise and counsel on assets, the built environment, and utilities. He also leads the Value Engineering Team, managing vendor relationships and savings programs in the region.
 
Chris earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a Certified Energy Manager (C.E.M.), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction (LEED AP BD+C) and Lighting Certified (LC).
 
Chris’s hometown is Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; he enjoys competitive formation skydiving, cooking, home improvement projects, weightlifting and reading science fiction.

John Ellis serves as Quality Assurance Manager for FirstService Residential, where he conducts quality assurance inspections, assists with in-house training and provides maintenance consultation in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.
 
John joined FirstService Residential in 2018, bringing 23 years of property management experience, including construction.
 
John's hometown is Mt. Morris, Michigan and he attended Mott Community College and Michigan State University.
 
John is married with 3 children and has 1 grandson. He enjoys working on his farm and woodworking. He joined the Marine Corps while he was still in high school and was a professional bull rider for about five years. Ellis is actively involved with Friends of Hard Labor State Park.