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Three CSC Representatives Appointed to Children’s Cabinet
The Florida Children’s Services Council (FCSC ) recently celebrated Governor Crist’s appointments of two FCSC board members to the Children and Youth Cabinet on Aug. 28. FCSC board members were: Gay Lancaster, Executive Director of the JWB Children’s Services Council (CSC) of Pinellas County; and David Lawrence, Chairman of the Board for The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County. Another gubernatorial appointee to the Cabinet, Dr. Judy Schaechter, also serves on the board for The Children’s Trust and is a physician and professor at the University of Miami, Mailman Center for Child Development.
Bill sponsors Sen. Nan Rich (D-Sunrise) and Rep. Loranne Ausley (D-Tallahassee) joined Governor Crist and Lt. Governor Kottkamp for the announcement. Earlier this year, Governor Crist signed House Bill 509, creating the Children and Youth Cabinet as a council within the Executive Office of the Governor. The cabinet is charged with developing a strategic plan to promote collaboration, creativity, increased efficiency, information sharing, and improved service delivery between and within state agencies and organizations. Members will meet six times a year in different regions of the state in an open, public forum. The Governor and the Florida Legislature will receive an annual report detailing the cabinet’s progress.
The Children and Youth Cabinet consists of 15 members. Appointments to the Children and Youth Cabinet are as follows:
- Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, Chair
- Secretary Bob Butterworth, Department of Children and Families
- Secretary Walt McNeil, Department of Juvenile Justice
- Secretary Andrew Agwunobi, Agency for Health Care Administration
- Director Jane Johnson, Agency for Persons with Disabilities
- Director Monesia Brown, Agency for Workforce Innovation
- State Surgeon General Ana Viamonte Ros, Department of Health
- Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg, Department of Education
- Angela Orkin, Director of the Guardian Ad Litem Office
- Jim Kallinger, Chief Child Advocate
- Judy Schaechter, physician and professor at the University of Miami, Mailman Center for Child Development
- David Lawrence Jr., President of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation at the University of Florida
- Donna Gay Lancaster, Executive Director of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Children’s Services
- Antonia Crawford, Chairman of the Early Learning Coalition
- Dick Batchelor, President of Dick Batchelor Management Group
Ex officio members include the following:
- President Ken Pruitt, Florida Senate
- Speaker Marco Rubio, Florida House of Representatives
- Chief Justice Fred Lewis, Florida Supreme Court
- Attorney General Bill McCollum
- Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink
