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Meet the Better Together Team

Under the leadership of Megan Rose—and with the help of an amazing volunteer force—this small, yet deeply dedicated, team connects families and job seekers to the help they need.

Leadership Team

Megan Rose

Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Bell

Jeff Bell

Executive Director of Better Jobs

Isis LaRose

VP of Strategic Partnerships and Market Development

Kayla Palacios

Kayla Palacios

Florida Operations Director

National Team

Jaffe Abeshaus

Salesforce Administrator

Jennifer Bauer

Development Grants Manager

Lora Bostick

Director of Development

Amancia Calderon

Donor Cultivator

Laura Collins

Donor Outreach Manager

Vanessa Estrada

Program Administrator

Kelly Harrington

Kelly Harrington

Regional Expansion Support Specialist

Pamela Hayford

Marketing & Communications Manager

Melissa Howard

Executive Assistant to the CEO

Dawson Jordan

Creative Director

Melissa Sands

Graphic Designer

Jackie Webster

Grant Writer

Better Jobs Team

Cindy Carson

Better Jobs Partnership Developer

Samantha Watson

Better Jobs Project Manager

Gisela Weigel

Better Jobs Project Manager

Southwest Florida Team

Christy Sanchez

Executive Director

Jessica Braemer

Church Engagement &
Volunteer Director

Kaylee Cappadona

Program Support Specialist

Amanda Chisholm

Family Care Coordinator

Sahara Hines

Sahara Hines

Family Care Coordinator

North Central Florida Team
Katie Meyers

Kathryn Meyers

Outreach Director

Cassidy Vaughn

Cassidy Vaughn

Partnership Manager

Northeast Florida Team

Standralyn Terry

Executive Director

Barbara Mendez

Family Care Coordinator

Amber Matyi - Headshot

Amber Matyi

Program Support Specialist

Jacqueline 'Jack' Malleo - Headshot

Jacqueline 'Jack' Malleo

Partnership Manager

Tampa Bay Team
Madison Williams

Madison Williams

Executive Director

Ruth Pierce

Ruth Daley-Pierce

Outreach Director

Stephen Garcia

Partnership Manager

Lisa Perry

Family Care Coordinator

Hena Petersen

Program Support Specialist

Central East Florida

Brittany Day

Family Care Coordinator

Our team is dedicated to helping people help themselves. We empower them to find employment and provide a loving, safe and supportive foundation for their children.

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HEADQUARTERS

15275 Collier Boulevard
Suite 201-284
Naples, FL 34119
Tel: 239.470.2733
info@bettertogetherus.org
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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.

Jeff BellBetter Together Team
Jeff Bell
Executive Director of Better Jobs

Jeff brings more than 20 years of church leadership experience and an entrepreneurial spirit to our jobs ministry. He has held leadership positions at large churches, planted a church in Oregon and launched multisite locations in Indiana and Central Florida. Most recently, he served as senior pastor at Mosaic Church in Denver. Jeff relocated to the Orlando area and joined Better Together in April 2023 to lead Better Jobs and help churches put God’s words into action.

Jeff lives in Central Florida with his wife, Leslee and two children, Lauren and Garrett. Childhood sweethearts, the couple met in elementary school. The whole family loves the outdoors and helping others. Every day, they strive to live their family mantra: “Look out for the left out.”

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.

Kayla PalaciosBetter Together Team
Kayla Palacios
Florida Operations Director

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
Jen Bauer
Development Grants Manager

Jen has a heart for nonprofits and has a lengthy history of involvement both as a volunteer and employee. She has worked extensively with organizations that serve underrepresented individuals and is thrilled to bring her experience to Better Together. Jen is a mom of three and is eager to support the team and mission through her work.

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
Amancia Calderon
Donor Cultivator

Amancia brings a diverse range of experiences and passions. She received her education from Sacramento State University in California, where she studied elementary education and spent a few years in the classroom as a teacher. Her strength in education was connecting with children and their parents to best support the child with their unique qualities, skills, and individual goals.

Amancia’s goal at Better Together is to further connect with individuals who seek to make a real change in the lives of families who need love and support to overcome a life crisis.

Amancia is also a devoted wife and mother to two children and is truly grateful to be part of an organization where her whole family can help serve others. In her free time, she loves spending quality time with her family (and two doodle puppies), visiting different beaches and making beautiful memories with her loved ones.

Better Together Team
Laura Collins
Donor Outreach Manager

Laura comes to us with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from the University of West Florida and started her career in corporate sales and management. She is thrilled to bring her unique experience, along with her heart for sharing God’s love, to connect with others in the community who are passionate about helping families overcome a crisis and keeping families together. Laura’s strengths include building meaningful relationships and being a positive light wherever she goes.

Laura enjoys spending family time with her husband, Ben, and their two children, Ellie and Benji. In her free time, she enjoys being outside and exploring nature.

Better Together Team

Vanessa Estrada
Program Administrator

Vanessa’s journey with Better Together began a few years ago as she volunteered assisting with fundraising events. Now, we are thrilled to have Vanessa on staff and for her contribution in this key role. She has previously worked in the nonprofit sector for 7 years, serving children and families in foster care and at-risk youth. As a previous Program Manager, she is able to bring many years of administration experience on all levels. Vanessa’s strong faith and passion to help children and families in need are both evident by her commitment and willingness to always go the extra mile.

Vanessa was born in Fort Myers, Florida, and raised in Houston, Texas. Along with her husband Fabien and their two daughters, Arianni and Alyson, Vanessa now lives in Naples, FL. Vanessa loves spending time with her family and friends, mentoring at-risk youth, dancing, and event planning.

Better Together TeamKelly Harrington
Kelly Harrington
Regional Expansion Support Specialist

Kelly resides in SWFL where she is attending FGCU, and will graduate this coming August. Kelly is studying Child and Youth Studies,  with a concentration in Community Engagement. Kelly has spent the past several years serving the local church in various roles including college ministry and foster family care.

Kelly looks forward each day to working with a team of people that work hard and sacrificially to get parents the support they need to be successful and end generational cycles of abuse, homelessness, and crisis.

From a young age Kelly has seen the Lord’s hand over her life through his favor and faithfulness by showing her how important community is. Kelly is driven to help others cultivate community and build support systems.

Better Together Team
Pamela Hayford
Marketing & Communications Manager

Pamela is a storyteller. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she worked as a writer, reporter, editor and page designer. She’s interviewed politicians and a celebrity or two but spent most of the last 15 years among Southwest Florida’s families as editor of Southwest Florida Parent & Child magazine. That’s how she first learned of Better Together and became excited to tell the stories of its mission, its families and its staff.

Pam grew up in Northeast Ohio and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Bowling Green State University. Falling head over heels for her husband and her work eventually brought her to Florida. They’ve been living in Cape Coral since 2000 and have two teenage children, four if you count her spoiled pups.

Better Together Team
Melissa Howard
Executive Assistant to the CEO 

Before joining Better Together, Melissa dedicated nine years to children as an elementary school teacher. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Reading with an Emphasis in Elementary Education. Melissa has worked with students of various backgrounds and needs. Her teaching role brought her experience, knowledge, and insight into what children and their families face in times of trouble and crisis. She has seen firsthand how a child’s home life can affect them educationally, socially, mentally, and emotionally. As a military spouse, Melissa understands the value of a strong home front and is excited to be part of the mission of keeping families together and children out of foster care.

Melissa was born and raised in Southwest Florida and moved to Northeast Florida in 2018. She lives in Saint Augustine with her husband and puppy and enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends.

 

Better Together Team

Dawson Jordan
Creative Director

Dawson is an exciting addition to the Better Together Team. Since graduating college in 2015 from Florida Gulf Coast University with his bachelor’s degree in Business Management he has managed to create a successful career for himself as a self-employed freelance videographer/photographer. He has recently relocated back to his hometown in SWFL and is excited to join the team as the Creative Director to help us tell the Better Together story. Dawson is passionate about telling stories through a creative lens, especially when it comes to seeing families stay together and for individuals to thrive and become the best version of themselves. When Dawson is not in the office he likes to hang out with his friends, workout, and watch sports.

Better Together Team
Cindy Carson
Better Jobs Partnership Developer/Contractor

Cindy joined Better Together with a background in mortgage lending, finance and church and community work. She loves to see our community and churches work together to meet needs and is especially passionate about the opportunity to reflect Christ in the workplace and connect faith to work.

Her story began in staffing, in downtown DC, where she fell in love with where and how people work and what they love to do.  Work was a place of confidence until the recession, where as a mortgage loan officer, she came face-to-face with financial insecurity, doubt, and un- and under-employment. Those days are easily accessible whenever she encourages a friend going through a hard job transition.  As a pastor’s wife, she is especially passionate about the church’s role in bringing bottom-line, sustainable help to those who are struggling with work, enabling them to provide for their families and gain skills that will last a lifetime. She loves interacting with community partners and area employers, who will help change the landscape of unemployment and sustainability in the workplace. After facilitating a Job Fair at her church, Cindy is very excited to be part of the Better Together team to bring resources, hope and long-term change to families in crisis.

Cindy and her husband, Tim, live and work in the SWFL community, where Tim is a pastor. They have four (great!) adult children, enjoy their families and think being grandparents is a blast. Cindy loves spending time with family and friends, kayaking, dancing and traveling.  

Better Together Team
Gisela Weigel
Better Jobs Project Manager

Gisela was born and raised in Southwest Florida, so naturally, she has a strong passion and desire for helping people in this community. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Florida Gulf Coast University. She previously worked in the non-profit sector supporting foster children but then decided to pursue a corporate career. Gisela quickly learned that her heart belonged to serving those in our community through non-profit work, and this led her to Better Together. Gisela is excited to join the Better Together team and help lead our mission of keeping families together and children out of foster care.

Gisela loves spending time with her husband, and her precious dog Obi. When asked, others would describe Gisela as thoughtful, optimistic, and persistent. When Gisela is not in the office, she enjoys volunteering, watching the Hallmark Channel/reruns of her favorite shows, and making memories with her family and friends.

Better Together Team
Christy Sanchez
Executive Director

Christy has a long history with Better Together starting back in 2017. Over the years Christy has worked in all areas of the Better Families and Better Jobs programs. Currently, Christy is the SWFL Executive Director. She feels blessed to be part of the Better Together team and thrilled to help equip and inspire SWFL to love their neighbor as Christy loved us.

Christy and her husband Diego, have two children Adelina and Neiva. Family is everything to Christy and loves spending time with them in nature. The Sanchez family is delighted to continue to serve families in need and show their children the value of helping others.

Better Together Team

Jessica Braemer

Sarasota and Manatee County Partnership Manager


Jessica has worked in the nonprofit sector through building and serving women and children, and families in her community. Jessica has a deep desire to do the Lord’s will in her life, and feels privileged to share her testimony of overcoming to bring hope into the lives of others. She has a passion to walk alongside those who are yearning for a better life. Jessica also works hand in hand with those struggling in addiction, domestic violence, human trafficking, and any life controlling issues. She lives a lifestyle of cultivating community. Jessica is excited to be part of the Better Together family by bringing resources and compassion to families in crisis.

Jessica and her husband, Joshua, share a beautiful blended family of six and have a powerful testimony of what the Lord can do in someone’s life. They have a passion to serve God, their family, their community, and are blessed to do together.

Better Together Team
Kaylee Cappadona
Program Support Specialist

Kaylee is joining Better Together after spending nearly a decade in education, most recently as an Intervention Support Specialist working with parents and teachers to support struggling students so they can be successful in their education. In this role, Kaylee has seen the impact of family hardships and trauma on children, and the importance of support and stability for their success and wellbeing. Kaylee recognizes the value of the family unit and is excited to bring her skills to the Better Together team.

Kaylee was born and raised in Southwest Florida. She has her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her master’s degree in educational leadership. She lives in Fort Myers with her husband, Tom, and their three daughters. She enjoys serving in her church, traveling, trying new restaurants, spending time with her family, and days at the beach.

Better Together Team
Amanda Chisholm
Family Care Coordinator

Amanda brings years of experience serving in various capacities in the substance use and mental health fields. Her personal journey created a passion in her to help others from a place of empathy and compassion with whatever struggles they may face. Her goal in all her interactions is to provide hope, love, support, and encouragement, with the belief that real change is possible, and everyone deserves a happy, healthy, productive life.

Amanda is a graduate of Grand Canyon University with a bachelor’s in science of counseling with an emphasis on substance abuse. Her course work in spirituality as it relates to mental health helps solidify her belief in God and the ability of connection to heal.

Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband, Dave, and their two daughters, Mackenzy and Jennifer (and of course their two dogs!). Amanda unwinds by building and refinishing furniture and creating.

Better Together TeamSahara Hines
Sahara Hines
Family Care Coordinator

Ms. Hines is a Family Care Coordinator in the Southwest Florida region. Sahara is an ambitious and energetic individual who brings years of experience serving in various capacities in the human services field. She served in the United States Army Reserves and attended her undergrad at the University of Colorado Boulder for Sociology.
 
Sahara has a passion for helping others and brings a fierce determination, no matter how big or small the obstacle. She’s excited to be a part of the Better Together team and is dedicated to serving her community.
 
When Sahara is not in the office, you’ll often find her with her family on a boat or at the dog park. She also loves to travel, cook, and scrapbook.

Better Together Team
Kathryn Meyers
Outreach Director

Katie comes to the Better Together team with nine years of experience working with children and families. She is a Florida native who values spending time outdoors, traveling, and bonding with her family. Katie has a passion for helping people, and because of this, she obtained her master’s degree in exceptional student education and applied behavioral analysis, which focused on child development. She also earned her Specialist Certificate in Florida Infant and Toddler Development.

Over her career, Katie has worked alongside ministries that focus on trauma support, helping people through drug and alcohol addiction and other crisis situations. For a time, Katie served as a case manager for families who lived in the lowest income area of Toledo, Ohio. She then continued her career as a child development specialist for the state, where she provided in-home therapy to children with developmental and behavioral delays and created caregiver support plans. During this time, she specialized in serving families where foster and biological families worked together to support the children living in the home. Although she saw a lot of joy and community coming together in these situations, she also saw the trauma and negative impacts on families and children this sometimes caused. Katie knew there was a need for keeping families together and out of the system.

Upon returning to Florida, Katie heard about Better Together at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast and knew that she wanted to be a part of the team. She loves the opportunity to serve others and is passionate about the services that Better Together provides.

Better Together TeamCassidy Vaughn
Cassidy Vaughn
Northeast Central Partnership Manager 

Cassidy began building connections with families at a very young age. She has always had a strong desire to help children, especially those with disabilities. At 17 years old, her first job was assisting a family to help care for their child with severe autism. This experience made her realize her passion for helping those in need. For several years, she worked with families who had children with disabilities, helping them strengthen their relationships as a family and giving them guidance and support. Cassidy then met a family who was opening a small business. She stepped into a new and unique role of assisting and learning leadership skills to help grow their business as she continued to love and nurture their newborn.

After many years caring for children and assisting families, Cassidy began a new career path in the medical field in 2018. She worked in the skilled nursing industry and with a non-medical home health company for a few years. But she missed working with children and families.

Cassidy’s deep love for others and an innate desire to help families brought her to joining the team at Better Together. Cassidy firmly believes that her personal childhood experiences gave her a passion for the mission, her years working with families and children gave her a vast understanding of crises that our families may be experiencing, and her years in skilled nursing gave her the knowledge of leadership, organization, ability to multitask, and to always put her best foot forward.

To continue serving families in North Central Florida is also important to Cassidy. This is home. Cassidy was born in Nevada but moved to Florida when she was 10. The community is very much a part of her. She graduated from Forest High School in Ocala and is working toward her bachelor’s degree in business at the College of Central Florida.

 

Better Together Team
Dr. Standralyn Terry
Northeast Florida Executive Director

Dr. Terry has committed her career to embracing positive community development. She has provided leadership in education, advocacy and funding to support career colleges and nonprofits throughout Northeast Florida. A leader with more than 20 years of management experience in the higher education and nonprofit sectors, Dr. Terry is passionate about addressing the issues affecting people and communities.

Prior to joining Better Together, Dr. Terry served as an academic dean and nonprofit organizational development consultant. During her tenure at each organization, she strengthened programmatic and administrative infrastructure and forged partnerships with community stakeholders, government, foundations and corporations to advance each mission and increase outcomes.

Dr. Terry has a deep commitment to her faith, family and fulfilling God’s will that all come into the knowledge of Him. When not spending time with her family, she enjoys traveling the world and participating in community clubs and events.

Better Together Team

Barbara Mendez
Family Care Coordinator

Barbara has always enjoyed working with people. After graduating from Florida State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs, and a minor in public administration, she started her career as a family service counselor and then an adoption specialist, where her passion for serving families grew. Serving children and families felt like a calling and seeing various family situations that led to child welfare getting involved made her realize that sometimes parents just need a support system. Barbara felt drawn to Better Together’s mission to help families and keep children out of foster care while empowering the church to be Jesus’s hands and feet. 

In her free time, Barbara enjoys traveling and hanging out outdoors with her two fur babies, Henna and Theo.

Amber Matyi - HeadshotBetter Together Team
Amber Matyi
Program Support Specialist

Amber first connected with Better Together at her church in the spring of 2023. She and her family joined as volunteers and began hosting infants by summer. Amber’s background included teaching and working with teens to make positive decisions. She also managed grants for a nonprofit in North Jacksonville. She quickly fell in love with our mission and felt compelled to join the team so that she could further advance the important work that is being done to support families in Northeast Florida. Amber holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and has taught in both public and private settings.

Amber is a wife and mother of three kids and one puppy. She loves music, the beach, working in her garden, serving at her church and spending time with her family.

Jacqueline 'Jack' Malleo - HeadshotBetter Together Team
Jacqueline ‘Jack’ Malleo
Partnership Manager

Jacqueline has vast partnership experience, ranging from professional sports to community service pojects with women and children. During her career she has worked with a plethora of nonprofit organizations from a partnership perspective and always felt a calling to serve others.

She was very blessed and fortunate to grow up in a house based upon faith and helping others and searched for organizations that would be able to provide both. Through prayer she discovered Better Together, as it provided her the core values in an organization she wanted to be involved in and an opportunity to be immersed in the community and to help families.

Jacqueline is excited to help make an impact in Northeast Florida and help families be Better Together.

Better Together TeamMadison Williams
Madison Williams
Tampa Bay Executive Director

Before joining Better Together, Madison worked in the welfare system and saw the difficulties and challenges that families face. Through that experience, her passion for helping children and families only grew. She strongly believes that the church has the power to provide families with the support and community they need to succeed.

Madison’s experience also includes working for the South Carolina Youth Advocate Program and with adults struggling with addiction, which often impacted a family’s ability to stay together. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminal justice.

Madison first joined Better Together as Outreach Director in Southwest Florida. In her role, she connected with other community organizations and worked together to provide wraparound support to families and children in need within the community. She believes that even one supportive action can change the trajectory of a person’s life. In the summer of 2023, Madison was named the Tampa Bay executive director.

Madison enjoys spending time with her husband, John, and their dog, Cooper. She enjoys going to the beach and spending time with friends and family.

Better Together Team
Ruth Pierce
Outreach Director, Tampa Bay

After serving as a Guardian ad Litem for a decade and gaining extensive experience in the foster care realm as a dedicated volunteer, Ruth is thrilled to join the Better Together team. Her strong involvement in her church showcases her passionate commitment to prayer and her joy in praying alongside others to witness the transformative power of God in their lives. Ruth firmly believes in the concept of “It takes a village” and is excited to wholeheartedly embrace the Better Together mission outlined in James 1:27.

Ruth’s academic journey includes earning a bachelor’s in English education from the University of South Florida and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Georgia State University. With over 15 years of experience in the field of education, she has excelled as a teacher, club sponsor, sports coach, and assistant principal.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Ruth is happily married to James and together they form a blended family, which includes her incredibly fun-loving son, Jacob. The Pierce family finds great joy in giving back to their community through volunteering, as well as exploring new destinations through their travels. They lead an active lifestyle, engaging in activities like bowling, tennis, and arcade games throughout the week. Eager to extend their love and support to others, they look forward to hosting families and leaving a lasting legacy of compassion and unity.

Better Together Team
Lisa Perry
Tampa Bay Region Family Care Coordinator

Lisa started with Better Together as a home study specialist and, in 2022, moved into the role of family care coordinator in the Tampa region. Prior to working with families in crisis, she was a kindergarten teacher for 20 years. After teaching, she became a certified child protection investigator. She worked and advocated for foster families, including as a resource specialist who assisted families and children in need. Lisa also holds a certificate in infant family mental health from the University of South Florida and volunteers at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in the NICU.

Lisa and her husband of 34 years have two grown children, C.J. and Jessica. They enjoy spending time with them and their four grandchildren as well as fur babies Ricky and Lucy — high energy, Frisbee-catching miniature Aussies.

Better Together Team
Hena Petersen
Program Support Specialist, Tampa Bay

Hena and her husband, Pete, first came to know Better Together through a fellow pilot wife and friend. The couple signed up to become a host family and, as Hena says, the journey has been incredible.

Hena’s passion and desire to help others and her love for children led her to a full-time role with Better Together as a program support specialist.

“Not only am I blessed to serve others and see positive change in the community, I am able to do this daily alongside an incredible team of people,” Hena says.

She and Pete have three children: Sam, Mitch, and Ryu.

“We are so excited to serve families in our community through this ministry,” Hena says. “We are even more excited to share our love for helping others with our children, extended family, and friends.”

Better Together Team
Brittany Day
Family Care Coordinator, Central East Florida

Brittany brings to Better Together a wealth of experience in serving at-risk families and a profound sense of duty cultivated during her six years of active duty military service.

Growing up, Brittany faced many challenges living in a divorced household with family members who struggled with mental health issues and addiction. Upon leaving the Navy, Brittany pursued a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies and a master’s degree in addiction counseling. While serving as a lead therapist in a substance abuse treatment center, Brittany worked to address the complex challenges faced by individuals and families who struggle with addiction and crisis. Brittany’s journey—from her service in the Navy to her work with at-risk families and her dedication to addiction counseling—reflects a life lived in the service of others. Her story is a testament to the belief that we are indeed “better together,” and her presence comes from a deep desire to keep families together and to help the community.

Beyond her professional adventures, Brittany finds her greatest joy in the simple moments spent with her husband, Nick, and their son, Carson. These precious family moments serve as a reminder of what truly matters in life, and they fuel Brittany’s unwavering dedication to her work. In her free time, Brittany indulges in her passion for reading, cooking and DIY projects.

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