Safe Children Coalition Hires New VP of Programs, Sarah Hawk, Esq.

January 24, 2024 – Sarasota

Child welfare organization Safe Children Coalition (SCC) has recently hired Sarah Hawk, Esq. as its new vice president of programs. In this role, Hawk will be responsible for providing leadership, supervision and management of the community-based care foster care programs in Florida’s Circuit 12 (Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties) and oversight of all contracted entities. She will also be responsible for ensuring programs achieve established outcomes, comply with related federal, state and local laws and rules, and meet all contractual requirements.

Hawk has spent her entire career as an attorney in the child welfare realm: she comes to Safe Children Coalition after a decade with Children’s Legal Services, Department of Children & Families, where the bulk of her work was within Circuit 12 but her final role was serving as managing attorney for one of the largest Children’s Legal Services offices for the state: Florida’s Circuit 13 (Hillsborough County). Prior to that, she was an attorney with the Guardian ad Litem Program for Circuit 12.

In addition to her child welfare-focused career path, Hawk has noted that “child welfare practice is in my blood.” Her father is a career civil servant who spent the majority of his career in child welfare. Additionally, her parents were foster parents for years, providing Hawk with valuable personal insight into the process and experience of fostering. She interned with Children’s Legal Services and the Guardian Ad Litem Program when she was 18 years old and also volunteered for SCC’s Angels program – which provides holiday gifts for children in foster care and other vulnerable children in Circuit 12 – for many years through college and law school.

“I have always had a passion for child welfare and I am excited to have the opportunity to further that mission in a more proactive manner, from the operations side of the system,” said Hawk.

Hawk earned her law degree from the Stetson University College of Law and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah to our team,” said SCC president and CEO Brena Slater. “With her entire career spent in the child welfare realm and proven track record of building operational systems, leveraging relationships, and supporting her teams in their career growth, we know she will be an asset as we work to protect at-risk children and strengthen families throughout our service area.”

Each year, SCC works to ensure the care and safety of thousands of children in Florida’s Circuit 12 who are in crisis. By providing needed programs and services – such as adoption and foster care, youth prevention and diversion services, a Youth Shelter for displaced teens, and more – the organization serves as a much-needed safety net and support system for children and families throughout the region.

For more information, visit sccfl.org.