About Family & Children’s Service
Our Mission
Family & Children’s Service (F&CS) serves all people in crisis and transition by meeting them where they are, understanding their needs, and connecting them to the resources they need. F&CS often ‘fills in the gaps’ in social services, creating a safety net to ensure that all children and families can be safe and healthy. Each year we provide services to more than 90,000 Tennesseans.
Our mission is to connect individuals and families to hope, to healing, and to one another.
Leadership
Executive Leadership Team
Michael McSurdy has served the Nashville community in various roles for 30+ years. Prior to entering the workforce, Michael earned a BA from Sewanee and an MA in expressive therapy from the University of Louisville. He began his career as a child and family therapist at a Nashville community mental health center. After next serving as Program Manager of the Foster Care, Adoptions, and Independent Living Programs for the UT College of Social Work, Michael then served as Director of Foster Care and Adoption for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (TNDCS). At TNDCS, he supervised statewide policy development and custodial programs. After these years of service, Michael joined Oasis Center, where he was Vice President for Programs for eight years. While at Oasis, he was awarded a scholarship from the Center for Non-Profit Management and in 2011 earned an MBA from Vanderbilt’s Owen School. Michael became President & CEO of Family & Children’s Service in 2011.
Kimberly Reese is a seasoned financial professional with a strong commitment to the nonprofit sector. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Tennessee State University and earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Memphis. Kim has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit financial management, specializing in providing essential logistical and financial support to ensure the success of organizations and their missions.
Kim’s passion lies in working “behind the scenes” to facilitate the achievement of others’ goals. She excels in managing agency resources with a keen eye for effective utilization and careful stewardship. Her dedication to the nonprofit world has ensured that the organizations she has supported can fulfill their missions and make a positive impact in their communities.
T. Allen Morgan is a CFRE-certified fundraiser and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Tennessee State University. He has more than 30 years of experience in non-profit management.
T. Allen has dedicated his life to the service of others and public service is his passion and life’s work. During his nonprofit career, T. Allen has raised millions of dollars for education, social services, the arts, and environmental causes.
T. Allen joined F&CS in 2011.
Carly Southworth received a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Michigan, with a concentration in community organization and serving families, children, and youth. She has fifteen years’ experience in the field of social work. Prior to coming to Family & Children’s Service, Carly has worked in both higher education and with a national youth-serving organization. Carly joined the F&CS team in May 2017.
Peggy Yuker is deeply committed to nonprofit service and to serving others. She has an MBA, a bachelor’s degree in social work, and more than two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector. She has worked for social service and access-to-healthcare nonprofits for her entire career. Peggy transitioned into Human Resources more than a decade ago. Peggy has been with F&CS since 2012 and has been the CHRO at Family & Children’s Service since 2021.
Agency Leadership
Board of Directors
- Nancy Stabell
President - Brandon Corbin
Vice President - William Liles
Secretary/Finance Chair - Taryn Anderson
Governance Chair - Cullen Douglass
Immediate Past President - Sarah Ann Ezzell
Executive Board Member - Ely Jones
Executive Board Member - Tim Warnock
Executive Board Member - Kymberly Whitaker
Executive Board Member - Battle Williford
Executive Board Member - Kaylee Wilson
Executive Board Member - Laurie Atkins
Director At Large - Adrienne Battle
Director At Large - Michael Bryan
Director At Large - Jane Corcoran
Director At Large - Yuri Cunza
Director At Large - Perri duGard Owens
Director At Large - Edwin Green
Director At Large - Dwayne Greene
Director At Large - Jeffrey Guy
Director At Large - Mohamed Hassan
Director At Large - Paul Jones
Director At Large - Minh Le
Director At Large - Yeenee Leri
Director At Large - Anne Elizabeth McIntosh
Director At Large - Michael Mettee
Director At Large - Anna Norton
Director At Large - Tom O’Connor
Director At Large - Heidi Phillips
Director At Large - William Robinson
Director At Large - Shane Shown II
Director At Large - Margarita Stanczak
Director At Large - John Steele
Director At Large - Sekou Tyler
Director At Large - Jennifer Vandercook
Director At Large - Elaine Warren
Director At Large - Rob Wilson
Director At Large
Advisory Board
- Beth and Dave Alexander
- Will Alexander
- David Anderson
- Hunter Atkins
- Louise Bairnsfather
- Mary Lee Bartlett
- Susan Bell
- Maggie Bond
- Jean Brandon
- Todd Carter
- George Cate
- Marees Choppin
- Amy Colton
- Albert Dale, III
- Betty and Marty Dickens
- Rob Dixon
- Missy Eason
- Laurie and Steven Eskind
- William (Billy) Eskind
- Irwin Fisher
- Don Holmes
- Ellen Jacobs
- Jim Kelley and Anne O’Duffy
- Michele Oglesby
- Bert Lyles
- Tena Mayberry
- H. Hill McAlister
- Marlene Eskind Moses
- Beth and Ross O’Shea
- Aylin Ozgener
- Shawn Pelletier
- Anthony Rose, Jr.
- Joan Shayne
- Tracey Silverman
- Mary Katherine and Earle Simmons
- Alyse Sprintz
- Joni Werthan
- Evette and Tim White
- Whit Wilson
- Stephen Zralek
The Honey Alexander Center
The Honey Alexander Center is named in honor of F&CS benefactor and former Tennessee First Lady Honey Alexander. Honey was a powerful advocate for children and families during and after her time as First Lady. She was a longtime volunteer, board member and chair, and generous supporter of F&CS. The center was officially dedicated in her honor in June 2019.
Our History
Founded in 1943 by volunteers who helped find adoptive homes for children orphaned during WWII, F&CS is one of Nashville’s oldest and most venerated nonprofits. Throughout our history, F&CS has focused on the most vulnerable children and families, adapting our services to meet the changing needs of our community.
From the 1950s through the 1980s, F&CS focused primarily on family and individual counseling and adoption. Though Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) took over the adoption process in the 1970s, F&CS continues to provide important supportive services for children in DCS custody and families preparing for adoption.
In the 1980s, F&CS greatly expanded its charitable and private practice counseling programs, which served thousands of Middle Tennesseans for nearly two decades until many insurance plans began covering mental health care. For most of its history, F&CS was a primary mental healthcare option for thousands of Middle Tennesseans.
Today F&CS offers a wide array of safety net social services directly to clients and through its many partnerships, collaborations, and referral networks.