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Speaker Biography The Honorable Gisele Pollack

Florida Association of Drug Court Professionals

PollackJudge Gisele Pollack was elected to the 17th Judicial Circuit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida August 31, 2004, and reelected without opposition in 2010, retiring in 2013. Judge Pollack graduated from the University of Miami with a B.A. degree, summa cum laude, 1978; and graduated from the University of Miami Law School 1981.  Judge Pollack specialized in criminal defense law and drug court therapeutic jurisprudence. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Pollack was a facilitator instructing starter drug courts around the United States with the National Drug Court Institute. Judge Pollack created and commenced a first-of-its-kind Misdemeanor Drug Court in 2005; and presided over this court for eight years. She presided over the Juvenile Drug Court, was acting Circuit Judge for the Felony Drug Court; and presided over both civil and criminal matters, including numerous jury trials.

Judge Pollack taught at the Conference of County Court Judges and spoke in the Broward County School system in Law Enforcement, as well as the Fort Lauderdale community. Judge Pollack served on numerous community boards dealing with substance abuse, mental health, and the general wellness of her community. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work in the Fort Lauderdale community, including an award for outstanding work as a judge in the community by all Broward County Bar Associations in Celebration of Law Week, 2007.  Judge Gisele Pollack was inducted into the Broward County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

Judge Pollack is currently serving as a board member of the Florida Association of Drug Court Professionals, a board she served as chair from 2008-2010 and has continued to be a part of since 2000.  She is currently Chair of the Newsletter Committee for the Florida Association of Drug Court Professionals. Judge Pollack currently serves as a board member of the South Florida Wellness Network; and advisory board member of TINHIH, There is no Hero in Heroin, in Las Vegas, Nevada.