St. Thomas Law Professor Keith W. Rizzardi has been appointed to serve as Commissioner on the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust (COE). The oath of service ceremony took place on Monday, September 13, and it was administered by the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, The Honorable Nushin Sayfie.
Professor Rizzardi was appointed to fill the St. Thomas University appointment on the COE board replacing former dean, Tamara Lawson, who left the Commission after accepting a position as Dean of the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle.
“Ethics and open government policies serve a critical role in maintaining public trust,” said Professor Rizzardi. “I look forward to working with both the citizens and their public officials, and I am honored to serve as part of the Ethics Commission.”
Professor Rizzardi joined the St. Thomas Law faculty in 2011 after years of government service as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental and Natural Resources Division and as a managing attorney for the South Florida Water Management District. An accomplished litigator, he has argued cases before the Florida Supreme Court and in Federal district and circuit courts from coast to coast. He also has served as Chairman of the U.S. Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee.
An active member of the Florida Bar, and a Board Certified Specialist in State & Federal Administrative Practice, Professor Rizzardi twice chaired The Florida Bar Government Lawyer Section, and served on the bar’s ethics and professionalism committees. His scholarship in legal ethics and lawyer regulation qualified him as an expert witness in a malpractice matter. He volunteers as an ombudsman for the U.S. Department of Defense, helping military service members and their civilian companies to resolve employment related disputes. A graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A. 1991), University of Florida (J.D. 1994) and Florida Atlantic University (M.P.A. 1998), Professor Rizzardi has authored nearly two dozen articles and book chapters.
