As a child, April White’s first day of life was spent in place where no new born should be: prison.  Life didn’t get much better for April as she experienced two failed adoptions.  It was no surprise that as a teen having lived in over 32 foster homes and bouncing between 10 different schools that April found herself in a DJJ facility.  Fortunately for April, this is where her story turns around.  After being released from "camp" April finished high school and is now enrolled in classes at St. Petersburg College working toward her degree in social work.  In addition to her studies, April is currently employed by Ready for Life (RFL) as their Youth Develoopment Coordinator and serves as a mentor to her brothers and sisters aging out of care in Pinellas County.  Through RFL and the Camelot Youth Council, April learned about Florida Youth SHINE and attended her first statewide FYS meeting in 2010.  From the very beginning she knew FYS was a platform to not only share her passion nd experience of being a foster youth, but also to learn from others who have parallel backgrounds.  April served as our 2011-2012 Legislative Chair and in July of 2012 was elected to her current position as Statewide Chair.  April considers her position to be "a great honor" and she looks forward to working with her peers as "together we advocate for change in the child welfare system."

Just after April was elected to the 2012-2013 board she was honored by the Florida Coalition for Children (FCC) as the Outstanding Youth of the Year.  We couldn't agree more!

Andrea Cowart came into foster care when she was 11 years old and spent the next 7 years in care until she aged out at 18 with a six month old daughter and a dream to make a better life for myself and for her.  Like young parents, Andrea was soon faced with an uphill battle filled with challenges and few resources.  Luckily she found
Ready for Life (RFL) a nonprofit who works with youth who have aged out of foster
care.  RFL turned out to be the conduit to the life of success that she had always dreamed about.  In 2010, Andrea was introduced to Florida Youth SHINE when her local youth council partnered with FYS to form the Pinellas/Pasco chapter.  She was instantly attracted to the dynamic of the group and our mission to improve the system for both current and former foster youth.  Her involvement with FYS has allowed her to realize a fulfillment that
she never felt before in the advocacy opportunities that she has experienced as a member of Florida Youth SHINE.  Today Andrea is working towards a degree in social work at St. Petersburg College, is a Lead Youth Specialist at Ready for Life, and the proud mother of a beautiful 5 year old daughter.  Andrea feels "so blessed to have found my path and my passion in the opportunities I get to improve the system and lives of foster youth on both local and state levels for youth every day."

Georgina Rodriguez became involved in Florida Youth Shine in 2010 when the Hillsborough Youth Empowerment Board joined FYS as our Hillsborough chapter.  Having entered care at the age of 6 with her older brother and aging out of care at 18, Georgina is aware that there were many times over her twelve years in care where she could have used her voice to speak up about things that really mattered however it wasn't until she aged out and became involved in her local YEB/FYS chapter that she found the strength to share her story so that other children's lives could be different.  As a leader within her local chapter, Georgina has found her love for advocacy and her passion to encourage others to be a catalyst for change both within the system and within their own lives.  Georgina works part-time within Hillsborough's child welfare system and is currently in school studying social work.

Robert Stalker entered care in 2000 when he was just 8 years old.  His father had just passed away and his mother was spending time in a rehab facility.  Robert and his 3 younger brothers had nowhere to go, so they spent time in Massachusetts with some of their extended family.  Eventually the boys all moved back to Sarasota to live with their mother, however, her addiction to drugs took it's toll on their family.  Robert and his brothers re-entered care when he was 16.  Before long Rob moved into a transitional living program in Sarasota and worked part-time at a local movie theater.  At 18 he aged out of care and moved into his very first apartment, something he considers "a big step for me."  By 19 Rob began working with his local CBC - The Sarasota YMCA/Safe Children Coalition - as a program assistant for their Independent living program at the Kalish House Resource Center.  Within months Robert was introduced to Florida Youth SHINE by participating in monthly phone calls which grew his interest for FYS and improving the foster care system.  In January of 2012 Robert attended his very first statewide meeting in Tallahassee as a part of FYS's Children's Week activities.  It was during that week that Rob knew FYS was the place for him.  Rob currently lives with his family (including his mother, who is four and a half years sober, and one of his younger brothers) and is about to begin an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification program.  "Florida Youth SHINE has opened my eyes to the all of the endless possibilities of that the voice of a former foster youth can have on people around this state."  And as it is said at every Florida Youth
SHINE meeting, we are all family!

Stephen Satchell entered foster care at the age of 9.  After bouncing around to multiple foster homes as a pre-teen, Stephen found stability within one home during his high school years.  After graduating from high school and aging out of state care at 18, Stephen enrolled in Broward College.  He joined Florida Youth SHINE's Broward chapter in late 2010 on the gentle urging from two of his adult mentors and has been a leader within the chapter ever since.  After attending just a few local meetings Stephen realized he had an opportunity that would not only benefit himself but thousands of youth and young adults who had similar experiences within Florida's child welfare system.  Stephen also found it important to use FYS as a tool to educate and mentor his peers on how to successfully navigate life after foster care.  Currently Stephen is finishing up is AA at Broward College and looking to attend Florida International University beginning in January 2013 for his bachelor's in social work.  His goal is to obtain a masters in psychology and become a foster parent, motivational speaker, and author on the New York Times Best Seller's List.

Lindsay Baach joined Florida Youth SHINE in 2009.  With a strong background in youth organizing, Lindsay has come on board to work on the infrastructure and organization of this growing statewide organization.  Having not grown up in foster care, Lindsay works hard to collaborate with FYS members to gain a better understanding of unique issues and challenges that face youth who are currently in or have recently aged out of Florida's foster care system.

Before coming to Florida Youth SHINE, Lindsay ran the Northeast Region of NFTY, a national high school youth group, organizing leadership development and educational retreats for students throughout New England and assisting with programming on a national level.  Prior to that, she was the Coordinator for Youth and Family Activities at The Temple in Atlanta.  In that time Lindsay saw exponential growth in the youth programs and developed an incredible teen board that is still thriving today.

Christina Spudeas has been a long time advocate for delinquent and dependent youth in Florida.  For the past two decades, Christina has worked tirelessly to defend the rights of children who are in the custody and supervision of state agencies or state contracted providers.  Her diverse background includes child-related public policy reform, legislative reform, and state advocacy for dependent and delinquent youth. 

Prior to accepting the new position with FCF, Christina was an Assistant Capital Collateral Regional Counsel for the Southern Region, representing prisoners on Florida’s death row.  She is also a former Attorney and Regional Director for the Agency for Community Treatment Services (ACTS), where she provided direct services to children in the child welfare, delinquency and mental health systems in South Florida. 

In addition to her work experience, Christina has extensive public speaking and training experience, including presenting to the judiciary, public defenders, state attorneys, legislators, community-based service providers child welfare and juvenile justice staff across the county.  She has also served as an adjunct professor teaching criminal justice courses at Florida Atlantic University for more than 15 years.

Christina is a member of the Florida Bar and Federal Bar (Southern District of Florida).

She received her bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology from Florida Atlantic University and her J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.