Safe Children Coalition announces 2025-2026 board of directors

Child welfare agency Safe Children Coalition (SCC) is proud to announce its 2025-2026 board of directors, a volunteer leadership body tasked with providing expertise in areas including child welfare, fostering, adopting, education, banking, finance and accounting, and mental/behavioral health, and assisting the organization in achieving its organizational directives.

Tony Gamelin continues as the chair of the board, Rob Goldstein is the new vice chair, and Chris Stobaugh continues as treasurer. Continuing directors are Paul Couzelis, Darren Gambrell and Brian Goodrich; new directors in 2025 are Jeff Speers and Ann Walborn.

Gamelin is the owner of CFO Integrity LLC, which provides fractional/outsourced CFO, accounting clean-up, personnel management, mergers and acquisitions due diligence, and forensic accounting services to businesses and nonprofits. He has more than 35 years of experience as a CPA in accounting, finance, and management. Gamelin has adopted three children and has an ongoing passion for helping children.

Speers is a financial planner at Rise Financial Partners in Sarasota, Fla., with over 20 years of experience helping individuals plan for a secure retirement. He and his wife, Megan, lead an active lifestyle and cherish their involvement in the lives of their three children. Walborn has spent over 40 years in healthcare as the owner and operator of a private long-term care facility and home care agency. She has experience with nonprofit organizations and is passionate about our community, our oceans, and our children.

In the coming year, the board will continue to support the organization’s efforts to build a new Youth Shelter in Sarasota; SCC recently reached its Phase I goal of $9 million for construction and has embarked on Phase II, which will furnish the facility. The group will also be focused on board development and succession planning to ensure the continued effectiveness of the volunteer leadership body as well as elevating the impact of SCC’s programs by continuing to explore evidence-based solutions to meet the evolving needs of children, youth and families in our community.

“We are so fortunate to have a strong, expert board of directors, with diverse backgrounds and widespread areas of expertise to help guide us through every challenge and take advantage of every opportunity,” said SCC President and CEO Brena Slater. “We are so grateful to our volunteer leaders for committing their time, resources and knowledge to help us create a brighter future for the children and families of Circuit 12.”

Florida’s Circuit 12 comprises Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. The core functions provided by SCC include child welfare case management, foster care, adoption, independent living, prevention/diversion, quality management, and support services. In 2024, SCC served more than 9,300 children and families, provided over 2,700 emergency safe shelter bed nights for homeless youth, advocated for nearly 800 homeless and unaccompanied youth through the Schoolhouse Link program, facilitated the care of more than 1,600 youths in foster care homes and out of care home placements, and helped 142 children to find their forever homes through adoption services.

For more information, visit sccfl.org.

About Safe Children Coalition, Inc.
Safe Children Coalition, Inc. (SCC) serves as the lead agency for community-based care for Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. SCC is a collaboration between local community agencies who provide services to children and families in need. SCC is committed to protecting children, strengthening families, and building community. The core functions provided by SCC include child welfare case management, foster care, adoption, independent living, prevention, diversion, quality management, and support services. Visit sccfl.org or call 941-371-4799.