Tampa, Fla. – Children’s Network of Hillsborough County (CNHC) is pleased to announce that Terri Balliet will lead the organization as its incoming Chief Executive Officer.

Balliet will begin work at the lead agency on August 22, 2022. She brings a wealth of local experience to the position, including nearly two decades of service at Gulf Coast Jewish & Family Community Services.

“I am delighted to welcome Terri as CEO of CNHC,” said Nadereh Salim, CEO of Children’s Network of Southwest Florida. “Her tremendous talent and history of service to children and families in the Suncoast Region and across the state make her a truly excellent choice. Her expertise will be invaluable as CNHC works to create brighter futures for Hillsborough County families.”

When asked about her immediate priorities for CNHC, Balliet said she would work to stabilize the system of care, hire qualified Case Managers and support staff, recruit more high-quality foster parents, and reduce caseloads for Case Managers. Other key objectives for Balliet and her team include strengthening at-risk families, finding adoptive parents for children who need them, and working closely with the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office and other community partners.

Balliet has worked her way up the ranks in child welfare from Case Management Supervisor in 2004, to Chief Operating Officer of Gulf Coast Jewish & Family Community Services from 2014 to the present. As COO at Gulf Coast JFCS, she has overseen a multimillion-dollar budget and over 20 child welfare, behavioral health, and elder and disabled services programs. She also served as Assistant Director of Operations at the Sarasota Family YMCA Safe Children Coalition.

A previous Community Champions Award recipient for her efforts to safely reduce the number of children in foster care in Pinellas County, Balliet serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Florida Coalition for Children. She is an alumna of Leadership Tampa Bay and a Board-Certified Child Protective Professional in Florida. Balliet holds an M.S. in Guidance Counseling and a B.S. in Criminology from the University of South Florida.

“We are excited to have Mrs. Balliet join the Camelot family of companies as the CEO of the Children’s Network of Hillsborough,” said Michael DiBrizzi, CEO of parent organization Camelot Community Care. “Mrs. Balliet has been a successful child welfare leader for many years and will bring a commitment to building strong relationships with key community stakeholders to keep children safe and strengthen families.”

CNHC is the new nonprofit community-based care lead agency for Hillsborough County. After beginning work on July 1, 2022, the organization leads a network of community partners to implement the child welfare system in the county, including family reunification, foster care, adoption, abuse prevention services, and many other programs.

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