Bar Examiners honor staff’s persistence, precision at annual luncheon
Award recipients, including Brandi Cawthon Alvarado Award honoree Beau Luttrell, far left, gather during the Florida Board of Bar Examiners’ March 21 staff appreciation luncheon in Tallahassee.
With a playful nod to goats — known for their persistence and selectivity — the Florida Board of Bar Examiners used its annual staff appreciation luncheon to highlight the traits it says define its own workforce: thorough, relentless, and committed to getting things right.
Board Chair Cristina Groschel thanked staff for the critical role they play in upholding the Bar’s standards of competence and integrity during the March 21 event in Tallahassee.
“We feel very strongly about our mission, and we know you do, too,” Groschel said. “Before it even gets to us, it’s gone through your hands, and you really allow it to be so efficient and organized for us so we can do what we do. So, on behalf of the entire board, thank you for all your service to the public.”
Executive Director Michele Gavagni echoed that praise, describing the staff’s work as “thorough, relentless, precise, and deeply committed to getting things right.”
As part of the program, staff member Beau Luttrell received the Brandi Cawthon Alvarado Award, which honors the employee, as selected by colleagues, who best exemplifies the board’s ideals and high standards.
The award is named for Brandi Cawthon Alvarado, a 24-year-old analyst IV who conducted background investigations of Bar applicants. Alvarado, who was promoted four times in just over two years, was tragically murdered in 1999 in an act of domestic violence.
Bar Examiners staff receiving merit awards included:
Angelica “Demi” Ortiz
Theasamantha “Sammy” Figueras
Staff members recognized for years of service, including:
Two years: William Pafford and Beau Luttrell
Five years: Amanda Smith and Betty Lashley
15 years: Tasha Grondzik and Rebecca Cross
Gavagni leaned into a lighthearted “goat” theme to underscore the nature of the work.
“They are selective, they are persistent, and they don’t stop until they get to the root of something,” Gavagni noted of goats, drawing a comparison to staff members’ approach to investigations and exam preparation. “We are selective and persistent and looking for the truth…. We have a knack for tracking things down to the final fact, the final detail — and yes, the exact number of pages in a report. Because around here, ‘countless’ is never actually countless.”
Gavagni also noted that results from the February 2026 bar examination were recently released, with 496 candidates recommended to the Florida Supreme Court for admission.
“We keep track of every little step — every step those applicants go through,” she said. “The bottom line is that at the end of the day, they have been recommended to the court and are taking the Oath of Attorney.”