The Directors
Miami’s Largest and Longest-Running Literary Society
Debra Frank
I was raised in Miami and have witnessed its enormous growth and the development of its vibrant culture. Over the years I have had a few careers starting as an attorney practicing real estate and bankruptcy law. After that I taught at the University of Miami in the Business School. Currently, I do private art consulting for individuals and companies looking to purchase contemporary art.
My interest in literature dates back to my college years when I was an English major (as well as art history). An avid reader all my life, I belong to a book club that has been going for 28 years here in Miami as well as a book club in Connecticut where we have a second home. I am pleased to be a long -term member for Brickell Literary Society.
I am also passionate about the visual arts as a collector, advisor and philanthropist. I have been a board member and officer for 20 years of Locust Projects, a Miami arts organization.
Finally, another significant interest of mine is women’s reproductive freedom. As a board member of Planned Parenthood, I work against the strong tide to help young women have reproductive rights and body autonomy.
Married for over 40 years to Barry Frank, I have three children and six grandchildren.
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Three books that I love: Middlemarch, George Elliot; The Rabbit Series, John Updike, Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Lorie Mertes
A South-Florida native with an art history degree from University of Florida, has served as Executive Director of Locust Projects, Miami’s longest running alternative art space, since 2017. With more than thirty years of experience as a curator, she has held executive leadership roles at museums, universities, and non-profit visual arts organizations, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC; The Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia; and the McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. From 1994 to 2006, she served as Curator at the Miami Art Museum, aka Pérez Art Museum of Miami (PAMM), where she also held the position of Assistant Director for Special Projects responsible for new programs and initiatives. An avid reader since childhood, she has served on the board for a year and has been attending our lunches off and on for more than twenty years.
Three books I love: Over my lifetime - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, In last 30 years - Possession by A.S.Byatt, Recent - James by Percival Everett
"I always leave our lunchtime author talks feeling like I've just nourished my soul. Where else can you enjoy great company and conversation, dine on delicious food, and hear an amazing and diverse range of authors talk about their practice, inspirations and influences in such an intimate way?"
Pam Rogers
As Director of Talent Acquisition at Berger Singerman, LLP, Pam plays a key role in the firm’s strategic recruitment efforts, assisting with growth in key practice areas and continuing the firm’s recruitment of great talent to better serve clients. Pam is a 1992 graduate of the University of Florida College of Law.
I enjoy being a member of the Brickell Literary Society as it offers thoughtful discussions with a group of intellectually curious people. The authors we host bring perspectives that challenge and inspire me. I appreciate the opportunity to connect over a shared love of literature.
Jim Herron
Retired. Formerly a corporate lawyer and an arts and community activist and currently Chair of The Prologue Society. Last paying jobs were Of Counsel at Steel Hector & Davis, L.L.P. (1998-2005) and Senior Executive VP, Secretary and General Counsel of Ryder System, Inc. (1973-1997). Served as Chair/President/Officer and Board Member of Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Florida Grand Opera, New World School of the Arts, Arts for Learning, Inner City Dance Touring Company, Ransom Everglades School, Brickell Literary Society and Royal Palm Tennis Club. Interests include history, fiction, tennis and music, especially opera.
Three Books I Love: The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, by John Fowles and Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy.
Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis is publisher and editor of MIAMI TODAY, which he founded in 1983. Miami Today has earned more than 100 national and state awards.
He was previously a senior editor at the Miami News. He held senior management and editing positions with the Orlando Sentinel, Charlotte Observer, New York Post, Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle and Annapolis Capital. He began in Northern Michigan, founding a newspaper in Harbor Springs.
He is a native of Chicago. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Literature, Science and the Arts in Journalism from the University of Michigan, and is an honoree of Phi Beta Kappa.
He is married to Carmen Betancourt-Lewis, vice president of Miami Today. They reside in Key Biscayne.
Diane Grob, PhD
After many years as a corporate counselor, Diane Grob understood the need to document a major turning point for women executives. An entire generation of women, herself included, entered the work force without the assistance of available or perhaps even approachable role models. These reflections became the impetus for her book, Making It in Corporate America; How Women Can Survive, Prosper and Make a Difference, Praeger, 2003.
Before dedicating herself full time to her writing career, Grob was president of a public relations agency specializing on matters pertaining to Latin America, particularly corporate counseling, high technology, investor relations and marketing communications. Her client roster included Apple Computer, ATT, Canon, Digital, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Imation, Lotus Development, Motorola, Nortel, PeopleSoft, Samsung, Sony and Xerox.
A native of New York City, Grob began her career as a college professor of French and Latin American literature. In the summer of 1978, she was selected to join a group of humanists at the NYU business school in a pilot program that aimed to retrain academics for a career in business. Previous experience included positions with Prudential, First Boston and Lehman Brothers.
Grob obtained an MBA in International Business/Management and a Ph.D in Romance Languages and Literature from New York University and is a graduate in French Literature from the University of Paris, Sorbonne. She speaks French, Spanish and Portuguese.
She sits on the boards of the Perez Art Museum Miami, Locust Projects, The Barnyard, the Brickell Literary Society, as well as the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Grob headed the Miami project for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Women (artists) to Watch.