Executive Board

2020-2021 Executive Board

President- Travis Coy, Esq.

Travis Coy serves as the President of the George Edgecomb Bar Association. He is an Assistant State Attorney with the Office of the State Attorney, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit wherein he is the Juvenile Division Chief. Prior to becoming Juvenile Division Chief, Travis was the Deputy Chief in Circuit Criminal Division A, where he prosecuted serious felony cases. Travis graduated from The Florida State University with honors in Communication Studies and a minor in Sociology.

As a law student at Stetson University College of Law, Travis served as Associate Chief Justice of Stetson’s nationally recognized Moot Court Board, and as Treasurer and Parliamentarian of the Black Law Student Association. He functions as a member of The Florida Bar’s Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee and is a Barrister in the Tampa Bay Inn of Court. He is also the Vice President of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Black Prosecutors Association. Travis is a Tampa native and was Hillsborough High School’s first recipient of a GEBA scholarship.

Vice President - Cornelius C. Demps, Esq.

Cornelius C. Demps serves as the Press Secretary for the George Edgecomb Bar Association and was named our 2018 Outstanding Young Lawyer’s Award winner. The Fort Pierce, Florida native earned his degree in Industrial Engineering from The Florida State University and his juris doctorate from Stetson University College of Law. He earned his certification in Stetson’s Concentration in Advocacy program and competed as a member of the Stetson Law Trial Team. He was bestowed the Victor O. Whele Excellence in Trial Advocacy award and inducted into the National Order of the Barristers.

Mr. Demps is the Founding Partner of The Demps Law Firm, PLLC specializing in appellate and business law matters. After beginning his career an assistant state attorney serving as a trial prosecutor in New Port Richey, he would go on to serve as an appellate prosecutor at the Florida Office of the Attorney General in Tampa. During his time as an assistant attorney general, he argued cases before the Second District Court of Appeal, the United District Court for the Middle District, and the United States Court of Appeals for Eleventh Circuit. He has an AV preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, was named a Tampa Bay Business Journal Up and Comers 2017 nominee, listed on Florida Trend magazine’s 2018 Legal Elite for Government Attorneys, and is a Class IV fellow of the Florida Bar’s Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy. In 2019, Mr. Demps was listed among Florida Super Lawyer's Rising Stars in Appellate Practice.

Immediate Past President- Valeria Obi, Esq.

Valeria Obi currently serves as Staff Counsel for Midland Credit Management, Inc. where she is responsible for providing legal advice in connection with the business’s operations and supporting corporate compliance with laws and regulations governing debt collection and related activities. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from The Florida State University and her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law. Outside of the office, Valeria is heavily involved in various community activities. She is the Immediate Past President of the George Edgecomb Bar Association and currently serves as the Program Chair for the Hillsborough County Bar Association as well as Secretary of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association. Valeria also serves as Co-Chair of the Pipeline Subcommittee for The Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Diversity & Inclusion and serves on The Florida Bar’s Small Claims Rules Committee. She is a member of the Ferguson White American Inn of Court and is a member of the St. Petersburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Previously, Valeria was selected as a fellow for The Florida Bar’s William Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy, Class VI and graduated in 2019. From 2017-2019 she served on the Board of Director’s for a non-profit organization called Solita’s House and served as a Big Sister through Big Brother Big Sister of Tampa Bay. She previously served as Co-Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Leadership Institute from 2017-2018, after graduating from the class in 2016. Valeria has also received special recognition including the George Edgecomb Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer’s Award in 2015 and their President’s Award in 2017. She was also selected as a 2017 Notable Nole, a recognition program honoring young FSU alumni. She was also recognized by receiving the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2017 40 Under 40 Award.

Treasurer- Dionne Jones, Esq.

Dionne Jones serves as the Treasurer of the George Edgecomb Bar Association and graduated from the University of Florida College of Law as a Council on Legal Education Opportunity Fellow. As a native of Tampa, Dionne has served as a Co-Chair of Diversity and Community Action for the Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers. She has also volunteered with Bay Area Legal Services in the Volunteer Lawyers program. As a member of the George Edgecomb Bar Association, Dionne has served as Co-Chairman of the Role Model Committee for multiple years as well as Chairman of the Scholarship Banquet Committee. Dionne was awarded the President’s Award for two consecutive years. Dionne is also a graduate of University of South Florida with a Ph.D. in Higher EducationLeadership and worked as a faculty member for several years. She was selected by the Provost to be an integral part of the Diversity Task Force for the recruitment and retention of faculty of color.

Currently, Dionne serves as an Assistant State Attorney with the 13th Judicial Circuit and was recently installed as a founding Executive Board member and Secretary of the National Black Prosecutor’s Association-Tampa Chapter. Dionne continues to be intimately engaged in the community where she serves on the Executive Board of Trustees for Tampa Preparatory School and is the Chair for the Strategic Planning/Implementation Committee. As a trustee, she has also served as the Risk Management Committee Co-Chair, and dedicated her time to the Governance Committee, Community Engagement Committee, and By-Laws Committee. Dionne is also a faithful volunteer with Bay Area Legal Services "iLawyer" program and is a member of the Florida Bar’s Children’s Issues Committee.

Secretary- Vanessa Ferguson, Esq.

Vanessa Ferguson serves as the Secretary for the George Edgecomb Bar Association. The Orlando native obtained her Bachelor Degree in Criminology, with a concentration in Legal Studies, from the University of South Florida St Petersburg. She also attended the University of Dayton School of Law and graduated in two and a half years with a certification for her Intellectual Property concentration. While attending law school, Ms. Ferguson pursued extensive studies in Intellectual Property, the Internet of Things and privacy issues related to both subjects. Vanessa is currently the managing director at her firm, Ferguson Legal, which focuses on data privacy, intellectual property, and general business law.

Janee T. Prince, Esq.

Suzanne J. DeCopain, an associate of Saxon Gilmore & Carraway, P.A., concentrates her practice in the areas of affordable and public housing. Formerly, Ms. DeCopain worked for over three years as an assistant state attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit of Florida, where she gained significant jury and bench trial experience. She received her B.A. degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and her J.D. degree from Florida Coastal School of Law, where she won best brief in moot court and held many positions, including Co-Director of the Pro Bono Society, Chaplain of the Black Law Student Association, and founding President of the Caribbean Law Student Association. While at Florida Coastal, she helped her clients in the Immigration Clinic gain permanent residency.

Press Secretary- Jhenerr Hines, Esq.

Jhenerr Hines is top rated criminal defense attorney and owner of Hines & Associates Law in Tampa, FL. She is a recipient of AVVO Client's Choice and Top Criminal Defense Attorney, SuperLawyers Rising Star, GEBA Outstanding Young Lawyer, and BCU Top 40 Under 40. She has spent her career fighting on behalf of the criminally accused as well as teaching other attorneys through Continuing Legal Education seminars. Jhenerr has been featured on local radio shows and in print including the Florida Bar News, the Florida Sentinel, and on WMNF 88.5. Jhenerr has been a speaker at local law school and bar association events, teaching lawyers and students topics on Criminal law, marketing, and law practice management. Jhenerr Hines is diligent, passionate, and truly cares about helping people find relief in an imperfect justice system. She sits on the board of the George Edgecomb Bar Association and the Hillsborough County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.