ABOUT US / DCLTA Officer and Board Member Bio's

Alaine Donovan (President)

Alaine Belongia Donovan is Vice President, Virginia and District of Columbia Counsel for Fidelity National Title Group. She has a career of over 35 years in the real estate and title insurance industry. Ms. Donovan has lectured extensively about various aspects of real property law and title insurance issues, including programs approved for Virginia Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for Attorneys, the Virginia Land Title Association, the District of Columbia Land Title Association, and the Virginia Continuing Education Insurance Board for licensed title insurance agents. She is a member of the Real Property and Probate Sections of both the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia State Bar. She has served in various officer capacities of the Virginia Land Title Association and is currently the immediate Past-President of the District of Columbia Land Title Association. From 1993 to 2009, Ms. Donovan was appointed to serve on the Virginia Continuing Education Board by the Virginia Insurance Commissioner, and held the position of Vice Chair for several years.

Ms. Donovan is admitted to the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in the District of Columbia. She graduated with distinction from George Mason University in 1982, and received her juris doctorate from George Mason University School of Law in 1986.

Leslie O. Kostelecky (Secretary)

Leslie has worked in and around the title industry since 1992 and has extensive experience in the settlement process from order entry through policy preparation and remittance, as well as a special expertise in TitleExpress and reconciliation issues. She holds a title license in VA and MD and worked as a settlement processor, title company owner, auditor and industry consultant for 15 years prior to joining First American Title Insurance Company in 2004.

Ricardo Lasso (Previous President)

Born in Panama City, Republic of Panama. Raised in the Caribbean. Lived and studied in Panama, Venezuela, Miami & Washington (DC).

BA – 1992 – International Relations and Political Science Florida International University, Miami, FL.

JD – 1995 – Washington College of Law, The American University, Washington, DC Worked for various local (DC) firms (1995 to 2002) Partner – Lasso & Lasso (2002 – Present)

Associations: Member of the District of Columbia Bar Member of the Maryland State Bar Association

President of the DC Land Title Association Committees: Water & Sewer Authority and Membership

Executive Board Member (Parliamentarian) of the Metro DC Chapter of NAHREP – National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals

Past President & Current board member – DC Chapter of the Florida International University Alumni Association.

Avid runner – 19 marathons completed. Active soccer player and United States Soccer Federation certified referee (Grade 7).

S. Kathryn Allen (2011 Board of Directors)

S. Kathryn Allen is Co-Founder and Co-President of Answer Title & Escrow LLC, a settlement and escrow company in the District of Columbia. She is a banking and real estate attorney who has been involved in the real estate and financial services industries for the last twenty-five years. With her business partner, Allen is responsible for the management and operations of Answer Title, serving the District, Maryland and Virginia.

In 1999 Allen received a mayoral appointment and served for four years as the first African American female Banking Commissioner in the country. As Commissioner, she was responsible for promoting the growth and stability of the District’s financial institutions, licensing and regulating the banking and non-bank industry; enforcing non- discrimination lending laws, and in concert with other government agencies ensuring the District’s economic vitality.

Allen initiated the modernization of the District government’s statutory structure regulating District banks and other financial institutions operating within the jurisdiction. She counts among her accomplishments spearheading the establishment of a District sponsored venture capital fund, the enactment of the 21st Century Financial Modernization Act of 2000, passage of the International Banking Act of 2000, the District of Columbia Money Transmitter Act, as well her work in predatory lending legislation and mortgage foreclosure reform.

Allen’s experience in the banking industry was key to her being hired by Chevy Chase Bank, F.S.B. as Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer. During her three-year tenure, Allen developed and updated the bank’s compliance policies that were adopted by the board of directors, monitored the financial institution’s community reinvestment activity; developed compliance training programs and served as the key member of senior management that interfaced with all Federal and state regulatory agencies to ensure timely and accurate reporting.

In 1991, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency hired Allen as assistant general counsel. While in the Washington, D. C. office, she managed the Claims and Property Law Branch in the Office of the General Counsel. Her responsibilities also included negotiating settlements, legislative analysis, and regulatory review. Allen’s early government experience began with her position in 1990 as counsel-corporate affairs for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation where she negotiated commercial leases and procurement contracts.

Between 1986 and 1989, Allen was General Counsel of Indian Head Banks, Inc., a holding company consisting of five affiliate banks, and four non-bank subsidiaries. Managing the legal department for the $2 billion dollar financial institution, Allen’s responsibilities included setting legal policy, and preparing all major legal documents for the holding company now apart of Bank of America.

Ms. Allen was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the now defunct Southeastern University and chair of its Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board. She serves on a number of other boards of directors and advisory committees including the District of Columbia Land Title Association, MassMutual/ West Financial Group's Women's Advisory Board and The District of Columbia Small Business Development Advisory Board and is also an active member of the DC Chamber of Commerce (DCCC), District of Columbia Building Industry Association, and African American Real Estate Professionals. She is also serving as a tutor/mentor for seniors at risk in the District of Columbia Public Schools.

Ms. Allen received her undergraduate degree from Smith College with a double major in Biochemistry and African American Literature, went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School, and is a member of the Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. bars. Later, Allen completed graduate courses in banking law at Boston University Law School, and in 2000, she attended the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University as a Fannie Mae Foundation Fellow. Allen is a graduate of DCCC Executive Leadership Development Program (Inaugural Class of 2008), Leadership Washington (Class of 2001) and Leadership America (Class of 2002) and is currently an Ambassador for Leadership Greater Washington.

Married to Maurice Daniel, she is the mother of two sons, Nathan and Gladstone and a stepdaughter, Sinclair.

David Cox (2011 Board of Directors)

David H. Cox joined Jackson & Campbell in 1978 and was elected a Director in 1984. In his continuous years of service with the Firm, he has developed a reputation as an effective negotiator, advisor, and litiga- tor, successfully resolving a myriad of issues arising out of a variety of corporate as well as commercial and residential real estate matters. A former president of the Firm, Mr. Cox currently serves as vice-president and a member of the Executive Committee.

David has represented individuals, housing cooperatives and condo- minium associations on a wide range of community association issues. He has also represented title insurance companies, institutional lenders, partnerships and corporations with respect to curing title defects, defal- cations, and title insurance coverage issues. David also advises on the acquisition, financing, management and sale of shopping centers, office buildings, and parking facilities.

David received his B.A. (with honors) from the Ohio State University and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the Land Title Associations of D.C., Maryland and Virginia. He served as president of the D.C. Land Title Association (2003-2005) and currently serves on its Board of Directors. He serves as the Co- Chair of the D.C. Legislative Action Committee of the Community Associations Institute. He serves as Co-Chair of the Steering Commit- tee of the Real Estate and Land Use Section of the D.C. Bar. He is past president of the District of Columbia Jaycees, is past president of the Kiwanis Club of Washington, D.C., and currently serves as Vice Presi- dent of the Kiwanis Foundation of Washington, D.C.

David has earned an AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest recognition achievable for professional ability and ethics.

Brad Runyan (2011 Board of Directors)

Bradley has been practicing law since 1981. His undergraduate degree with Honors is from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has been in the title industry since 1978 when he abstracted and examined titles by day for Minnesota Title in Minneapolis, Mn., and went to law school at night at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Eventually he started to do closings at Minnesota Title for residential and commercial properties as well as underwrite the transactions. After a few years in private practice handling real estate and title insurance matters with a local sole practitioner in Minneapolis, he received an offer to work nationally with the then known Safeco Title Insurance Company in Los Angeles, California. In 1985, Safeco offered him a regional position in Baltimore handling underwriting and claims from New York to North Carolina. Safeco was bought by Chicago Title in 1987 and Bradley became Assistant Regional Counsel for Chicago Title and split his time between Baltimore and Fairfax Virginia.

In 1989 Bradley became a Senior Associate with Conroy, Ballman & Dameron Chrted, eventually managing two offices and title insurance litigation. In 1993 he started working in downtown DC with First American Title, developing his settlement practice. He subsequently worked as an independent settlement attorney with Heritage Title, then a manager with Sentinel Title now known as North American Title until presently an equity partner at Stewart Title Group.

Bradley is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia West Virginia, Massachusetts and Minnesota. Bradley is a member of the Minnesota, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia and Massachusetts Bar Associations; a member of the District of Columbia Land Title Association and Maryland Land Title Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Montgomery County and Anne Arundel Bar Associations. Bradley is on the Board of Directors for the DC Land Title Association, The Hearth Foundation, The Trust for Architectural Easements, The Dupont Circle Village Project and The Bank of Georgetown.

Benjamin M. Soto (2011 Board of Directors)

Mr. Soto is an attorney who practices Real Estate Transactions and Bankruptcy. He is the owner of Premium Title & Escrow, LLC, which is a full service title company servicing DC, MD and VA. In addition, he is the owner of Paramount Development, LLC, a commercial development company focused on the acquisition and ground-up development of commercial buildings and hotels in Washington DC.

Mr. Soto is on the Board of Director’s of EagleBank, a community bank with 15 branches in the Washington DC region, the DC Land Title Association and the DC Public Education Fund.

Mr. Soto is also a former Vice Chair of the Board of Real Property Assessment and Appeals, a former Board member of the National Bar Association and a former Board member of the DC Sports & Entertainment Commission, which developed the National’s Baseball Stadium.

Mr. Soto is a member of the DC Bar, Pennsylvania Bar, MD Land Title Association, DC Builders Industry Association and the DC Chamber of Commerce.

He is married to Lori A. Soto; they have two children, Danielle and Alexander and they live in Ward 4 of Washington, D.C.