The Office of the General Counsel ("OGC") provides legal services to Broward College and its District Board of Trustees. The OGC is currently led by its General Counsel, Lacey D. Hofmeyer. The office consists of in-house counsel, support staff, and occasionally partners with outside counsel.
This site was created to allow the Broward College community to become more familiar with our office, its functions, and operations. For further information on who we are, how and when to contact us, the College's policies and procedures, and other helpful tools, please follow the links in the left navigation.
Disclaimer: The Office of the General Counsel does not provide personal legal services or advice.
The mission of the Office of the General Counsel ("OGC") is to support and educate the Broward College community as to the applicable laws, foster sound decision making in all areas of College operations, and vigorously pursue legal compliance so that the College may fulfill its mission and meet its goals.
General Counsel and Vice President of Public Policy & Government Affairs
Lacey Diggs Hofmeyer, Esq. is General Counsel and Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs. Ms. Hofmeyer obtained her two Bachelor of Science degrees in Economics and Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her law degree from the University of Florida. She began her career as a litigation attorney at an international law firm, becoming a shareholder in 2015. Ms. Hofmeyer has served the South Florida Community in many ways.
She has served as a Guardian Ad Litem in Miami-Dade County, a member of the executive board of Women United of the United Way of Miami-Dade County, as a board member and officer of the Dade County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, as a committee chair for the Dade County Bar Association, as Chair of a Grievance Committee for The Florida Bar for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, among others.
Associate General Counsel
Ashley Daniels, Esq. is Associate General Counsel. Ms. Daniels earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts, with Honors, in Economics from the University of Florida. Prior to Broward College, Ms. Daniels worked at a prominent boutique law firm, where she represented public entities throughout Florida on education, employment, transactional, transportation and general government matters.
Ms. Daniels was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2012, and has been admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Florida. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the T.J. Reddick Bar Association.
Paralegal
Elizabeth A. Beavin is a Certified Paralegal, a Florida Registered Paralegal, and holds an Associate of Science (AS) degree in Paralegal Studies from Broward College. She was inducted into the national honor society for Paralegals, Lambda Epsilon Chi (LEX), for outstanding academic achievement in her field of study.
Ms. Beavin has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from The University of Oklahoma in Public Relations/Journalism and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Oklahoma City University where she graduated with high honors. Before joining Broward College, Elizabeth had a long and successful career in Human Resources at Publix Supermarkets Corporate Offices as a Specialist in Associate Relations.
Paralegal
Ashanti Messias-Smith holds an Associate Degree in Arts from Broward College, where she was the student commencement speaker in 2016. In addition, she served as the Student Government President of Broward College Online and the Willis Holcombe Center, and President of Phi Theta Kappa’s Beta Lambda Omega Chapter. Ashanti then went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University. She worked for three years in the College’s Corporate Relations department where her organizational skills, attention to detail, and work ethic enabled her to have successful relationships with Corporate Clients.
Senior Executive Assistant to the General Counsel's Office
Debra Young-Salter is the Senior Executive Assistant to the General Counsel's office. Ms. Young-Salter earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Mercer University in Business Management. She received her Mediation Certification from Manley Mediation Institution with a purpose to help individuals resolve disputes without judicial intervention. Debra also served on the board of Association for Conflict Resolution-Georgia Chapter and volunteered for Hospice.
Before joining Broward College in September 2019, Debra served as a Senior Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Students at Spelman College.