Board of Directors

Message from our Board Chair, Beth Rowe:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" - Charles Dickens

If you're a child whose life is torn by neglect, abuse or abandonment - if you are among the children who fear there is no hope, no future - then "it is the worst of times."

Each year, thousands of Florida's youngest victims wake up each morning to a deadly and dangerous world. Some are abandoned by parents whose craving for addictive substances has taken control of their lives. Some were sexually or physically abused before they could walk. More than 100 of Florida's children last year paid with their lives for simply being born in the wrong place at the wrong time.

These children are the reason why Children's Home Society of Florida exists and why it has adopted the mission of

Embracing Children. Inspiring Lives.

As Board Chair of the Gulf Coast Division, I urge you to join me in trying to make a difference. I urge you to make a commitment - not only to protect and guide our young ones, but to do more - to help break the tragic cycle of child abuse and neglect for increasing numbers of children within our community. With your help, this dream can become a reality. Together, we can end the recurring nightmares too many children have suffered. Together, we can ensure every child is safe, healthy and prepared for life.

Gulf Coast Division Board of Directors

-Beth Rowe, Chair
-Kelly Corcoran, Vice Chair
-Larry Baisden
-Sandra Barkley
-David Calverley
-Maria Erickson 
-Mike Kerrigan
-Kathy Mize
-Pamelyn Pytlak
-Holly D. Schmidt
-Kelly Strammer, Junior Board Member