Office of Policy and General Counsel

Bill Mullowney

Vice President, Policy & General Counsel

William J. Mullowney serves as Vice President for Policy and General Counsel for Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. He serves as Valencia's chief legal officer and as its lobbyist and legislative counsel to the executive and legislative branches of the State of Florida. He also serves as Program Chair for the biannual Community College Conference on Legal Issues. He earned his B.B.A. degree from the University of Miami School of Business, and his J.D. and LL.M. degrees from the University of Miami School of Law. Prior to his position at Valencia, Dr. Mullowney served as General Counsel at Whittier College in California and before that as University Ombudsman at the University of Miami. While at Whittier, Dr. Mullowney was an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Whittier Law School, where he taught classes in Sports Law and Higher Education Law. While at Miami, he launched the university's Student Honor Code and served as an Associate Faculty Master at the Hecht Residential College.

Dr. Mullowney is a member of the Florida Bar and the State Bar of California. He is Florida Bar Board Certified as a Specialist in Education Law. He is a member of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists, and is certified as a Designated Professional Lobbyist.He has completed three elected terms of service on the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), serving as a member-at-large, then as Secretary, and in his most recent term, he served as the Chair of the Board. He also has served on the Boards of the Florida Colleges Activities Association, the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC), and the AFC Foundation. He also serves on the Florida Bar's Education Law Committee and the American Association of Community College's Legal Advisory Group. He has spoken on issues regarding higher education law at numerous panel discussions and conferences presented by NACUA, the Association of Governing Boards, the American Council on Education, College and University Personnel Administrators-HR, Stetson University Conference on Law and Higher Education, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Southern Association of College and University Business Officers, American Association of Community Colleges, Association of Community College Trustees, National Association of Directors of Athletics, International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and AFC.

Leslie Bissinger Golden

Associate General Counsel, Policy & General Counsel

Leslie Bissinger Golden serves as Associate General Counsel for Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. In this role, Ms. Golden supports the Vice President for Policy and General Counsel by providing legal advice and counseling to the College, participating in the creation and enforcement of College policy, and working with members of the Valencia community to further the Colleges interests.

Ms. Golden previously served as an administrator at another institution before coming to Valencia. Prior to that, Ms. Golden practiced with the firms of Baker & Hostetler and Rumberger, Kirk and Caldwell in Orlando as a civil and commercial litigator. She received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Florida and her law degree, cum laude, from Stetson Universitys College of Law.

Ms. Golden is a member of the Florida Bar and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. An Orlando native, her community involvement includes the Adult Literacy League of Central Florida and UCF Athletics.

Solange Fernandez del Pino

Operations Manager, Legal Services

Solange Fernandez del Pino serves as the Operations Manager for the Office of Policy and General Counsel.

Ms. del Pino provides specialized service and supports the work of the President's Office and the District Board of Trustees, the College's governing body. Ms. del Pino is also responsible for performing administrative support duties, and participates directly in the work of the Office of the Vice President for Policy and General Counsel while planning, establishing, and organizing systems and processes that ensure the orderly operation of the Office.

Ms. del Pino comes to Valencia with a wealth of executive office administration. Prior to joining Valencia, Ms. Del Pino was employed at Starwood Vacation Ownership, the University of Central Florida in Orlando, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Extended Campus in Kaiserslautern, Germany. She also worked for the United States Air Force in Spain as a contracted administrator, providing clerical services at the military base Aerial Port and Communications Squadrons.

Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, she lived in Palaiseau, France, as a young child. Ms. del Pino is fluent in Spanish and French.

Michelle Sever

Senior Director, Policy & Legal Services

Michelle Sever serves as Senior Director for the Office of Policy and General Counsel at Valencia College. In this role, Michelle supports the Vice President for Policy and General Counsel by providing leadership on the policy framework and enforcement of College policies and other office services.

Michelle came to Valencia College from Orange County Government with diverse experience in public safety, human resources, and policy related matters. At Valencia, she served in various leadership roles within the Office of Organizational Development and Human Resources in employee relations, employee engagement, policy, and compliance programs before joining the Office of Policy and General Counsel. Michelle received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Florida State University and her Masters Degree in Human Resources Management from Capella University.

Michelle is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management, holds SHRM-CP and PHR certifications, and is involved in her community as a member of the Narcoossee Chapter of the Osceola County Historical Society.

Kyra Orazi

Manager, Policy, Legal & Government Relations, Legal Services

Kyra Orazi serves as Manager of Policy, Legal, and Government Relations at Valencia College. Kyra works as the primary point of contact for the intake, processing, and tracking of all requests received by the college including public records requests, subpoenas, and litigation discovery. 

Kyra started her journey with Valencia College as student where she completed her associate degree then applied the DirectConnect relationship with the University of Central Florida. She graduated with her undergraduate degree from UCF in Legal Studies with a minor in Writing & Rhetoric, and she returned to complete a second undergraduate degree from UCF in English Literature three years later. 

Transitioning back to Valencia College with over six years of legal experience covering different areas of practice as a paralegal, Kyra started her employment as a Student Services Advisor at the Downtown campus. She served for over a year in this role assisting students with admissions, financial aid, and providing overall college systems support before joining the Office of Policy and General Counsel. In her role as Manager, Kyra provides leadership for the college’s program for records management, including retention, disposal, and responses to external requests.