David D'Agata - General Counsel
Dr. D'Agata serves as General Counsel to FLVS and its Board of Trustees. Prior to joining FLVS in 2019, Dr. D'Agata spent the better part of two decades representing a host of educational and governmental agencies in Florida. For instance, in the years immediately preceding his appointment to FLVS, Dr. D'Agata served as school board attorney for the Clay County School Board. There, in addition to providing legal guidance and advice to both the school board and superintendent on a broad array of legal issues, Dr. D'Agata also served as lead counsel for the board in numerous litigation matters. Before that, he committed nearly a decade of legal service to Duval County as Assistant General Counsel and Chief of Commercial Litigation in the City of Jacksonville's Office of General Counsel. There, he served as lead counsel for the Duval County School Board in dozens of court actions and administrative proceedings. He also appeared as lead counsel in numerous other court actions (including state and federal court appeals) on behalf of Jacksonville's Mayor, City Council, Jacksonville Electric Authority/JEA ($5 billion dollar electric and water utility), Jaxport ($7 billion dollar marine port authority), Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Clerk of Court, Tax Collector, and other public offices, agencies, and elected officials within Jacksonville's consolidated form of government. Prior to his service as a government attorney, Dr. D'Agata served as a law clerk for two federal judges in the Middle District of Florida, and practiced litigation in both boutique and international law firms.
Dr. D'Agata earned a Ph.D. in education administration and served as a Florida public school teacher for several years before attending the University of Miami School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into the Order of the Coif in 2003. Dr. D'Agata has been repeatedly recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer and Florida Trend's Legal Elite. He has also attained an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell based on ratings from his peers and members of the judiciary.
Luis Guzman - Assistant General Counsel
Luis graduated from Princeton University in 1995 and received his Juris Doctor degree in 1999 from Emory University School of Law. Luis began his career as a prosecutor for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office and has since also worked for the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the County Attorneys for Volusia and Lake Counties, Barry University School of Law’s Career Services Office, the Tribunal for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando, and in private practice in civil litigation. He is a State of Florida Certified Circuit Court Mediator and Qualified Arbitrator. He has practiced in a wide range of areas, including criminal and civil litigation, administrative and transactional matters, federal civil rights, and ecclesiastical law. Luis has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2002 and is admitted to practice in the United States Middle and Northern Florida District Courts. He is one of but a few jurists in the world to have obtained a juris canonici licentiata, a license to practice ecclessiastical law recognized by civil, pontifical, and ecclesiastical authorities. Dr. Guzman is also pursuing an L.L.M. in international dispute resolution at Queen Mary University of London.
Leslie McLaughlin - Senior Paralegal
Leslie McLaughlin is an experienced paralegal and office manager with vast knowledge in many different areas of law. She has two Associate of Science degrees in Paralegal Studies (transactional and litigation) from an American Bar Association (ABA) approved program, and 19 years of experience working in various areas of civil litigation, family law, bankruptcy, personal injury, insurance defense and public/corporate governance. Leslie began her career with Florida Virtual School in 2012, during her tenure she has served as the Manager for Board and Legal Services under the Office of General Counsel performing paralegal tasks as well as overseeing all aspects of the administration for the Board of Trustees. Currently, Leslie serves as the Senior Paralegal in the Office of General Counsel working closely with the General Counsel and other departments utilizing her extensive knowledge in all aspects of legal and administrative issues affecting FLVS and its staff.
Lisa MacNaughton - Executive Legal Specialist
Lisa MacNaughton is an experienced legal assistant with a proven work history supporting attorneys in all aspects of practice and office management. She has an A.S. degree, a paralegal certificate, and is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators. She has dedicated her 30+ year career at law firms, where her work focused on the areas of employment law, civil litigation, insurance defense and family law, as well as corporate legal departments, providing support to chief legal officers and executive management where her work focused on compliance, internal audit, risk management and contract administration. Lisa began her career with Florida Virtual School in 2019, and currently serves as the Executive Legal Specialist.
Karen M. Chastain, Deputy General Counsel
Karen M. Chastain joined FLVS in May 2021, and she provides transactional and governance legal services. Prior to joining FLVS, Ms. Chastain served as the Chief Legal Counsel to The School Board of Duval County, Florida, for 9 1/2 years. Ms. Chastain previously worked for the City of Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel and served in various roles including Senior Deputy General Counsel, Chief Deputy General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and Assistant General Counsel, and her practice consisted of board and agency representation, real estate, contracts, governance, legislation, procurement, education, and local government law. Her clients included the School Board of Duval County, Jacksonville Aviation Authority, Jacksonville Housing Finance Authority, Jacksonville Port Authority, Supervisor of Elections, and various City departments and divisions, including the Real Estate Division, Department of Finance, Office of Special Events, Housing & Community Development, Parks & Recreation, and the Medical Examiner’s Office. Special projects included facilitating acquisitions for the Better Jacksonville Plan’s Preservation Project; oversight of legal issues related to Super Bowl XXXIX; and contract issues related to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, the annual Florida vs. Georgia football spectacular, and the Jacksonville Suns baseball team.
Prior to Ms. Chastain's public service, she was a partner at McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe, LLP, where her practice focused on real estate, banking, corporate law, and land use and development. Prior to that time, Ms. Chastain was practicing in these areas with Mahoney, Adams & Criser, P.A., until its merger with McGuire Woods.
Ms. Chastain is a member of the Florida Bar, and she is a Board-Certified Specialist, as designed by the Florida Bar, in Education Law. Ms. Chastain also serves as a member of the Florida Bar Education Law Certification Committee, and she served as the Chairman (2018-2019). Ms. Chastain was a member of the Florida School Board Attorneys Association from 2005 - 2021, and she served on its Board of Directors as well as serving as Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice President (partial term).
Ms. Chastain has received an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. She has been recognized as a Legal Elite attorney byFlorida Trend Magazine and recognized as a Top Lawyer byJacksonville Magazine. Ms. Chastain was selected as a member of Florida Blue Key (Spring 2016 Honorary Tapping).
While in law school, Ms. Chastain was the Research Editor, and then the Editor-in-Chief, of the University of Florida Law Review; and she received the Gertrude Brick Law Review Apprentice Prize. Ms. Chastain was a member of the Order of the Coif and graduated with honors.
Liz Felix
Elizabeth “Liz” Felix is an experienced office assistant with extensive work history supporting attorneys and executive level managers in all aspects of office functions. She has an associate degree in Criminal Justice and is a Spanish translator. She is extremely enthusiastic about work events to boost morale and keep camaraderie high. Liz began her career with FLVS in 2015, as a Senior Administrative Assistant and currently serves as a Legal Support Specialist.