Roderick N. Petrey, JD – Associate

Roderick N. Petrey (Rod) is an attorney assisting clients with legal matters of setting up and running nonprofit organizations and board governance.  With more than 40 years of experience in working with nonprofit organizations, Rod leads two nonprofit public policy consulting organizations and served as President of the Collins Center for Public Policy for twenty years until mid-2011. Rod was named the “2011 Floridian of the Year” by Florida Trend, the state’s primary business magazine, for his accomplishments at the Collins Center.

Rod is retired Senior Counsel to Holland & Knight LLP, a large international law firm, and has served as general counsel for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute, Florida International University and other public and private institutions. He is a partner with BP JJ Enterprises, Inc., a South Florida business organization.

His background includes:

  • President of New Equity Partners, Inc., and Public Policy Works!, non-profit public policy consulting organizations.
  • Currently Vice-President and legal counsel for the P.L. Dodge Foundation and a member of the Board and Secretary of BAC Florida Bank.
  • Served as Vice-President of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in New York, President of The Donors’ Forum of South Florida, President of the Florida Bar Foundation, Chairman of the We Will Rebuild! Foundation, chairman of the Florida Justice Institute, Chairman of the Miami Museum of Science, senior adviser to the Council for Educational Change, and an active member of other civic and business organizations.
  • Member of the America Law Institute and the American Bar Foundation.
  • Military combat veteran, serving as a Captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces (“Green Berets”) in Vietnam and as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division.
  • B.A., Yale University (magna cum laude)
  • J.D., Harvard University.

Rod has received numerous awards: the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, given to one lawyer in Florida each year who exemplifies the public service spirit of the legal profession; “Spirit of Excellence” award from The Miami Herald; Cal Kovens Distinguished Community Service Award from Florida International University; Juvenile Justice Award from the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges, and other recognitions.