The beginning of the new state fiscal year (July 1st) brings the opportunity for Voices for Florida – the backbone organization to Open Doors Outreach Network – to refocus our energy on supporting both survivors of sex trafficking and our Network team members who walk alongside them.
In just five short years, the Network has grown from a pilot project serving child and young adult survivors in 2 regions and 7 counties to one serving 33 counties in 7 regions.
Today, the Open Doors Outreach Network is considered to be a leading 24/7 network of care and treatment for sex trafficked children and young adults ages 10 – 24. It is our desire to continue forming strong partnerships with other service networks as well, evolving seamless care that closes gaps and lives up to the “no wrong door” values held by Open Doors.
As a result, we are very pleased to announce the hiring of incredibly talented team leaders with the experience, education and technical expertise to advance and strengthen the Open Doors Outreach Network.
Voices for Florida Co-Presidents – North and South Regions
Due to Florida’s vast geography and the critical need to continue strengthening the financial stability of the Network, improve and expand training services, as well as to be truly survivor-led, Voices for Florida’s President position is now being shared by Jim Bracher (north region) and Connie Rose, M.S. Ad. Ed.(south region). The regions encompass 16 and 17 counties respectively.
Jim Bracher is an experienced nonprofit executive specializing in optimizing operational performance and client outcomes. Jim’s nonprofit leadership experience spans serving in executive roles at the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners, Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions/Healthy Start Momcare Network, and Florida Association of Health Plans. He is also the principal at J. Bracher & Associates Insurance Consultants.
Connie Rose, M.S. Ad. Ed. is a specialist in resiliency, transformation and leadership with over 25 years’ experience as a motivational speaker, trainer, coach, media contributor and expert witness. Adding to her expertise as a Ted Talk speaker (“What Can You Learn From A Rubber Band?”) Connie has been featured in the PBS documentary “To Close Too Home.” Connie draws from her personal journey of resiliency and transformation from surviving over 16 years of sexual abuse and sex trafficking all at the hands of a serial sex offender who was also her father.
Open Doors Statewide Director
Sandy Skelaney is a distinguished anti-trafficking thought leader, nonprofit executive, and educator who spearheaded Florida’s first multi-disciplinary system of care for child victims of sex trafficking in 2007.
Her leadership in child trafficking prevention and treatment spans over 20 years, including working with renowned organizations such as ECPAT International in Bangkok, Thailand, and GEMS in New York City where she organized the First National Summit of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth and Congressional Briefing in 2002. In 2007, Sandy founded Project GOLD at Kristi House in Miami, creating one of the first specialized programs for child trafficking survivors within a child advocacy center. As a member of the DCF Child Trafficking Working Group in 2008, she helped Florida become the second state in the US to create child welfare response protocols for human trafficking and was the first to advocate for the creation of the Safe Harbor Act in 2009.
