Meet the Better Together team

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.

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.

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.

Claudia serves as Vice President of Finance and Administration at Better Together, where she brings more than 15 years of experience in accounting and tax with a strong focus on nonprofit organizations. She oversees the financial and administrative systems that sustain Better Together’s growth and long-term impact. Before stepping into this role full-time, Claudia supported the organization for several years as its accounting manager while also serving as Senior Corporate Tax Accountant at TaxSavers.

Over the past six years, she has worked closely with CEO Megan Rose and developed a deep passion for Better Together’s mission of keeping families together. Claudia is currently completing her CPA designation and pursuing her Master’s degree at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Beyond her professional work, Claudia is rooted in her community and guided by her love of adventure. She has a lifelong passion for traveling and sailing, having explored destinations from the South Pacific to the Alps. She lives in Port Charlotte with her English Bull Terrier and is an active member of Deep Creek Community Church, where she serves and volunteers faithfully.

Devin McKnight serves as Better Together’s Senior Director of Church Relations and Volunteer Mobilization, where he works with CEO Megan Rose to expand the organization’s programs and strengthen church and volunteer engagement nationwide. In this role, he leads the strategic team responsible for cultivating new partnerships and serving as the primary liaison between church partners and Better Together’s internal team.

Devin joined the nonprofit as executive director for the North Central Florida region, where he guided local operations and expanded Better Together’s presence in the community. His background includes 14 years as a learning and development professional in the insurance industry and five years as an executive director for his local church, giving him both organizational and ministry leadership experience.

He earned a degree in family, youth and community science with a minor in business from the University of Florida and is currently pursuing a seminary degree in ministerial studies.

Travis serves as Better Together’s Senior Director of Workforce Relations. He has a passion for helping families and businesses achieve their goals. He brings to Better Together more than 15 years of experience in business development, client and employer relations, sales, and customer service. His career spans both the nonprofit and for-profit worlds, a valued combination as he helps businesses make a positive impact on their communities through Better Together.

Barbara Valdez brings over 17 years of human resources experience and expertise to Better Together as Director of Human Resources, Legal & Government Affairs.

Barbara comes to us from Kolter Solutions, a nationally recognized IT staffing firm, where she built and oversaw human resources operations, compliance, retention, benefits administration, employee relations, and onboarding.

Passionate about fostering gratitude, appreciation, and a positive work culture, Barbara entrusts her path to the guidance of her faith.

Barbara holds an associate degree in business management and a bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior from Rollins College. Barbara has held a Professional Human Resources certification since 1994 and actively engages with the Society for Human Resources Management and the local GO SHRM Chapter. In 2023, Barbara graduated from the ATHENA NextGen Women’s Leadership Program, an experience she continues to leverage to champion and empower women in leadership roles.

Outside of professional endeavors, Barbara finds fulfillment in volunteering, quality time with her family, exploring new destinations and attempting culinary recipes (most of them good). Barbara lives in Volusia County with her family and takes immense pride in her son, Ethan, who received a Bright Futures scholarship and attends the University of Central Florida.

Sara Guando serves as Senior Manager of Development Operations at Better Together, where she strengthens fundraising systems, donor engagement, and operational excellence. She oversees the infrastructure that drives the organization’s development strategy by building efficient processes, aligning data and technology, and equipping the team to cultivate and steward donors at every level.

Before joining Better Together, Sara served as Senior Development Manager with the American Cancer Society, where she led large-scale fundraising initiatives and managed high-value donor and corporate relationships. Her background in both front-line fundraising and behind-the-scenes operations gives her a unique perspective on how to connect missions with resources in ways that maximize impact.

Sara holds a degree from the State University of New York College at Cortland. She is passionate about creating systems that support sustainable growth and free teams to focus on what matters most: building authentic relationships and changing lives.

With a blend of strategic vision and operational rigor, Sara is committed to advancing Better Together’s mission of keeping families strong and helping communities thrive.