Meet our passionate Leadership Team
Under the leadership of Megan Rose—and with the help of an amazing volunteer force—our small, yet deeply dedicated, team connects families and job seekers to the help they need.
Megan Rose
Chief Executive Officer
Maria P. Hayes
Chief Financial Officer
Jess Tharpe
Chief Operations Officer
Erika DeLeon
Chief of Staff
Kayla Palacios
VP of Operations
Isis LaRose
VP of Strategic Partnerships and Market Development
Lora Bostick
Director of Development
Better Together Team
Megan Rose
Chief Executive Officer
Megan came to understand the value of empowering families with support and resources through her own journey. When she was young, her father went through recovery and the family was split apart. He was able to get healthy, while strangers came alongside her family and showered them with support. Soon, her parents and family reunited. Those powerful lessons of compassion were the early inspiration for a life and career dedicated to the calling of strengthening families and reminding people of their dignity, worth, and value.
In addition to her passion for her helping families, Megan has a wealth of education, over ten years of dedicated experience in social services. She holds an undergraduate degree from Liberty University in Psychology and a Master’s in Human Services with a dual concentration in Executive Leadership and Family and Group Dynamics. After college, Megan worked abroad as a nanny, then returned to Florida where she worked for four years as a child welfare case manager before becoming director for a foster care agency. In 2015, she joined Safe Families for Children, then branched off in 2018 to start her own organization, Better Together.
Megan was the recipient of the Manhattan Institute Civil Society Award in 2018 and was accepted into their Fellowship in 2020. In October 2020, Megan was featured on the cover of Grandeur Magazine for her work at Better Together and also earned the Cape Coral Community Foundation’s Rising Organization of the Year Award.
Family is everything to Megan, and she counts her husband Mason and their three precious children, Brady, Ellie, and Emma, as her greatest blessings in life. Megan and her family approach this ministry together, and routinely host children in their home. They are a team, and her family continually supports her wonderful adventure as the leader of Better Together. She feels blessed to have her family’s support behind her and to be a part of a team of talented, passionate individuals who love people and want to help equip the faith community to grow the Better Together mission.
Better Together Team
Maria P. Hayes, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Maria is a Florida native who brings over two decades of financial expertise to Better Together. Her journey from controller at Allen Systems Group to chief financial officer for the Naples Chamber of Commerce exemplifies her relentless pursuit of excellence. Her deep affection for nonprofits began in 1998 when she joined Bentley Village CCRC as director of accounting. In 2002, she founded Maria P Hayes CPA & Associates PLLC and focused primarily on nonprofit services.
In her firm, Maria managed a team of eight accountants and served numerous clients, including several churches, the United Way of Collier County, and the Naples Chamber of Commerce. Her responsibilities spanned financial, grant, and grantor reporting, strategic planning, budgeting, and audit preparation.
Maria earned her master’s in accountancy at the University of South Florida and multiple certifications, including CPA, CMA and CFM. She actively pursues continued education focusing on nonprofit financial management.
Better Together Team
Erika DeLeon
Chief of Staff
Erika comes to us with 15 years of experience in operational leadership and strategic partnership development. Erika holds an executive master’s degree in healthcare administration and has spent most of her career in the healthcare industry. She is deeply passionate for family unity and connection and feels that she was called to the Better Together mission. Her values are deeply rooted in Christian principles and she believes that Jesus has provided all of us with the gift of connection. She believes God offers us connectivity to his Word, to people, resources, and so much more. With first-hand experiences of family crisis as a young child and throughout multiple seasons of life, Erika is excited to serve as part of the Better Together family to share the love of Christ and to help keep families together.
Erika is a devoted wife to her husband, Wellington, and mother of two beautiful sons, Casey and Ethan. They enjoy spending time as a family engaging in sports activities, playing games, laughing, cooking, and everything in-between.
Better Together Team
Kayla Palacios
VP of Operations
Kayla comes to us after 12 years in the field of education, most recently as an assistant principal. Years of working with children who have experienced the trauma of a broken family has made her extremely passionate about keeping families together. Kayla believes that one life can change the world, through the power of Jesus, and that each and every one of us is made on purpose for a purpose. It was that belief that led her to Better Together, after hearing CEO Megan Rose speak at her church about the incredible impact the organization is having on families and the community.
Kayla serves on the worship and kids’ ministry teams in her local church and engages in ministry serving children in the foster care system, residents in a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, and people who are in need of free dental, optical, and medical care through an organization in the local community. Kayla has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in Latin American studies and a master’s degree in educational leadership, both from the University of Florida. She is currently working on her doctorate in education in Christian leadership from Liberty University.
Kayla and her husband, Alex, have three beautiful children who they are looking forward to bringing alongside them in serving families through Better Together.
Better Together Team
Isis LaRose
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Market Development
Isis started on the team as outreach director in 2018 and was promoted to the Better Families executive director role in early 2020. Prior to joining Better Together, Isis worked in the medical field for 16 years. She has always had a passion for helping others, but it wasn’t until being introduced to Better Together, and becoming a host family in 2017, that she realized her passion for helping families in need.
Over the last four years, her family has hosted 21 children. Her husband, Danny, and children, Asher and Ayden, are just as committed as she is in this ministry and share in the joy of being able to care for children while their families maneuver through crisis. Better Together is a way her whole family serves together and she’s thankful to have the support of her family in this mission.
Better Together Team
Lora Bostick
Director of Development
Lora and her husband, Chris, were first drawn to Better Together when they heard about the organization at church. They immediately signed up to become a host family and get involved. Lora’s passion for helping others and her love for children eventually led her to a full-time role with Better Together as the director of development. Lora holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from West Virginia University.
Lora and Chris have three children: Jay, Nia and Olivia. They look forward to continuing to serve families in their community through this ministry and showing their kids the value of helping others.
Better Together Team
Jess Tharpe
Chief Operations Officer
Jess Tharpe is joining the Better Together team as Chief Operating Officer in September.
Jess comes to Better Together from the executive leadership team at the Florida Department of Children and Families, where she served as assistant secretary for the Office of Community Services. She brings 10 years of experience in child and family services and another 10 years of experience in business development, operations, and administration.
She has a big heart for families and has also served as boots on the ground with Better Together to provide essential supplies to families impacted by hurricanes Ian and Idalia.
Jess holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and has also served as president of the Junior League of Tallahassee. She lives in the Florida capital with her husband and two children.
