Meet Our Board
A dedicated team of professionals committed to empowering young adults aging out of foster care.
Beverley Bauer
Beverley Bauer brings a deep personal passion for supporting youth in the foster care system. Her commitment comes from firsthand experience seeing the challenges young people face when they age out of foster care without the life skills needed to successfully transition into adulthood.
These experiences strengthened Beverley's desire to help create better opportunities and guidance for youth leaving foster care. She has long been passionate about caring for and advocating for children in the system and has served as both a foster parent and a Guardian ad Litem, working directly with children to ensure their voices are heard and their needs are met.
As Founder and President, Beverley is committed to helping young people gain the life skills, support, and encouragement they need to build stable and successful futures.
Jada Philbin
Jada is the mental health side of I Will Thrive. She is a child and adolescent behavioral specialist and mental health therapist, holding a master's degree in Psychology and is a Ph.D. candidate pending dissertation.
She offers behavioral techniques and family therapy and coaching designed to empower parents and families to cultivate a loving, nurturing home environment characterized by clear boundaries and consistency.
Dina P. Hicks
Dina is an accomplished project management and operations professional with more than a decade of experience leading complex telecommunications, technology implementation, customer service, and process improvement initiatives.
As a bilingual English-Spanish professional, Dina specializes in project coordination, process improvement, quality assurance, customer relations, budget planning, and team leadership.
Dean Bauer
Dean brings over 15 years of emergency nursing experience. Working in the ER, Dean spent his career on the front lines of human vulnerability — meeting people in their most critical, frightening, and uncertain moments.
As Treasurer, Dean is entrusted with ensuring that every dollar raised is handled with the same integrity and care he gave to every patient in his 15 years of nursing.
Jennifer "Jenn" Ott
Jenn is a founding board member, bringing both strategic vision and a deep commitment to service. As a seasoned real estate broker known as The First Lady of Realty, she has built her career guiding clients through major life transitions.
Jenn is dedicated to fostering environments where individuals feel supported, seen, and equipped to not just survive — but truly thrive.
Tim Duerksen
Tim has taught in public and private schools across central Florida, including multiple Title I high schools. He has seven years experience teaching high schoolers and earned his Bachelor's degree from University of South Florida and his Master's degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
He currently works with middle schoolers who have "fallen through the cracks." He has a heart for children and young adults who are being abandoned by society.
Melanie Lynn
Melanie is a compassionate and dedicated professional with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from University of South Florida (4.0 GPA). She has worked extensively with children with special needs and gained valuable experience through school system social work internships.
Melanie is deeply involved in her church and values faith, encouragement, and community outreach. She is passionate about uplifting others and spreading positivity.