Tonya Ruble Richter

She is an accomplished nonprofit executive, operations leader, and youth advocate with nearly two decades of experience transforming organizations that serve children and families. She currently serves as President and CEO of EverForward in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she led an organization-wide transformation to a trauma-informed, healing-centered model of care, shifted residential programs to be "more home less facility," expanded service offerings and program capacity, reduced behavioral and safety incidents through improved clinical oversight and staff training, rebranded the organization, built and onboarded a new executive leadership team, strengthened board governance, implemented a full Electronic Health Record system, established centralized data management, automated payroll and timekeeping, conducted facility assessments across five residential buildings, and elevated organizational standards for quality and accountability. Her earlier career includes serving as Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Arts Conservatory For Teens, where she expanded student enrollment by 700% from 131 to over 1,000 weekly, doubled client sites and class offerings, doubled the operational budget in one year, and secured the organization's most significant donations to date, as Executive Director at SEI Voices for Children, where she resolved a financial deficit threatening program closure after advancing from volunteer advocate to Executive Director, expanded program funding by 700%, increased children served by over 500%, grew the volunteer base by 500%, served over 2,400 children, and influenced policy as part of a legislative committee, and as Family Support Manager at Centerstone, where she provided mental health services, life skills training, and crisis intervention to children and families. She also served as a Senior Recruiter at On Assignment, where she was a top producer, President's Club winner, and earned Healthcare Traveler Magazine's Recruiter of the Year award. Her career reflects a deep commitment to healing-centered care, youth advocacy, and building sustainable organizations that create lasting impact.