2024-25 Board of Directors

The Chief Financial Officer of Foreign Parts Distributors, Inc., (FPD) in Miami, Florida, Duarte spent the first 15 years of his career working in public accounting in New York City, South Florida and Puerto Rico as part of Weinick Sanders Leventhal & Co. (1999-2004), Berkowitz Pollack Brant (2004-2006), BDO USA (2006-2010) and Mallah Furman (2011-2015). Now the CFO at FPD, he is the FICPA’s first Chair from business and industry in the last decade, leveraging his experience from both the public and private sectors to connect with accountants, financial professionals and business leaders across the state and across practice areas.

In the next year, Duarte will work closely with Weir to ensure the FICPA is well-positioned to lead its membership through a period of transition and transformation in the profession.

“Ed’s experience in both public accounting and private practice make him an ideal leader for this moment in our history,” Weir said. “As the FICPA continues to play a leading role in shaping the future of accounting, we’re also focused on strengthening and expanding the relationships we’ve worked to cultivate across the business landscape here in Florida. I am excited to partner with Ed, our Board of Directors and the Council to advocate for our priorities, expand our reach and elevate the CPA profession.”

As a member of the FICPA, Duarte previously served as President of the Miami-Downtown Chapter, as a Regional Representative on the FICPA Council (2008-2015), and as Chair of the Chapter Operations, Corporate Finance and Finance & Office Advisory committees, amongst other volunteer leadership positions. He rejoined the FICPA Council in 2017, became a member of the Board of Directors in 2022, and served as Chair-Elect during the 2023-24 fiscal year. He is also a current member of the AICPA Council, a past President of the Cuban-American CPAs Association and an active board member with the Centro Campensino Farmworker Center and Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation.

She previously served on the FICPA Board of Directors from 2018-19 and has chaired the Institute’s State Tax, Corporate Finance and South Florida Accounting Conference Committees.

In 2020, she was presented with the FICPA’s Women to Watch – Experienced Leader Award for her contributions to the CPA profession. 

Outside the FICPA, Lake was previously Chair of Florida TaxWatch’s COVID-19 Task Force and its Tax Advisory Council. She has also been an active member and leader in the South Florida and Bahamas Chapter of Toastmasters International. 

An FICPA member since 1984, O’Keefe began her volunteer leadership in 2009, when her husband, Brian, retired after 30 years of service to the United States Coast Guard. Now settled in Melbourne, O’Keefe first joined the FICPA’s Brevard Chapter, rising from Treasurer to President. She would go on to participate on numerous FICPA Committees and Task Forces before being named to the FICPA Council in 2017 and its Board of Directors in 2019.

In addition to her service to the FICPA, O’Keefe has also spent the last 20 years working with Junior Achievement (JA), a nonprofit focused on providing financial literacy, career education and entrepreneurship education to students. Each year, she leads multi-session courses with as many as 20 classes of elementary and high school students, introducing them to accounting and championing the CPA profession. She has been named JA’s Volunteer of the Year in three different locations: the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Hampton Roads/Tidewater and Melbourne.

He participates in consulting, audit engagements, due diligence projects, and 401(k) audits for clients ranging from start-ups to large international companies in the healthcare, manufacturing, and distribution industries.

Robert is a key contributor in the Firm’s Healthcare Industry Team and co-leader of the Firm’s Emerging Rainmakers Initiative, guiding and training young professionals with sales and business development techniques.

In the community, Robert serves on the Miami Chamber of Commerce HYPE Committee, and the Incubator Grant Committee for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. 

He is a Certified Public Accountant in Florida and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA), and the Institute of Management Accountants. He has previously served on the FICPA Council and its Audit Committee.

Robert earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree and Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Central Florida.

He joined the FICPA Council in 2021 and was previously Chair and Vice Chair of the Institute’s State Tax Committee and a member of its State Legislative Policy Committee. 

Oatis also served on the Florida Board of Pilot Commissioners, as Vice Chair of its Pilotage Rate Review and Legislative committees.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and received both his bachelor’s in finance and his master’s in accounting from the University of Florida. 

Alex specializes in internal and external audits, and reviews of financial institutions. He has managed a variety of engagements, including loan portfolio reviews, bank-wide risk assessments, Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering audits, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act audits, compliance audits and information technology audits. In addition, he has experience testing beta versions of bank software programs.

Alex is an adjunct accounting professor at Florida International University. He has lectured at the FICPA Miami Dade Chapter, the Association of Cuban Accountants in Exile, and the University of Miami. 

Prior to co-founding the firm, Alex was a senior manager at a regional accounting firm. He was in charge of the firm’s financial institution practice, and was responsible for managing and reviewing compliance audits, internal audits and external audits.