Terri Balliet brings extensive leadership experience and a distinguished record of service to children and families across the Tampa Bay Area and Florida.

She spent nearly two decades with Gulf Coast Jewish & Family Community Services, advancing from Case Management Supervisor in 2004 to Chief Operating Officer from 2014 to 2022. As COO, Terri managed a multimillion-dollar budget and oversaw more than twenty programs, including child welfare, substance abuse and mental health services, and elder and disability support. She also played a pivotal role in launching the Community Assistance Life Liaison (CALL) program in partnership with the St. Petersburg Chief of Police—a model that has since gained national recognition.

On July 1, 2022, Terri became Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Network of Hillsborough, establishing Circuit 13’s new lead child welfare agency. Under her leadership, CNHC oversees a $120 million budget, more than 300 employees, and a highly complex child welfare system. CNHC has achieved measurable progress in prevention, reunification, and adoption through broad-based system reforms in collaboration with community partners.

Terri’s impact has been recognized locally, statewide, and nationally. She was honored by the White House for her participation in Operation Dragon Eye, a U.S. Marshals–led initiative to recover missing children and human trafficking victims. Other accolades include the Community Champions Award for safely reducing foster care placements in Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation Community Hero Award (2022), and Business Women of the Year (2025). Under her leadership, the Children’s Network of Hillsborough was also named a One Tampa Bay Honoree (2025).

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Coalition for Children, previously serving as Chair, and holds appointments with the St. Petersburg Police Citizen Policy Review Committee, United Action for Children & Youth Leadership Circle, the Community-Based Child Welfare National Symposium Board, the St. Pete Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) Youth Committee, and the Central Florida Behavioral Health Network Board. Terri is also a long-standing member of the National BURG Exchange.

Terri earned her M.S. in Guidance Counseling and B.S. in Criminology from the University of South Florida. She is a Leadership Tampa Bay alumna and a Board-Certified Child Protective Professional in Florida.