JWB Announces New Officers of its Governing Board

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) is pleased to announce the new slate of officers, as elected by the members of its Governing Board, effective October 1, 2025. Officers serve two-year terms.

Division Chief James “Jim” Millican now serves as the JWB Board Chair. He was appointed to the JWB Board by former Florida Governor Rick Scott in 2017 and recently reappointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2025. Chief Millican has been with the Lealman Fire District for 34 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 is currently President of the Florida Association of Special Districts and has served on their board for nearly two decades. Chief Millican also serves on the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board, as appointed by the Pinellas County Commission. His past leadership service includes Board Chair of the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center, Chair of the Safe Kids Florida Suncoast Coalition, and a former member of JWB Mid-County Community Council.

Ms. Kristen Gnage is the new JWB Board Vice Chair. She was appointed to the JWB Board in 2023 by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who reappointed her to serve again in 2025. Ms. Gnage serves as a staff attorney on the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence (FCASV) Legal Team after joining the organization in 2025. Ms. Gnage brings more than a decade of experience as a board-certified juvenile law specialist to her position. During her 13 years as an Assistant State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit’s Child Welfare Legal Services, she advocated for the rights of children and families in dependency, termination of parental rights, and injunction proceedings. Ms. Gnage received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College and her law degree from Stetson University College of Law. Ms. Gnage is passionate about ensuring that all children, whether living with their family or in out-of-home care, have access to the early intervention, treatment, and independent living services that help children grow and thrive in our community.

The Honorable Bruce Bartlett continues to serve in the role of JWB Board Secretary. He served as Chief Assistant State Attorney for 28 years until his appointment as the State Attorney of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021. Mr. Bartlette was subsequently elected to the position of State Attorney in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. In his role as State Attorney, Mr. Bartlett serves in an ex-officio capacity on the JWB Board in his role as the State Attorney. 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 the Florida Bar Grievance Committee (6-D), Chair of the Judicial Nominating Commission (6-D), 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).

The Honorable Patrice Moore, Circuit Court Judge with the Sixth Judicial Circuit, concluded her term as JWB Board Chair on September 20, 2025. She continues to serve as an ex-officio member of the JWB Board, to which she was appointed in 2014 by the Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge. During her term as Board Chair, Judge Moore guided JWB to its completion of a robust five-year strategic plan, led the organization as it weathered two major back-to-back hurricanes, and oversaw annual $100 million-plus investments for programming, initiatives, and campaigns that strengthened the lives and improved the futures of hundreds of thousands of children.