SYLVIE KRAMER - PRESIDENT
Sylvie H. Kramer is the
Executive Director for St. Lucie County Healthy
Start. She earned her Bachelor of Social Science and
Masters of Education and Business from Xavier
University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her
professional experience has been the Chief Executive
Officer for Kids Connected by Design Inc. an
umbrella agency operating maternal and child health
programs (Healthy Start, Healthy families, Healthy Kids,
and others).She built a successful community-wide
coalition to improve health care and needed services
for moms and babies. This action ultimately saved St.
Lucie County over $10 million by privatizing prenatal
care for indigent women and developed successful public
and private partnerships. Sylvie’s past posts includes
faculty member of University of South Florida and
taught business/management at Purdue University, and
CETA Director. Sylvie’s Professional and Civic
Leadership comprise of Vice Chair of the Executive
Roundtable of St. Lucie County; Member of
Four County Alliance for Department of Children and
Families; and the Board of Directors, March of
Dimes. Sylvie has been awarded a statewide award
presented by Governor Chiles for outstanding
contribution to women and infants health in addition to
the 2003 Davis Award for Excellence in Government,
administered by Florida Tax Watch.
Sylvie’s accomplishments are noted as the infant
mortality in St. Lucie County has been reduced despite
the huge increase in growth. The growth resulted in
a large increase in births (approximately 2100 in 1995
to 3500 in 2006) from an average of 13.9 per 1000 for
the entire 1980 decade to a rate less than the state
averaged consistently for the past 5 years.
Additionally, Sylvie formed a decentralized
system of care by contracting with all kinds of
providers in the public and private sector.
|
|
LESLIE SPURLOCK - PRESIDENT ELECT
| Leslie Spurlock is currently
the Executive Director for Indian River
County’s Healthy Start
Coalition where she oversees four programs
with combined budgets of just
over $1,000,000;
MomCare, Healthy Start,
Healthy Families and TLC (Touch, Love,
Communicate) Newborn. Since 1993 she has worked for three
coalitions on the Treasure Coast,
accumulating a total of twelve years
experience with Healthy Start Coalitions.
During this time Leslie has been an active
member of the Florida Association
of Healthy Start Coalitions, serving on
several committees and as Chair
of the Bylaws Committee in 2005. She is
currently in her second term
as Secretary for the
Association. Leslie was hired in February 1993
to assist with the
development of Martin County’s
Healthy Start Coalition. Building
a Coalition from the ground up provided her
extensive experience in
all phases
of Coalition
development and activities. As the
Director of Finance and Community
Development, she was responsible for
developing and maintaining protocols,
and overseeing fiscal operations as well
as facilitating several
Coalition committees and representing the
Coalition in the community.
She left
the Coalition in 2000 to become Director
of Operations for Insights,
Inc., a Research and Strategic Planning
firm. Finding the for profit world not as
rewarding as helping
moms and babies, Leslie came back to
Healthy Start two years later
and became Executive
Director for Okeechobee’s Coalition.
Leslie greatly enjoyed Okeechobee’s
community and commuted for two years from
her home in northern St. Lucie
County. In May of 2005 she decided to leave
Okeechobee and “came
home” to Indian River County’s
Healthy Start Coalition. She and Larry love the
Vero Beach community, driving
their convertible, and attending art and
classic car shows around the
state. For rest and
relaxation she prefers a sunny, breezy
spring day at home on the lake,
jazz on the radio and a good book. Leslie
believes “Being a mother
is the most important job I will ever
have”. She and husband
Larry are proud parents of four grown
children; Stacy, Mike, Jason
and Kevin.
They have four grandchildren and are hoping for
more in the future! |
|
|
MARY JO PLEWS - PAST PRESIDENT
Mary Jo Plews is the
Executive Director of the
Healthy Start Coalition of Hardee, Highlands and Polk
Counties, Inc. and is a licensed clinical social
worker. As Executive Director, Ms Plews oversees all
operations of the Healthy Start Coalition, which
provides Healthy Start services to over 7,000 women
and children annually. Her duties also include
oversight of special initiatives including Beds 4
Babies Project, Fetal and Infant Mortality Review,
MomCare Program, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative
and Place for Grace Grief Support
Project. |
Ms. Plews
holds a Bachelor of Social Work from University of
South Florida and Master of Social Work from Florida
State University. Ms. Plews has worked in a variety
of social services settings, primarily working with
women and children. Her 16 years of experience
includes providing direct and administrative mental
health and social services. She has served as an
advocate for women and children’s health and mental
health, including research projects involving
domestic violence and mental health services. Her
community involvement includes development of
community based child welfare services, development
of case management protocols, oversight of
therapeutic services to foster care children, and she
currently serves on the Board Of Directors of the
Polk County School Readiness
Coalition. |
|
|
JENNIFER FLOYD - TREASURER
Jennifer
Floyd is the Executive
Director/CEO of the Healthy
Start Coalition in Brevard
County. She has been with
Healthy Start for seven
years, first as an Assistant Director and elevated
four years ago to Executive
Director/CEO. In
addition to her responsibilities
to Healthy Start, she provided administrative and
fiscal oversight for the
School Readiness Coalition. This
blending of responsibilities in Brevard
County resulted in a
successful merging of maternal and child health with
early childhood services. Jennifer oversaw a
budget of $23 million and
services to over 15,000 children and families
annually.
Jennifer
Floyd graduated from
Florida State
University with a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Science.
Prior to Healthy Start, Jennifer worked in
public health for over ten
years providing health education services and
developing Florida’s
initiatives for teen smoking
cessation campaigns to be implemented in Brevard. This experience has
carried over into Healthy
Start where she oversees the annual “Healthy Start
Conference” recognized for
providing research based education to professionals and
marketing Healthy Start
services through the “Building Tomorrow’s Child”
marketing campaign.
|
|
LINDA SUTHERLAND - SECRETARY
Linda Sutherland is the Executive Director of the
Orange County Healthy Start Coalition in Orlando,
Florida. She began her career with Healthy Start in
March 2000 and is currently serving as the Secretary
for the Florida Association of Healthy Start
Coalitions. Linda has been married for 34 years to her
Husband, Douglas. She and her husband have one son and
a daughter-in-law. Ms Sutherland is a former Orange
County School Board Member for District 2 and served
for 12 years. She was elected countywide in 1990, 1994,
and 1998. Linda is a graduate of Marymount College and
holds a degree in Business Administration. Her advocacy
for her community and the children shine through with
awards for Who’s Who of Women (2006), Orange County
Public Health Hero Award (2004), Women’s Resource
Center Summit Award (2003), Orange County Council of
PTAs Children’s Friend Award (2003), Women’s Executive
Council, Community Service Award (1995), Children’s
Advocacy Center Lawton Chiles “In the Life of a Child”
Award (2000), Florida School Board Assn. Pat Spengler
Children’s Advocacy Award (1995), Florida School Board
Assn. Master Board Member (1995-present), Phi Delta
Kappa Community Service Award (1991), Orange County
Public Schools HERO Award (1990), Outstanding Young
Women of America (1991), 2,000 Notable American Women
(1995), Who’s Who of International Women (1996). Linda
currently serves as a Peer Reviewer for The Maternal
Child Health Journal. She has State and National
Involvement with Florida Association of Healthy Start
Coalitions Board (2000-present), March of Dimes State
Planning Committee (2007-present), Florida's Vision
Quest Board Chair (2003-present), Florida Children's
Campaign (2003-present), Council of Great City Schools
Executive Committee (1996-2002), Education Commission
of the States (Governor’s Appointee) (1994-1999),
National School Board Association Member 1990-2002;
Board 1995-1997, Council of Urban Boards of Education
1991-2000, Florida School Boards Association, Board of
Directors 1991-2002 President 1996-1997 Florida AIDS
Advisory Council Executive Committee 1993-1998, Board
of Directors 1991-2002, Florida PTA Life Member,
National PTA Life Member. Her current local Board
Membership is with Orange County Primary Care Access
Network, Orange County Early Learning Coalition, United
Way Board of Directors, Children’s Advocacy Center
Advisory Board Chair, Central Florida Partnership for
Health Disparities, School Health Advisory Committee
District 7 Child Abuse and Neglect Task Force, District
7 Child Death Review Team, Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Coalition, Community Foundation's 100 Women Strong
Initiative, Life Skills Charter School Board Chair,
University of Central FL Early Childhood Advisory
Board, The First Eatonville Foundation, League of Women
Voters, Winter Park Health Foundation Children and
Youth Group, Howard Philips Center for Children and
Families, Community Leadership Council, March of Dimes
Grant Committee, Blue Ribbon Panel for Orange County
Public Schools. Her Current Affiliations are with
National Women’s Political Caucus, Women’s Resource
Center, Children’s Defense Fund, and FL Association of
Nonprofit Organizations, National Partnership for Women
and Families, National Black Child Development Assn.,
Centering Pregnancy Assn., National Healthy Start
Assn., National Perinatal Assn., National Assembly of
School Based Health Care. As noted, Ms Sutherland is a
well versed child and community advocate.
|
|
|
|
|
