Safe Children Coalition Announces 2023-2024 Board of Directors

July 26, 2023 – Sarasota

Child welfare agency Safe Children Coalition is proud to announce its 2023-2024 board of directors, a volunteer leadership body tasked with providing expertise in areas including child welfare, fostering, adopting, education, banking, finance and accounting, and mental/behavioral health, and assisting the organization in achieving its organizational directives.

Brian D. Goodrich is the new chair of the board, Lee Lipton is vice chair and Tony Gamelin is treasurer. New directors are Arlene Buckmaster and Rob Goldstein; they join continuing directors Ken Alexander, Jamara Clark, David Fairey, Ann Marie Jones, and Michael Rahn(immediate past chair).

Brian D. Goodrich is an attorney and shareholder at Bentley Goodrich Kison, P.A., a commercial litigation law firm located in Sarasota, Florida. He handles cases involving business litigation, real estate litigation, trust litigation, and general civil litigation in state and federal courts, and in arbitration. Goodrich, an AV Preeminent-rated litigator, has been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer Rising Star, Florida Trend Legal Elite “Up and Comer,” an “Elite Top Attorney” and a 35-under-35 award-winner by SRQ Magazine, and by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. He is actively involved in the Sarasota County Bar Association, having served as President of the Young Lawyers Division in 2019.

Arlene Buckmaster is a dedicated real estate professional with HouseMax Realty. She serves in her community as a sustaining member of the Junior League and is passionate about helping organizations who promote the well-being of children in our local community, such as Safe Children Coalition. She is an active member of the Sarasota real estate industry and, as a native, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the board and her clients.

Rob Goldstein is the former Chief Executive Officer of Menorah Life in St. Petersburg, Fla. Recently retired, he spent the past 24 years directing operations, managing a major expansion, and developing new programs and services for the Jewish-sponsored senior living community. He has 40 years of healthcare administration experience in both senior living and hospital environments. Goldstein is excited to join the Safe Children Coalition Board and  brings with him a passion for high-quality, individualized, person-centered care. 

In the coming year, the top priority for SCC is the ongoing effort to build a new Youth Shelter; the new facility will be located on Sawyer Road in north Sarasota and is being designed to maximize the number of youths receiving services. The board will also be charged with strengthening the capacity of the organization as well as supporting SCC in its efforts to continue providing safe, stable environments where children and families can thrive.

“We are so fortunate to have a strong board of directors with diverse backgrounds and various areas of expertise to help guide us through every challenge,” said SCC president and CEO Brena Slater. “We are grateful to our volunteer leaders for committing their time, resources and knowledge to help us create a brighter future for the children and families of Circuit 12 and strengthen our community.”

The core functions provided by Safe Children Coalition (SCC) include child welfare case management, foster care, adoption, independent living, prevention, diversion, quality management, and support services. Last year, SCC served  9,285 children and families, prevented nearly 3,000 children from coming into foster care through prevention and diversion programs, provided more than 2,700 emergency safe shelter bed nights for homeless teens, and helped 183 children to find their forever homes through adoption services. For more information, visit sccfl.org.