JOHN HENRY SOTOMAYOR
2355 NW 59th Terrace Ocala, FL 34482
(H) 352.732.5102 / (C) 352.207.8362
BILINGUAL ENGLISH/SPANISH PROJECT MANAGER
Decisive, action-oriented and results-driven project management professional with first-rate skills in directing complex multiple programs and initiatives. Proven ability to deliver substantial revenue, productivity, and quality improvements through well-managed, on-time projects. Particularly strong in staff development, including training, supervision and evaluation.
Core competencies include:
Cost Reduction and Avoidance Operations Management Staff Training & Development
Client Relations & Negotiations Quality Assurance Budget & Finance Management
Performance Management HR Functions/Issues Team Building
Strategic Planning Project Leadership Proposal Development
Conceptual Design Production Coordinator
Career Profile
- Seasoned professional with outstanding project planning, execution, monitoring and resource balancing skills with ability to support multiple simultaneous projects in a matrix organizational structure
- Excel at communicating with stakeholders such as editors and attorneys to provide accurate reporting and information regarding the ongoing projects and initiatives
- Experienced in coordinating, negotiating and motivating resources in support of timeline and project deliverables
- Effectively trained, motivated and mentored paralegals, writers and other staff
- Licenses: Notary public: commissioned April 21, 2009 – April 20, 2013
Minority Business of the Year – Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce Stars Over Ocala Business Recognition Awards 2010
Small Business Development Center (Gainesville, FL) Regional Client Success Story 2009
Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism competition First Place for Community News 2009
Reporter’s Workshop Appointee 2009
Forty under Forty (Young Professionals) 2008
Early Learning Coalition of Marion County Certificate of Appreciation – Board of Directors 2007 – 2008
Florida Magazine Association Charlie Awards – Best Feature; Best Public Service Coverage 2007
Ocala Advertising Federation Addy Awards – The Mosaic Award for Cultural Awareness 2007
Writer’s Digest 75th & 76th Annual Competition winner – 6th, 13th and 19th Place out of 19,419 2006; 2007
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sotomayor Media Creations LLC Ocala, FL
President and Chief Executive Officer January 2004 – present
- Operations management by reviewing, editing, and publishing articles submitted by freelance writers
- Spanish to English manuscript translations/copy-editing for book publisher Special Publications Inc.
- Managed, motivated, mentored and recruited new writers for ETV; team builder of freelancers
- Contacted, courted, and managed industry contacts such as producers, networks, contestants
- Wrote and developed conceptual design of feature, advertorial, personal profiles and opinion editorials; weekly columnist; reporter; and copy editor
- Wrote news articles in Spanish for a Spanish language newspaper
- Executed resource balancing skills and kept projects on schedule or ahead of time by conducting strong client relations & negotiations through interview meetings and research regarding clients’ enterprises/ventures; gathering information to prepare/create advertorials and personal profiles; and conducting extensive research/interviews with multiple sources on local, national and international level for editorial feature articles
- Efficient project leadership on editorial commentary articles regarding Mark Burnett Productions reality TV programming
Clients Include:
Florida Travel & Life OCALA Magazine OCALA HOME Ocala Charity Register
Business Report Elites TV Star Banner West Marion Messenger
Travel host magazine Insight Voz Latina Horse Capitol Digest
Wire to Wire
Cherry Developers Inc. Ocala, FL
Civil Litigation Paralegal April 2007 – January 2008
- Operations management and strategic planning of all aspects of pretrial litigation in a time & cost effective manner including: deposition digests
- Cut cost of attorney expense by 70% by researching Marion County property appraiser in preparation of Property Schedules spreadsheet
- Production coordinator while providing accurate reporting and information regarding ongoing projects and initiatives
- Management of case by cross referencing interrogatories with answers and creating log sheet of questions to be presented; organizing “Hot Docs” binder set; creating master spreadsheet of Home Shows schedule; creating master spreadsheet of opposing parties expenses in contention; creating Pleadings and Exhibits binder sets
- Budget and Finance management by documenting all finance back up and creating Financial Comparison spreadsheet in preparation for forensic accountants review
- Time management and organization by creating timeline of pretrial proceedings
McDermott, Will & Emery New York, NY
Litigation Paralegal Supervisor July 2001 – July 2002
- Administration and management of all aspects of Litigation Paralegal Department whereby risks or problems were identified, managed and mitigated
- Case manager / supervisor of two arbitrations and deposition preparation including attorney review and document production team of six attorneys and four legal assistants of contract dispute resolution case; obtained court reporter and translators under budget
- Case manager of a class action Asbestos litigation case; organized / maintained extensive files and trial documents; researched hundreds of cases to prepare answers; prepared evidence binder sets and other documents for trial; proven ability to manage large class action cases in timely manner
- Key player in coordination with main office IT dept. the creation of electronic databases on Summation, Concordance and IPRO saving the firm over $100,000 in development and implementation costs
- HR functions/issues management by responding to attorney request for additional legal assistant coverage, including the Boston, Washington D.C. and Chicago offices; reviewing and approving temporary personnel time sheets and vendor invoices for accuracy and arranging for payment in time and cost effective manner; kept all multi-site teams on schedule
Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells LLP New York, NY
Paralegal – Antitrust, Contract Dispute Resolution Litigation / Corporate May 2000 – December 2000
- Proven ability to document manage and production coordinate class action Federal and State antitrust litigation
- Execute project leadership through trial preparation for Intellectual Property libel lawsuit that required trouble-shooting and bring back under schedule
- Prepared and reviewed document productions; proposal development through sales information for settlement proffer of antitrust case; corporate closing
- War-room, work room and conference room performance management
- Proposal development by managing quarterly audit letters for all large clients of the firm regarding litigation over one million dollars
- Operations management by conducting document searches and coordinating with Managing Clerk’s Office regarding review of case history and docket creation
- Simultaneously conducted variety of projects and general duties as listed in contract litigation responsibilities
EDUCATION
Howard University School of Law, four semester completed toward JD law degree
University of Rochester, Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science
COMPUTER SKILLS
Westlaw Lexis-Nexis WordPerfect 5.1 Microsoft Word Excel
Windows XP Home & Office Imanage-Access Outlook
Legal Trax Summation Concordance
IPRO IMAXS Datadex Folio Views 3.1
Verilaw HTML
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS / VOLUNTEER WORK
- Ambassador/Board of Directors member of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce Ocala, FL
September 2009 – Present
Represent the Chamber by exhibiting the highest degree of professionalism, positive attitude, knowledge and integrity to our members and the business community. The Ambassadors participate in orienting, integrating and building relationships with Chamber member contacts to increase member satisfaction and retention.
- Chair of the Hispanic Business Council (HBC) Ocala, FL
July 2008 – Present
Oversee the Governing Board and subcommittees: membership; special events; outreach; education; and marketing. Successfully lead restructuring workshop for creation of subcommittees in 2009. Seen 500% increase in membership; raised $1,240 for first community outreach project (raised funds for local high school to send 11 underprivileged yet exceptional Hispanic students to meet U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in Washington, DC); established three presentations and high-profile guest speaker engagements for 2010; as well as participation in One America One Ocala.
- Ocala Palms Residential Association Inc. (ORPAI) Ocala, FL
July 2008 – January 2010
Chair of the Getting to Know You social committee; team builder of seven; event planner of an activities fair mixer & new membership drive for quarter-annual social to engage residents of the Ocala Palms Golf & Country Club community to interact in a mixer; I increased attendance by 90% and under budget. Also chair of the New Year’s Eve Gala.
- Early Learning Coalition of Marion County (ELCMC) Ocala, FL
February 2007 – June 2008
As former member of the Board of Directors, applied cost reduction and avoidance; quality assurance; budget & finance management; performance management; strategic planning; project leadership; and proposal development through review of their agenda; the board provides leadership and foster partnerships to optimize a quality early learning environment for our children through child care, voluntary pre-kindergarten and parent education.
- Emerging Leaders of Ocala (ELO), Board of Regents member Ocala, FL
June 2006 – Present
Policy committee member in which we build relationships with local government: city council, county commissioners and the Marion County school board; as former member of Special Events and Community Service committee, applied cost reduction and avoidance; quality assurance; budget & finance management; performance management; strategic planning; project leadership; and proposal development to the different events we created; current general member.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / RADIO INTERVIEWS / JUDGE
- Judge – Florida Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA District) VII competition at Marion Technical Institute (MTI) Ocala, FL; category: Help Desk; February 2010
- Judge – Wisconsin Press Club Excellence in Journalism competition; category: Investigative Reporting; March 2010
- Radio Interview – Noticias WUFT (Spanish language public radio) WUFT 89.1 (Gainesville, FL); subject: The benefits of the Hispanic Business Council and the effects of the recession on local Hispanic business; March 2010
- Panelist – Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity; sponsored by Opus Business School at St. Thomas University and the Twin Cities Chapter of the National Black MBA Association; subject: retention of men of color in corporate America; March 2010
