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 50,000 Tennesseans.
Our mission is to connect individuals and families to hope, to healing, and to one another.
Leadership
Executive Leadership Team
Michael McSurdy brings nearly three decades of professional experience to Family & Children’s Service. Michael has a Master’s Degree in Expressive Therapy from the University of Louisville. He began his career as a child and family therapist. After serving as Program Manager of the Foster Care, Adoptions, and Independent Living Program for the UT College of Social Work, Michael then served as Director of Foster Care Services for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, where he supervised statewide policy development and foster care programs. After years of public service, Michael began his non-profit career at Oasis Center, where he served as Vice President for Programs for eight years. While at Oasis, he was awarded a scholarship from the Center for Non-Profit Management and obtained an MBA from Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Business in 2009. Michael became President & CEO of F&CS in 2011.
Allan Leslie is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner with over 15 years of accounting experience that ranges from auditing, public accounting, to financial planning and analysis. Allan has a Master’s Degree in Accounting & Information Systems from Middle Tennessee State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration concentration in Accounting from Fisk University. Allan joined the F&CS team in June 2020.
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 20 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.
Patrick Ragsdale has a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics and during the beginning of his career focused on education and community service. This focus shifted towards information technology more than 25 years ago through efforts to support hardware and software in multiple industries including retail, publishing, manufacturing, and healthcare. By joining the team at Family and Children’s Service he has achieved a long-term goal of connecting his drive to support community programs serving those in need with his career objectives as an IT leader. Patrick joined the F&CS Team in 2022.
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 a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Malone University and more than two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector. She started her career in social work serving children and transitioned into Human Resources more than a decade ago. Peggy has been with F&CS since 2012.
Agency Leadership
Board of Directors
- Cullen Douglass
President - Nancy Stabell
Vice President - Edwin Green
Secretary/Treasurer - Jane Corcoran
Governance Chair - Marlene Eskind Moses
Immediate Past President - Charley Bairnsfather
At Large Member - Jean Brandon
At Large Member - Honoree Corder
At Large Member - Erin Samuelson
At Large Member - John Steele
At Large Member - Leslee Alexander
- Laurie Atkins
- Adrienne Battle
- Marees Chopin
- Amy Colton
- Sarah Ann Ezzell
- Irwin Fisher
- Andrew Galbierz
- Dwayne Green
- Jeffrey Guy
- Don Holmes
- Margarita Illingsworth
- Paul Jones
- Yeenee Leri
- William Liles
- Tena Mayberry
- Anne Elizabeth McIntosh
- Anna Norton
- William Robinson
- Alex Ryerson
- Alyse Sprintz
- Kristen Toth
- Chad Tuck
- Jennifer Vandercook
- Joyce A. Vise
- Kaylee Wilson
- Rob Wilson
Advisory Board
- Beth and Dave Alexander
- Honey Alexander
- Will Alexander
- David Anderson
- Hunter Atkins
- Louise Bairnsfather
- Mary Lee Bartlett
- Susan Bell
- Maggie Bond
- Todd Carter
- George Cate
- Albert Dale, III
- Betty and Marty Dickens
- Perri duGard Owens
- Missy Eason
- Annette Eskind
- Laurie and Steven Eskind
- Richard Eskind
- William (Billy) Eskind
- David Furse and Kimberly Pace-Furse
- Ellen Jacobs
- Jim Kelley and Anne O’Duffy
- Bert Lyles
- H. Hill McAlister
- Anne Elizabeth McIntosh
- Beth and Ross O’Shea
- Aylin Ozgener
- Robert Parker
- Shawn Pelletier
- Anthony Rose
- Joan Shayne
- Tracey Silverman
- Mary Katherine and Earle Simmons
- Judy Simmons
- Karen and Brian Vingelen
- Joni Werthan
- Evette and Tim White
- Battle Williford
- 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 has also been a longtime volunteer, board member and chair, and generous supporter of F&CS. The center was officially dedicated in June 2019.
In addition to being the headquarters for F&CS and home to our many programs, the Honey Alexander Center features meeting and training facilities available to use for free by other non-profits, community partners, government agencies or funders upon request.
Learn more about reserving the Honey Alexander Center
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.