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.

Amy Sanchez serves as president of Central Florida and brings 15 years of experience managing residential communities. She is responsible for operations, customer service and business growth in the Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg markets. 

Amy joined FirstService Residential in 2019 as vice president of the company’s South Florida Condo-HOA Division, covering Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Since joining the company, she has developed a successful team that elevated service levels and the customer experience. Amy contributes to many initiatives across FirstService Residential, serves as a founding member of her division’s Safety Committee, and is an active member of the company’s People Council.

Prior to joining FirstService Residential, Amy held leadership positions with residential, multifamily and asset management firms. She was responsible for overseeing multi-state management operations, business development, asset repositioning and dispositions.   
 
Amy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Real Estate from Florida International University and is a licensed community association manager and real estate agent. 
 
Amy is a native of Central Florida and enjoys time with her husband and three daughters, boating, playing volleyball, gardening, and traveling.

Hector Vargas is the President of South Florida High-Rise for FirstService Residential. He joined the company in 2001 and brought 20 years of industry-related experience to the organization. His role’s responsibilities lie in overseeing the operations of high-rise Associations throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, business and employee retention, hospitality training and community outreach.

Hector has an extensive background in hotel management, and prior to joining FirstService Residential, he held various management positions at Le Pavilion and The New York City Hilton.  Locally, he is responsible for the most notable high-rise condominiums in South Florida.  His portfolio includes Regalia, Bristol Tower, Santa Maria, CityPlace, WaterGarden, Brickell Key, Iconbrickell, Las Olas Grand, Trump Towers, Las Olas Riverhouse, APOGEE, Residences at the Bath Club, Sapphire, Jade Residences, Jade Beach and Jade Ocean, amongst many others.      

Hector is a graduate of Florida International University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. Hector is a native of Colombia and lives with his wife Veronica and her son Nicholas in Coral Gables. He is heavily involved in various charities, including Voices for Children, Miami Children’s Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis, The Humane Society and is a strong proponent of Breast Cancer Awareness.

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.

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

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 and Value Engineering & Procurement for FirstService Residential’s South Region. 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.

Omar Vega serves as Director, Food & Beverage Services for FirstService Residential’s South Region. Omar provides leadership support to the food and beverage operations of FirstService-managed communities in the region to impact and elevate the resident experience.
 
Omar joined FirstService in 2020 with an impressive pedigree of more than two decades in the hospitality space that included work with world-renowned brands such as Omni, Loews, and Ritz-Carlton. Omar is also a distinguished recipient of the Silver Tray Award for the best food and beverage operation in the Loews Hotels portfolio.
 
Omar studied Business Management at Inter American University of Puerto Rico. Omar enjoys spending time with family, Crossfit and, of course, good food and wine.

Ramon Ramirez serves as Quality Assurance Manager for FirstService Residential, developing, applying, and maintaining quality requirements for inspections of mechanical and common areas within properties.
 
Ramon joined FirstService Residential in 2009, bringing 30 years of property management experience. Prior to his role as Quality Assurance Manager, he was Chief Engineer of Two City Plaza in West Palm Beach, Florida, managed by FirstService; Facility Manager for Microsoft Latin America; Senior Facility Manager for FPL headquarters; and Lead Facility Engineer for Mobil Oil world headquarters.
 
Ramon’s hometown is Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and he attended the National Association of Power Engineering school and vocational schools specializing in stationary engineering.
 
Ramon is a first-class licensed engineer in the state of Maryland and holds a CAM license in the state of Florida. Married with 3 children, he is a licensed, private pilot and enjoys flying.

After spending 15 years as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for FirstService Residential, Anthony Kalliche now serves as Special Counsel for the organization.
 
Anthony has over 35 years of experience in the community association industry. Prior to joining FirstService Residential in 2002, Anthony was the managing partner of the Miami branch of the law firm of Becker. He was with the law firm for more than 23 years.
 
Anthony, a member of Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, is a graduate of Wake Forest University where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1976 and the University of Miami School of Law, where he achieved a Juris Doctorate Degree Cum Laude in 1979.