Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, has promoted Kayla Palacios to Florida operations officer for the organization.
In this position, Palacios will oversee and support the nonprofit’s Better Families and Better Jobs programs across Florida, playing a key role in ensuring that these programs have a significant impact across the state. She is responsible for motivating and supporting team members, creating tools, training and resources for executive directors, overseeing budgets, and supporting state partnerships, donors and community board members.
“Kayla is so devoted to bettering the lives of those in our community and shares our passion of helping parents and their children stay together in a safe and loving home” said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. “We are so excited to have her leading as our Florida operations director as we work to change lives all across the state!”
Better Together is made up of two programs – Better Families and Better Jobs – that help parents who are going through a hard time to keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. Established in Southwest Florida just over five years ago, the nonprofit’s programming has rapidly expanded to reach families in 21 counties across the state. To date, the program has served over 5,900 children and kept 98% of families together, while helping nearly 39,000 job seekers find employment through church-based job fairs across 22 states.
Palacios started with Better Together at the beginning of the year as executive director of its North Central Florida region. Previously, she worked as an assistant principal and has 12 years of experience in education. Working closely with children who have experienced the trauma of a broken family has inspired her passion for keeping families together.
She believes that one life can change the world, through the power of Jesus, and that each person is made for a purpose. It was that belief that led her to Better Together, after hearing CEO Megan Rose speak at her church about the incredible impact the organization is having on families and the community.
Palacios has served on the worship and kids’ ministry teams in her local church and engages in ministry serving children in the foster care system, residents in a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, and people who are in need of free dental, optical and medical care through an organization in the local community. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in Latin American studies and a master’s degree in educational leadership, both from the University of Florida. She is currently working on her doctorate in education in Christian leadership from Liberty University.
ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER
Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.
