Patrice W. Moore was elected in August 2010 to serve as Circuit Court Judge for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, and was the first African American female to serve in this prestigious position. Judge Moore currently serves as the Unified Family Court Administrative Judge where she presides over delinquency, dependency, domestic violence injunctions, girls’ court, truancy court, and family law matters involving dependency court. In 2014, Judge Moore was appointed by the Chief Judge to serve in an ex-officio capacity on the Juvenile Welfare Board.

Judge Moore received her undergraduate degree from Florida Memorial University and her Juris Doctorate Degree from Stetson University College of Law. She served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Sixth Judicial Circuit for 14 years in the mental health division. She has also served as a crossover attorney and a direct file attorney.

Judge Moore is the current co-chair of the School Referral Subcommittee of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative in Pinellas County. She was appointed by the Supreme Court of Florida to serve on the Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court. Judge Moore has also served on the Florida Board of Psychology and was co-chair of the Board of Directors of Brookwood Florida, Inc.

Division Chief James Millican has been with the Lealman Fire District for 26 years. Starting his career with Lealman in 1991, he has risen through the ranks to Division Chief/Fire Marshal. He is a State Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Fire Safety Inspector, ASHI CPR and First Aid Instructor, and a Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Seat Instructor/ Technician. As the Fire Marshal, Division Chief Millican oversees the district’s fire prevention division and is the district’s Public Information Officer. In addition, as the Governmental Affairs Liaison, he has been instrumental in getting legislation passed that helps the district, residents and firefighters. He has been on the board for the Florida Association of Special Districts for 8 years, and is the Chair of the Legislative Committee for the Florida Association of Special Districts.

Division Chief Millican is active and involved throughout the community, volunteering his time and skills with an emphasis on children and families. In 2017, he was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Juvenile Welfare Board. He has been on the board of directors for the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center for 14 years, where he currently serves as Chair. He has also served as the Pinellas Chair and the Executive Chair for Suncoast Safe Kids, and is a former member of JWB Mid-County Community Council.

Division Chief Millican was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, and attended Pinellas County schools and St. Petersburg College.

The  Honorable Bruce Bartlett served as Chief Assistant State Attorney for 28 years until his appointment as State Attorney of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on January 21, 2021. In his role as State Attorney, Mr. Bartlett serves in an ex-officio capacity on the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County.

Mr. Barlett began his career with the Sixth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office in 1979, where he rose to Division Director and then to Chief Assistant State Attorney in 1992. In his role as Chief Assistant State Attorney, he directly supervised 170 Assistant State Attorneys in Pinellas and Pasco counties and tried over 200 jury trials involving serious felonies.

During his career spanning four decades, Mr. Bartlett has held numerous professional memberships and received multiple awards. He has been a lecturer at Stetson University, instructor at St. Petersburg College and Pasco-Hernando Community College, and is currently on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. He formerly served as Chair of Law Week for the Pinellas County Bar Association, Chair of the Florida Bar Grievance Committee (6-D), Chair of the Judicial Nominating Commission Sixth Judicial Circuit, and member of the Pinellas County Police Athletic League (PAL). He received the Outstanding Professionalism in the Practice of Law Award from the St. Petersburg Bar Association (2007), Richard T. Earle Jr. Barney Masterson Inn of Court Award Demonstrating Highest Degree of Professionalism in the Practice of Law (2004), and Elk Lodge 1224 Prosecutor of the Year (1994).

Born in St. Petersburg, Bruce Bartlett received his Bachelor of Science from the University of South Florida and his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law. He is married with two adult children, and is a lifelong resident of Pinellas County.

Brian Aungst, Jr. is an attorney and shareholder at the law firm of Macfarlane Ferguson and McMullen, P.A.  A resident of Clearwater since 1988, Brian graduated from the University of Florida in 2005 with degrees in Political Science and Telecommunication-News and earned his juris doctorate from the University of Florida in 2008.  For his outstanding legal work Brian has been recognized by Florida Trend as an “up and comer” and by SuperLawyers as a Rising Star.

Mr. Aungst was appointed to the Juvenile Welfare Board by Governor Rick Scott in 2011, and is Immediate Past Chair of the Board where he served from 2017 to 2019. He believes that investing in our children is not only essential to their future but also to the future of our county, state, and country. While serving on the Juvenile Welfare Board, Mr. Aungst has worked to maximize efficiencies and supported innovative public-private partnerships.

As a product of Pinellas County’s public schools and a father, Mr. Aungst is passionate about quality early learning and education. He has promoted efforts to provide food and nutrition to students when they are not in school, support for families balancing work with trying to raise a family, and quality early learning opportunities for at-risk young children.

Mr. Aungst has served the community as the Chairman of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the successful 2015-2016 Clearwater Charter Review Committee, and Chairman of the Clearwater Business Task Force. He has provided guidance as a board member of the YMCA of the Suncoast, Ruth Eckerd Hall, St. Petersburg College’s Public Policy Advisory Board, Morton Plant Mease Skip Cline Society, and Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

As an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Clearwater, Mr. Aungst served on the church’s council and as Finance Committee Chairman; he currently serves on the church’s Staff-Parish Relations Committee.

Renee Chiea is a health policy and compliance expert in the health insurance and government regulatory industries, having served more than 25 years in an international health insurance company. Her deep exposure to the government bureaucratic process, witnessing the operationalization of laws and their grassroots effects, gives her a unique perspective.

Ms. Chiea earned a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology, which informs her distinctive viewpoint on the direction of healthcare and the cultural divide, and she holds a certificate in Applied Cultural Anthropology from California State University, Chico.

Ms. Chiea has raised two sons, currently ages 20 and 24, and is an advisor to young men in her community. “Mama Chiea,” as she is known, mentors them to be accountable, seize opportunities, and take control of their futures. She is particularly proud of U.S. service members and communicates with them whenever possible.

Ms. Chiea was appointed to the Juvenile Welfare Board by Governor Ron DeSantis in May of 2025. She currently lives in Pinellas County, Florida, with her sister, sons, and two dogs.

 

 

Kristen Gnage has served Pinellas County for 11 years as an Assistant State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, advocating for the State’s interest in ensuring the safety of the children involved in the dependency system in the Child Welfare Legal Services division. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College and her law degree from Stetson University College of Law.

In August 2023, Ms. Gnage was appointed to the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, where her talents and experience will help guide JWB’s 75-plus year history of investing in children to strengthen the community.

Ms. Gnage has called Pinellas County home since 2008, where she and her husband are raising their three greatest accomplishments: Max, Marin, and Melvin, who leave a trail of joy and chaos everywhere they go. She is passionate about ensuring that all children, whether living with their family or in out-of-home care, have access to the early intervention and independent living services that help children grow and learn in our community.

Kevin K. Hendrick is an innovative leader and gifted communicator with a proven record of improving student achievement, working collaboratively and building cultures of excellence.  In his role as School Superintendent, Mr. Hendrick serves in an ex-officio capacity on the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County.

Before his appointment in 2022, Mr. Hendrick served five years as the district’s Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Services. During his leadership, Pinellas County Schools achieved a record-high graduation rate, leading Florida’s largest school districts, and consistently increased academic performance in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

At the height of the pandemic, he spearheaded the district’s transition to remote instruction and developed an initiative to ensure computer and internet connectivity for every student. He expanded access for early learning, led effective literacy programs and developed a program that provides high-achieving students with a personalized path to college success. He effectively administrated academic elements of the district’s Bridging the Gap plan, advocated for Pinellas County Schools growing Hispanic community and facilitated resources that support English learners, including the district’s award-winning Spanish-language Facebook page.

Mr. Hendrick, served as Director of High School Education and as the Principal of Northeast High School for nine years.  Under his leadership, Northeast High consistently performed at an exceptional level, earning the first A and B grades in the school’s history and receiving national recognition for preparing students for college and careers. Mr. Hendrick is a longtime resident of Pinellas County and a graduate of Largo High School. He started his career in education in 1997 as a teacher at Pinellas Park High School and taught for several years at Dunedin High School. He has been a high school math and social studies teacher, a basketball coach, an assistant principal and an athletic director.

In 2016, Mr. Hendrick received the Governor’s Shine Award for his contributions to the field of education. In both 2016 and 2017, Mr. Hendrick won the district’s Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership. In 2017, he was selected as a finalist for the statewide Principal of the Year program. He has been actively involved in professional organizations and partnerships, serving as Cadre Leader for Statewide Collaboration for Impact Florida and as a member of the Florida Organization of Instructional Leaders. He has also served on the Mayor’s Education Advisory Group for St. Pete’s Promise, the St. Petersburg Chamber Economic Development Grow Smarter Leadership Alliance, the Chief Academic Officer Cadre for the Council of the Great City Schools, and the Leadership Council for the LEAP College Access Network, as well as in various roles for Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID).

Mr. Hendrick earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science Education from the University of South Florida and holds two master’s degrees, including a Master of Arts degree in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida.

 

Commissioner Chris Latvala was elected to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners in 2022.

He was born in Dunedin and is a graduate of the University of Central Florida. After graduation from college, he returned to work and live in Pinellas County and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives from 2014-2022 (District 67).

In his leadership role, he Chaired the House Education and Employment Committee and advocated for teachers, improved access to education, strengthened protections for minors, increased support for law enforcement, and supported the rights of mobile homeowners.

Commissioner Latvala is a Leadership Pinellas graduate and has served on the board of multiple local charities including PACE Center for Girls and the Boys and Girls Club.

In his spare time, he continues the family tradition of organizing the community farm share to distribute food to families in need in Pinellas.

     

 

Sara Mollo was elected as Public Defender for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, serving Pinellas and Pasco counties in 2020.  Ms. Mollo has practiced criminal law for over 20 years, serving as both a prosecutor and now as the Public Defender. This unique background has led her to a deeper understanding of the importance of justice for all.  She is well known as a fierce advocate for her clients and for seeking solutions for the misunderstood complexities of mental illness and poverty.

Ms. Mollo grew up in a military family; her father is a retired Lt. Colonel in the United States Army. She received her Doctorate degree from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School. In 1997, she was admitted to the Florida and Missouri Bars and was appointed as Prosecutor. Two years later, she joined the Public Defender’s Office in Monroe County and, in 2002, she moved to Clearwater, joining the Sixth Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office.

In her role as Public Defender, Ms. Mollo serves in an ex-officio capacity on the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County.  She is also Past President of the Pinellas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Legislative Co-Chair of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Humanitarian Award Recipient bestowed by the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI), and Graduate of Leadership Pinellas Class of 2020.

Ms. Mollo believes that being a member of a vulnerable population doesn’t define you, but how we as a society treat the most vulnerable amongst us does.