Dear friends of Boys Town,
I am so excited to be a part of the Boys Town family! I have been working within child welfare in Central Florida for the past 18 years, and the Boys Town reputation of results driven focus and attention to children and families speaks for itself. I would love to share a little bit about myself.
I am originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Florida with my husband 20 years ago. I entered the social services arena while still pursuing an undergrad in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and recognized quickly that serving children and families would be a collision of passion and career for my future. Upon moving to Florida, within a year I reentered the social service arena again, right after privatization and started working within a local Case Management Organization. I was within this arena for nine years working within in-home services, out of home, foster care, licensing and adoption. My next role was working within Juvenile Justice reform and re-entry to prevent recidivism for six years and then returned to the adoption world working as an Executive Director focusing on adoption, preventative services, unaccompanied minors, and refugee resettlement for three years.
Throughout my career, there has been one constant, and that has been my passion for helping at risk families.
I am eager to bring this passion and experience to Boys Town Central Florida. Though I am new to Boys Town, I am not new to the community, the work of serving the vulnerable, nor results driven leadership.
I can say with certainty that I am where I am meant to be. Within my first week at Boys Town I have met many staff that share this passion of helping and serving others. I am looking forward to the future of Boys Town Central Florida and am grateful for the amazing roots that are planted at our campus.
I'm excited to meet each of you and have an opportunity to listen to your Boys Town stories as well.
Cheerfully,
Laurie Stern, MPA
Boys Town Central Florida Executive Director
