Board Of Directors

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Partnership for Strong Families is led by a board of passionate and dedicated individuals who are helping to create a brighter future for local children and families. Scroll down to learn more about this team.


KAY AYERS – CHAIR

Kay Ayers is a retired Human Resources executive from AvMed, Inc. and SantaFe HealthCare, Inc. Prior to her 27 years in Human Resources, Ayers worked in Finance and Accounting for 7 years.  Ayers also spent 10 years as a partner and staff accountant in a local CPA firm.  Ayers currently participates as a member of Haven Women of Philanthropy, Women’s Giving Circle, and the Community Foundation of North Central Florida Board of Directors and Governance Committee. She also currently serves on the Alachua County American Heart Association Board of Directors. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Girls Place, Junior Achievement of Alachua County, United Way of North Central Florida, and the Florida Chamber Foundation.

KATHRYN (KITTY) MCELHANEY – CHAIR EMERITUS

Kitty McElhaney obtained her Specialist in Education from Nova University and also holds a Master’s in Business Management from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics Education from Ohio Dominican College. She has received numerous honors and recognitions including Teacher of the Year and Florida Assistant Principal of the Year. Ms. McElhaney has more than 40 years of experience in the school system serving in both teacher and administrative roles.

Ms. McElhaney is a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, currently serving as the Chapter Regent, and currently sits on the Regional Board of Take Stock in Children.   A member of Altrusa International, she has served on the District Board for several years for the southeast region,  including the Immediate Past Governor.  Ms. McElhaney is an International Director for Altrusa International, Inc. She serves as a member of External Review teams for Cognia, an International Educational Accreditation Organization. Taking an active role in her community provides a keen insight into the needs of residents of Columbia County to PSF’s Board of Directors. Her experience in the education system helps to guide PSF’s Board in making important decisions to ensure children in our care have their academic needs and goals supported.

ELIZABETH MITCHELL – CHAIR ELECT 

Elizabeth Mitchell is an active member of her Hamilton County community and brings both professional and personal experience with social work to her role as a Partnership for Strong Families board member. Mrs. Mitchell graduated from Florida State University in 2004 with a degree in social work and received her Master’s Degree in 2020.  She currently works as a guidance counselor at Hamilton County High School in Jasper. She spent years working as a social worker and also has experience as a relative caregiver, caring for and eventually adopting her biological nephew.

She is an active Sunday School Instructor and Vacation Bible School Music Director at First Presbyterian Church of Jasper. She previously served as a Board Member of the United Way of the Suwannee Valley and participated in the Hamilton County Child Abuse Prevention Taskforce.

GUY JOPLING – TREASURER

Guy Jopling has been in banking for the past 15 years.  He is currently a Commercial Banker with First Federal Bank.  In this role, he works with small business owners to develop financial strategies to meet their business goals.  Guy was born and raised in Florida.  He received his bachelor degree in English and History from the University of South Florida.  He also holds a diploma from The Graduate School of Banking from Louisiana State University.

Guy is a member of the Gainesville Rotary Club where he participates in the Rotary Youth Exchange program.  He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of the North Central Florida YMCA.  This connection and support of the community is what he loves about North Central Florida.

Guy is very passionate about Partnership for Strong Families and the work the organization does.  He and his wife, utilized PFSF in the adoption of their daughter.  This connection and passion was the motivation to help serve Partnership for Strong Families’ Board of Directors.

KENNY BRIGHTON – SECRETARY

Kenny Brighton brings a wealth of knowledge of community-based care to his role as board member for Partnership for Strong Families. Mr. Brighton moved to North Central Florida from Broward County where he worked in community relations for community-based care agency ChildNet in Fort Lauderdale. He brings his experience from ChildNet to the Partnership for Strong Families Board. In his free time, he served as board president for the Kiwanis Club and American Cancer Society Relay for Life. He also volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America.

Mr. Brighton is no stranger to the Gainesville area as he received two Masters Degrees in Public Administration and Family, Youth and Community Sciences from the University of Florida. He currently serves as Head of Philanthropy for the Chordoma Foundation. He lives in Tioga with his wife and daughter.

WILL HALVOSA

Will Halvosa has served the Gainesville Police Department for over 37 years, more recently serving as the Disproportionate Minority Contact Coordinator while leading many initiatives involving racial and ethnic disparities, youth and community relationships.  Will holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida and is certified in Racial and Ethnics Disparities from Georgetown University.  Will has been an instructor in implicit Bias, Procedural Justice, DMC, trauma, and Restorative Justice with Fox Valley Technical Institute, the Gainesville Police Department and the Center for Children’s Law and Policy.  In additional to Partnerships for Strong Families, Will serves on the YouthBuild board and the Motiv8U Board.  Beyond his work, Will enjoys golf, old cars, raising farm animals, and spending time with his wife, Rosa, and their 4 children and one grandchild.

PATRICK ALLEN

Patrick Allen is currently part of the Health Administration, and most recently he started Action Title Closing Services, LLC. He is actively involved in the community and is a current member of the following organizations: Back Fighting Cancer, Suwanee Valley Rotary and AmVets Post 422.   Mr. Allen is a LCSW with a wide array of work experience that includes working with at risk children, severe mental illnesses, and hospice care.

LASHONE SURRENCY

LaShone Surrency has a Master’s degree in Business Administration in Human Resources with a concentration in Organizational Management, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida. Ms. Surrency has 30 years’ experience in Early Care and Education Administration and Leadership. Throughout her tenure in the industry, she has served in several leadership positions: Child Care Administrative Assistant, Child Care Training Instructor, Regional Eligibility & Family Resource Coordinator, and Deputy Director of Performance and Accountability. She has been a National Accreditation Observer with the Association for Family Child Care. Currently, she serves as Executive Director of the Early Learning Coalition in Lake City, Florida and, serves as a member of the Association of Early Learning Coalitions in Florida (AELC). Ms. Surrency always finds joy in helping others, particularly children, students, and young adults. She spends time inspiring, motivating and investing in the lives of others to equip, empower, and encourage. Ms. Surrency is passionate and believes that everyone has a purpose in life. She embraces similarities and differences of others and promotes the importance of thinking outside of the box! Ms. Surrency is an active volunteer and gives her time supporting civic and service organizations that focus on the betterment of youth and children. She has served as a local Club President, and District 3 Director of Altrusa International, and a contributing member of the United Way of Suwannee Valley.

DENNY GEORGE

Denny George of Trenton, Florida, is currently the General Manager of Central Florida Electric Cooperative and Fiber by Central Florida (CFEC), where he started in July of 2018. CFEC provides service to Gilchrist, Dixie, and Levy County.

Prior to CFEC, Denny worked for Florida Power and Light (now NextEra Energy) for 21 years in a variety of positions working with some of FPL’s largest and most complex customers including NASA/Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Station. Denny also spent 12 years, locally, with Duke Energy serving the Tri-County area.

Denny is also on the Board of Directors of Camp Anderson, Levy County Schools Foundation, Gilchrist County Schools Foundation, Chiefland Chamber, Seminole Electric Cooperative, Friends of Children of North Central Florida, and participates on the Haven Hospice Advisory Board and Harmony Pregnancy and Resource Center.

Denny graduated from the University of Florida in 1985 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.

SHARON SURRENCY

Ms. Surrency brings to the PSF Board her 46 years of nursing experience, primarily in pediatrics, as a nurse and nurse administrator with Children’s Medical Services for 34 of those years prior to her retirement in 2015. Most recently, Sharon retired from PSF as the Nurse Care Coordinator, where she served from 2015-2024.

Sharon’s community involvement includes her service on the Healthy Families Alachua Advisory Board, former 9-year Board member and President of the North Central Florida Healthy Start Board, current member of the Hawthorne Recreation Advisory Committee, and member of Hawthorne Area Chamber of Commerce. Surrency has served in elected office as the first woman Mayor of Hawthorne, where she served for 16 years. She has earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in public health administration from the University of South Florida, and a Certificate of Christian Studies from Asbury Seminary. She is a current member of Florida Nurses Association, Florida Public Health Association, and NurseTrust, Inc., a program out of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows, where she was a member of the 2001 cohort.

She currently serves as the resident minister and Outreach Coordinator for the non-profit Hawthorne Area Resource Center, Inc. which is an extension ministry of Hawthorne First United Methodist Church where she also serves as co-pastor.

Sharon and her husband, Ron, live in Hawthorne and enjoy their 4 adult children, their spouses, and 10 grandchildren.

Dr. Timothea Jackson

Dr. Timothea Jackson is an assistant director for pharmacy services at UF Health Shands in Gainesville, Florida. She is also the Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pharmacy Committee on campus as well. Timothea has been in her current role for two years and was in the pharmacist coordinator of Pediatrics and Women’s Services role from 2017 – 2022. Prior to her leadership roles at UF Health, Dr. Jackson was a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Clinical Specialist for 8 years at Baptist South/Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville. She is an active member of her community in Hamilton County as well as a member of The Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacist.

 

Child abuse is preventable
We can help change the lives of many children and teens.

A hallmark of PSF’s system of care is our belief that child abuse is preventable. We have found that by providing resources and supports to families in need on the front end, many can avoid reaching the crises that lead to formal child welfare involvement functions.

Monetary Donations

Monetary donations throughout the year are a huge help to the children we serve. We accept donations by check, which can be mailed to our office or through the Philanthropy Hub link here.

Volunteer

Become part of a team that makes a lasting impact! No matter how much time you have to give, it is enough to make a big difference

Special Events

We often have unique opportunities to partner with us through events that are organized to benefit Partnership for Strong Families

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