Rebecca Bacon is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. She has more than thirty years of experience in children’s services with an emphasis on program and resource development. She is passionate about working in her community and improving the lives of all children and families.
Rebecca joined the Children’s Board in 2007 as the Manager of the Administrative Services Organization (ASO) and was later promoted to Director of the ASO. In this role, she managed and developed a full-service fiscal intermediary which funds individualized services for children and their families.
Prior to her employment at the Children’s Board, Rebecca worked for Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL), a national consulting firm, where she was instrumental in the initial implementation of the ASO in Hillsborough County. While at PPL, she presented the ASO work nationally and consulted with other communities on family-directed care.
The ASO began as a small pilot in 2003, and under Rebecca’s leadership, this innovative funding model developed into critical infrastructure for children’s services in the County, providing access to flexible funds for more than fifty programs and serving thousands of families annually.
Rebecca began working for Children’s Board funded programs in 2000, during the agency’s implementation of a system of care grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She managed a county-wide respite network funded by the grant and chaired a regional advisory board for the Florida Respite Coalition. Rebecca was also Assistant Director for a wraparound initiative serving teens in foster care.
Early in her career, Rebecca provided direct services to children and families in a variety of settings, including community mental health, the state child welfare system, and the public school system.
Rebecca obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. She has participated in numerous professional development activities including Hillsborough Backstage Pass and the Gemstones Leadership Program. Rebecca was a member of Beta Sigma Phi International Women’s Organization for twenty years and led many service projects to benefit organizations serving women and children. She received the Florida’s Finest award in 2004 from the Office of the Governor.
Rebecca lives in Hillsborough County with her husband Robert and has three wonderful sons.
