About Living Healthy in Florida

To help provide continuity in advancing statewide the Living Healthy in Florida initiative, a nonprofit organization named Living Healthy in Florida Inc. has been created. The Living Healthy in Florida Inc. Board of Directors represents an array of health-related industries with subject-matter expertise from both the public and private sectors.

Vision

The vision of Living Healthy in Florida is to be the catalyst for comprehensive and collaborative actions to optimize health and wellness in Florida.

Mission

The mission of Living Healthy in Florida is to empower individuals, organizations and communities to make choices that optimize health and wellness.

Goals

1. Establish partnerships between government agencies and non-government organizations to enhance collaboration on health and wellness initiatives.
2. Gather and disseminate best practices of health and disease prevention initiatives.
3. Stimulate and promote education and innovation pertinent to health, wellness and disease prevention in Florida by working jointly with governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Board of Directors

Paco Vélez, President

Paco is the CEO of Feeding South Florida. He leads the organization in its mission to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts and transforming lives through innovative programming and education. He also oversees the creation of new ideas and initiatives to advance and expand the organization’s goals. Feeding South Florida has the largest service area among Feeding America food banks in the state of Florida. Paco has served as the secretary for Feeding Florida and is currently on the board. He is a member of the American Commodity Distribution Association and serves on the board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program with the United Way of Miami-Dade.

Karla Shelnutt, Ph.D., R.D., Vice President

Karla is a tenured associate professor and extension nutrition specialist with the University of Florida’s Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences. Her extensive education and experience have made her an expert not only in the field of nutrition but also in community outreach. Karla has provided statewide leadership for her extension program, which focuses on obesity prevention in children, adolescents and young adults. She received her Ph.D. in food science and human nutrition with a concentration in nutritional sciences from the University of Florida in 2003.

Kristine Perez-Carrion, MMedSci, Treasurer

Kristine is the vice president of programs and resident health expert at FLIPANY (Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth), a South Florida nonprofit whose mission is to foster healthy lives through nutrition education, physical activities and wellness initiatives. Kristine develops impact-driven, research-based programs focused on addressing community public health issues and supporting the organization’s public assistance efforts. She received her Master of Medical Science degree in human nutrition from the University of Sheffield in England.

Adam Faurot

Adam is the CEO and co-founder of Titus Sports Academy, which was established in 2001 and is based in Tallahassee, Florida. He is also instrumental in implementing Titus’ efforts to deliver a high-level youth development program in our public schools through the CHAMPIONS program as well as the creation of PROTECTORS, which is a cutting-edge Titus program directed toward occupational fitness for law enforcement and military personnel.

Adam is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, NASE, the International Sports Sciences Association, USA Weightlifting, and USA Track and Field and received his bachelor's degree from Florida State University in finance and accounting.

Penny Ralston, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus

Penny is the director of the Center of Better Health and Life for Underserved Populations at Florida State University. Her interests center around developing and evaluating programs to improve the health and well-being of youth and adults within the community setting. Her earlier work focused on the development and use of programs for older adults, but more recently she has focused on improving health across the lifespan, with an interest in underserved populations. She received her Ph.D. in family and consumer sciences education from the University of Illinois.

Diane Raker Owens

Diane is the statewide manager of provider and community engagement for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, which is focused on improving social determinants of health for our most vulnerable Florida residents. She has extensive experience in grassroots collaboration with community-based organizations to create and implement innovative projects dedicated to improving children’s health. Prior to her current position with UnitedHealthcare, she worked for 20 years in the areas of special education and health services with the Leon County School District. This experience gave her a keen awareness and passion for supporting initiatives that reduce the number of uninsured children in Florida and address better coordination and access to healthcare and improved access to healthy food.