Michael G. Mikurak

Michael G. Mikurak serves as the Interim Chief Executive Officer for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB), a mission-driven organization with an 80-year history of strengthening the lives of children and families in Pinellas County. A passionate champion for our county’s youngest citizens, Mikurak believes all children deserve the opportunity to fulfill their potential and achieve meaningful and purposeful lives. He also believes that, as a society, improving children’s lives today and into the future is simply a smart investment.

In his role as JWB’s Interim CEO, Mikurak oversees an annual impact budget of $132.2 million, a workforce of 79, and a strategic plan focused across six result areas: Early Childhood Development, School Readiness, School Success, Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Strengthening Community, and Organizational Capacity. He serves as the nexus between the JWB Governing Board and day-to-day operations, administers accountability systems and measurements to safeguard the community’s investments, advocates for children’s issues on a local, state, and national front, creates lifesaving and life-changing strategic partnerships and campaigns, and oversees the funding of high-quality programs that benefit nearly 80,000 Pinellas County children and families annually.

Mikurak has more than 30 years of experience in business strategy and supply chain management and is well known in the international business community. He was an international consulting partner at Accenture, PLC, where he focused on consulting with Fortune 100 companies. He retired from Accenture in 2003 with Founder Partner status, as one of the original company partners who helped take the company public. Since retiring, he has continued to utilize his knowledge and experience, including intellectual property from the nine global patents he holds in Business Collaboration; one in e-learning; one pending patent in e-learning with Raytheon Corporation; and 10 International Patents pertaining to Path03gen Solution’s Foot Sanitizing and Handheld Pathogen Eliminating Devices. In addition, Mikurak has authored articles for and been quoted in numerous business periodicals and management books.

Mikurak was appointed to the JWB Board in 2013 where he held the positions of Board Chair, Vice Chair, and Finance Committee Chair, and represented JWB on several child-serving boards until his term expired in April 2025. During his tenure on the Board, Mikurak held JWB to the highest standards of accountability while promoting innovation, strategic thinking, and process optimization. He currently serves on the St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation Board, and has served on the boards of BayCare Health Systems, St. Anthony’s Hospital (St. Petersburg), Pinellas County License Board, and Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County.

Karen Boggess, MSW

As the Chief Operating Officer for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB), Karen Boggess provides leadership, supervision, and oversight of JWB’s funded programs and services, as well as the planning and execution of community engagement, initiatives, collaborations, and outreach activities.

She oversees all program aspects of JWB’s annual budget and strategic plan, and ensures funded agencies adhere to contractual guidelines and are informed of pertinent strategies to improve programmatic and administrative practices.

Working closely with JWB’s Community Councils and other key community stakeholders, Ms. Boggess leads her team in creating partnerships to launch collective impact campaigns and initiate grassroots efforts that benefit underserved communities within Pinellas County.

Ms. Boggess has more than 25 years of experience serving in a variety of direct service, administrative, and leadership capacities in the human services field, including 19 years with JWB. A proven leader with deep knowledge of both government and human services sectors, she is skilled at developing strong teams, partnering with diverse programs and communities, advocating for children and families, and diligently problem-solving to make program and system improvements. Most notably, Ms. Boggess championed efforts to develop JWB’s Quality Early Learning Initiative, providing access to high-quality education for young children of underserved communities. She has developed strong, trusted relationships within the community and considers it an honor to serve Pinellas County children and families.

A native New Yorker who worked in the children’s mental health system before moving to Tampa Bay in 2005, Ms. Boggess holds a master’s degree in social work from Fordham University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Tampa. She is a proud mom to a son who attends Pinellas County Schools and is active in Little League. She serves on the Epilepsy Services Foundation Board, was the former Board President, and is active with her son’s School Advisory Council.

Laura Peele

As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB), Laura Peele provides leadership, supervision, and oversight of JWB’s Information Technology (IT) strategies, policies, and personnel to ensure that IT investments and operations align with and successfully support the organization’s mission as well as strategic and tactical plans.

She is responsible for overall technology strategy and operations including technical strategies, resources, budgets, polices, and operations. Ms. Peele plans, directs, and supervises the work of managerial and professional IT and facilities staff, assuring that JWB effectively maintains current technology and adopts innovative technologies as appropriate.

The latter is an aspect of her job that she is deeply passionate about and widely recognized for having mastered. Ms. Peele prides herself in ensuring that JWB is an early adopter of the most cutting-edge technology that supports innovation and efficiency in JWB’s operations, leading to improved community impact.

Ms. Peele holds a B.S. in Technology Management from St. Pete College and has been a Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) since 2016.

Deeply committed to the mission, she has more than 30 years of experience with JWB, serving in a variety of roles, which have allowed her a unique perspective after watching the organization’s growth and evolution over decades. After initially joining the JWB Human Resources department, she moved into IT and progressed steadily through the ranks as she led a series of firsts: From creating and administering a five-county software system for the Florida Children’s Services Councils (CSCs) and leading the effort to create the organization’s first data warehouse to secure all JWB data to leading the infrastructure side of JWB’s transition to a remote workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Born in New York, Ms. Peele has been a Pinellas resident since the third grade and considers it an honor to serve Pinellas County children and families. She and her three children are, as she says, proud products of the Pinellas County School district. She also pours her support into the community through volunteer work: As Captain of the Ye Krewe of Sir Henry Morgan, a Gasparilla krewe, she leads more than 150 members in community service and philanthropic support of local schools and cancer organizations, including National Cancer Society, Children’s Cancer Center, and Moffitt Cancer Center.

Robbi Stivers

As the Chief Financial Officer for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB), Robbi Stivers is responsible for the development and use of sound fiscal and contracting policies and practices that support JWB’s mission and activities while furthering its strategic plan. As Department Chief, he plans, directs, and supervises the work of JWB personnel engaged in the activities of accounting, budget preparation and analysis, procurement, administrative contract management, and program finance. In addition, he regularly reports to JWB’s 11-member Board who are representative of the community and guide citizens’ investments.

Mr. Stivers is a proven leader with 20-plus years of finance experience with local and state governments and public higher education. Building on a successful banking career, he has applied principles of sound business practices, financial management, and organizational leadership to his government finance roles. Mr. Stivers is a skilled problem-solver who applies his entrepreneurial vision to create new programs for increased accountability and efficiencies; possesses in-depth knowledge of risk assessment and mitigation; and is savvy to federal, state, and local leadership, legislation, and regulatory environments.

Mr. Stivers earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Tennessee Wesleyan University and his M.A. in Organizational Management from Tusculum University. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager (granted by the Association of Government Accountants). He has early career certifications and experience in both insurance and banking.