# Sarah Franco

> Sarah Franco is JAFCO’s founding chief executive and current CEO Emeritus. She led the Florida child welfare nonprofit for 32 years, working with founder Ron Simon and longtime colleague Wendy Jenkins to develop foster care, adoption, family preservation and residential programs. She retired as CEO on December 31, 2024.

- **Role:** CEO Emeritus at JAFCO
- **Organizations:** JAFCO
- **Nationality:** Israeli (self-described citizenship in JAFCO’s 2024 journal)
- **Education:** Master’s degree in counseling (M.S.)
- **Known for:** Served as JAFCO’s first and founding chief executive for 32 years., Helped grow the agency from a $50,000 annual budget to over $16 million by its May 2024 retirement announcement., Helped develop residential, foster care, adoption and family preservation services with Ron Simon and Wendy Jenkins.

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Volunteered as vice-president of JAFCO’s board before becoming executive director on October 1.
- **2003** — Children’s Village opened during her leadership; a February 2016 account dates its opening to 13 years earlier.
- **2014** — JAFCO expanded with the Children’s Ability Center and a Philadelphia office.
- **2024** — Retirement announced in May; she retired as CEO effective December 31.
- **2025** — JAFCO’s journal identifies her as founding CEO Emeritus.

## Achievements

- Served as JAFCO’s first and founding chief executive for 32 years.
- Helped grow the agency from a $50,000 annual budget to over $16 million by its May 2024 retirement announcement.
- Helped develop residential, foster care, adoption and family preservation services with Ron Simon and Wendy Jenkins.

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — Announced plans to retire as CEO on December 31, 2024.
- **2024-12** — Completed her 32-year tenure as CEO.
- **2025-09** — JAFCO’s 2025 journal recognizes her as founding CEO Emeritus; its September upload is the dated public record.

## Links

- Website: https://jafco.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-franco-82b6a31a

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sarah-franco
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09