Jenn Werden

JennWerden

Jenn was born and raised in Panama City, Florida (Bay County), where she still calls home. She works as the FASD Clinic Lead – Panhandle and previously worked remotely as a Parent Advocate for The Florida Center for Early Childhood’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) clinic based in Sarasota. From early in her marriage to her husband (Tony), her family knew there was an interest in adoption, but they did not know how that would unfold. They completed what was known as MAPP training and became approved as adoptive parents, but the timing of a child entering their family was not what they expected. In 2014, with what was initially to be a favor to a long-time family friend, Jenn and Tony became non-relative caregivers to a child, finalizing his adoption just before his first birthday in 2015. The family now consists of four incredible children: three boys and a girl. After spending almost 15 years in banking, Jenn quit working to stay home to care for her youngest child as an infant. She knew that when she returned to work, she wanted it to be at a job that allowed her to serve children and families. She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work at Florida State University’s Panama City campus. Currently, Jenn leads a multidisciplinary team that conducts FASD evaluations for Florida’s panhandle families. While in her former role as a Parent Advocate, her goal was for families never to have families walk away from the program wondering “What now?” Jenn has turned her life experiences into a resource and a ray of hope for other families. She enjoys advocating at the local, state, and federal levels, including attending annual awareness events and advocacy days in Washington DC. Jenn is excited to use her passion to support the needs of Florida’s foster and adoptive families.  

Dr. Alecia Rodriguez

Dr. Alecia Rodriguez

Dr. Rodriguez is a distinguished professional with a wealth of expertise in mental health and youth advocacy. Originally from Jamaica, she has called Miami home for the past thirty-five years. As a dedicated advocate, newly added to the board for the Florida Foster & Adoptive Parent Association, Dr. Rodriguez is a Hope Heart & Home Trustee and Guardian ad Litem, passionately advocating for foster children across the state of Florida. Dr. Rodriguez has lived experience as a former foster youth, has been a foster parent for teen siblings for a little over a year, and has two adult children and one teenager of her own. Dr. Rodriguez coordinates mental health services for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, providing invaluable support to students and families. She has authored five children’s books addressing topics such as divorce, anxiety, and values, enriching the lives of countless young readers. With extensive experience in counseling, Dr. Rodriguez offers a comprehensive range of services, including individual, couples, family, and sex therapy. Her expertise extends to treating juvenile and adult sex offenders, and she has completed advanced training in clinical trauma, child abuse and neglect, adoption competency, gaming addiction, and autism spectrum disorder.  

Jerrod Pfeffer

Jerrod Pfeffer is a father to 3 beautiful girls. As both a foster and adoptive parent he has done much advocacy work in both. Jerrod works as a Regional Manager for CarePortal assisting churches, businesses, and communities tackle the foster and adoptive care crisis. In his own words “Every person deserves a meaningful family. We have the resources in our communities to help children and families achieve stability and love.”  

Lori Chapman Peacock

Lori Chapman Peacock

Hi my name is Lori Ann Chapman Peacock 🦚 and I am the mother of 13 beautiful daughters 40 and 32 are biological, 31 to 9 are adopted. I currently have 6 adopted, one 3 year and one 4 year old foster children at home. I am a substitute teacher at Polk County School District and my daughters private Christian School, Mulberry Christian academy. I’m a recruiter, co-trainer and a HUB Home Coordinator for our agency, Heartland for children. As of January 2024, I became President for our FAPA Tender Loving Caregivers, TLC Association Inc. I have memberships in HCFAPA, FloridaFAPA, as well as TLC Association Inc. In my spare time I love spending time with my family, family dinners, and traveling.

Ron McCurdy

Ron-McCurdy

For the past 25 years, Ron McCurdy has served as a civilian Air Traffic Control Maintenance Officer and Certified Mediator for Alternate Dispute Resolutions (ADR) with the U.S. Navy. In addition to his professional commitments, he was the vice-president of the local FAPA and has successfully recruited over sixteen families to become foster parents, reflecting his deep commitment to the foster care community. Ron’s remarkable journey began in Florida, where he was born and raised. He joined the Air Force and embarked on a new adventure in Alaska, living there for 11 years with his beautiful bride, Denise. The couple returned to Florida in 1999, bringing with them four bio-children. Their marriage has spanned 36 wonderful years, during which their family grew with the addition of six more biological children, bringing the total to ten. In 2016, Ron and his wife felt a calling to foster children, initially with no intention of adoption. However, life had other plans. They became licensed foster parents in early 2017 and were blessed with the care of a delightful 3-month-old baby. A year later, they welcomed his 2-day-old sister into their home as well, eventually adopting both children. This opened their hearts to the possibility of adopting more; they have since adopted three more children. Over the years, more than 40 children have found a temporary home with the family, and five of those children have been adopted into their loving embrace. Currently, with two foster children in their care, they have a total of 17 children. Many of their children are now adults. With five of them married, they also joyfully embrace the role of grandparents with 17 grandchildren. Ron’s journey has instilled in him and his wife a deep passion for supporting foster children. Initially unfamiliar with the responsibilities of foster parenting, their experiences with the emotional and psychological impacts on children within the system made them advocates for fostering, adoptive parents, and child reunification efforts. While Ron values the beauty of adoption—having adopted many himself—his heart is deeply invested in helping biological parents address and overcome their challenges to enable safe reunifications whenever possible. Foster care and adoption have evolved into a cherished family legacy for the McCurdy family. Inspired by Ron and his wife, two of their children have embarked on their foster care journeys and have each adopted a child. One of their children is now a dedicated professional within the foster care system, while their eldest, a local attorney, not only managed the legalities of their siblings’ adoptions but also aids other parents in adopting children from Florida’s foster care system. Then extending beyond their immediate family, this passion for fostering has inspired Ron’s sister and niece to also become foster parents and adopt children, thereby enriching the family’s multi-generational commitment to fostering and adoption. Ron’s story is a testament to love, commitment, and the profound impact of fostering and adopting children.