Coach Kioceaia Stenson-Holiday is the Faculty Advisor and Co-Head Coach of Panther Mock Trial. She joined PMT’s coaching staff in 2018. “Coach Kio” (as she is referred to by the students) received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Spelman College in 2011. She later went on to obtain her Juris Doctorate from Emory University School of Law in 2014. Immediately after graduation, Coach Stenson-Holiday joined the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office, where she is currently employed.​

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As an Assistant State Attorney, Coach Stenson-Holiday currently serves as the Assistant Chief of the Career Criminal and Robbery Unit- a unit that specializes in the prosecution of recidivist, violent offenders. In addition to serving as an Assistant State Attorney, Coach Stenson-Holiday is also an adjunct faculty member at FIU Honors College where she teaches a course entitled “Thriving in the Law.”

Eddie L. Holiday III is our Co-Head Coach and began coaching the Panther Mock Trial team in 2018 along with his wife, Mrs. Kioceaia Stenson-Holiday.

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Mr. Holiday graduated from Howard University for his undergraduate studies and received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Culture with a Minor in Entrepreneurship. He loved the HBCU experience and decided to continue his education at the Howard University School of Law and received his Juris Doctor in 2013. A consummate public speaker, Mr. Holiday has presented CLE lectures throughout Florida involving the effective use of social media in trials, corporate policies for text messaging under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and discrimination in jury selection. He has received the Top 40 Under 40 Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (2021), National Black Lawyers (2019-2021), and Daily Business Review (2018). Mr. Holiday was also named “Best Closer in South Florida” in 2017 by the Legal Services of Greater Miami.

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Mr. Holiday began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney at the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney. He served in the Career Criminal Robbery Unit where he gained substantial experience in all areas of state prosecution. Mr. Holiday has conducted over 20 bench trials and over 50 jury trials to verdict. Prior to working in-house at American Express as Manager and Counsel of Litigation, Mr. Holiday worked at a national law firm advocated for many Fortune 500 companies regarding wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. He has also represented various municipalities in federal court regarding civil rights litigation.

 

Currently, Mr. Holiday’s practice at Harber Law, focuses on a variety of complex commercial business matters, including contractual disputes for various individuals and corporate entities, business fraud, as well as probate issues involving breaches of fiduciary duties.

Coach La’Tiara Calloway is the Head Coach of the B competitive team and began coaching the Panther Mock Trial team in 2023. Coach Calloway obtained her juris doctorate from Howard University School of Law in 2018. While at Howard School of Law, she became the treasurer and, later on, Vice President of the Business Law Society, and a member of the Huver I. Brown Trial Advocacy Moot Court Team.

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Over the course of her legal career, Coach Calloway has served as Assistant State Attorney and Assistant Chief of the Juvenile Division at the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office, currently working as Associate General Counsel for Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company.

Coach Deesha Smart is our newest addition to the coaching staff as co-head Coach of Team B. She began coaching the Panther Mock Trial team in 2024 along with the rest of the coaching staff. Coach Smart received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, and earned a membership in the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers.

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Currently, Coach Smart is an associate attorney at Harber Law where she concentrates her practice in the areas of complex business and condominium litigation.