Team

Dan Rodgers — Chair

Dan Rodgers was appointed chair of the CARES advisory board in June 2018 after having joined the board in 2017.

He is a retired chief probation officer for the Department of Juvenile Justice in Circuit 18. It was during this time that Dan became acquainted with the services provided by CARES.

CARES was asked to help prevent youth in secure detention from being ordered into foster care due to a parent’s refusal to take their child home after the detention period. CARES provided services to families struggling with their child’s behavior and prevented many youth from being adjudicated dependent and placed in foster care.

Prior to his DJJ service, Dan was a foster care counselor working with teenage youth living is a foster care placement.

Dan retired from the United States Air Force in 1990. He is married and has one adult son.

Christa Bailey — Vice Chair

Christa Bailey is co-owner of ACES of Brevard, a company that builds and services mobile command centers for military and police. She and her husband run the locally owned business together.

After moving from New Jersey to Florida in 1991, Christa helped run All Brevard Irrigation and Landscaping with her husband. She was co-owner of the business, which focused on new homes. Christa has also worked as an activities director in two local assisted living facilities where she enjoyed helping residents step outside the average day-to-day routine and fully enjoy life as seniors. Christa and her husband have lived in their Brevard home for 27 years, raising their son and now their daughters.

Christa is a former Family Partnerships board member. She currently home-schools her daughters. As a family with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, they enjoy traveling, theme parks and exploring each other’s interests. Christa’s experiences as a mom, foster mom, adoptive mom and CARES alumna help drive her passion for the CARES mission.

Paula Ferrell — Treasurer

Paula Ferrell recently retired from the Brevard public school system. She worked in the educational system for more than 40 years, beginning her career as a teacher of severely emotionally disturbed students. Working with these students and families, she gained a passion for the mental health field and building mentally healthy thinking skills.

During her career, she became project manager for SEDNET (Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities Multi-Agency Network) and then the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Project. In this role, she was able to connect mental health and substance abuse, providing research-based programs to help build resiliency (mentally healthy thinking) in students and families. Paula worked with local mental health and substance abuse agencies to provide services to Brevard students. She also created a mental health resource guide for school guidance counselors and families.

She was blessed with raising three sons and a grandson. Her life experiences as a mother and grandmother had a profound influence on her education in youth interaction.

In retirement, Paula looks forward to continuing the pursuit of her passion for educating and supporting the building of resiliency in children and families.

Tracy Newman — Member

Tracy Newman has lived in Brevard County since 1982. She holds a juris doctorate from Barry University College of Law, as well as a master’s in social work from the University of Central Florida. She is a practicing attorney in Brevard County and licensed to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Tracy owns a law firm in Melbourne.

Tracy is adjunct instructor for three different universities and colleges and has taught for more than 15 years.  She is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and works in a community agency doing counseling and visitation.

Tracy is passionate about services to help families and believes the key to success is having a strong community and social service system. She believes that Brevard County is a strong community that supports those in need and provides access to services. She is a big supporter of the social service community to provide the best care to help strengthen families.

In her spare time, she enjoys true crime books, traveling, and time with her family and friends. She is married with two boys.

Brittany Bartusek — Member

Brittany Bartusek is a proud Brevard native. She attended West Shore junior and senior high schools, where she became passionate about giving back to her community, including organizing a community health fair for her senior project. This project sparked her interest in pursuing her education to help others for a lifetime.

Brittany graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in social work. Brittany is a Licensed Master Social Worker in Texas and a Licensed a Clinical Social Worker/Qualified Supervisor in Florida. Brittany has an array of experience from working in healthcare, community-based therapy for all ages, school social worker and victim services. Brittany seeks to give back to others and strongly advocates for those who may have lost their voice.

Brittany is a wife and a mother who enjoys spending time at the beach, in the water or going to parks with her family.

Phil Scarpelli — President and CEO
321-752-4650, ext. 3064
Phil.Scarpelli@brevardfp.org

Phil Scarpelli is president and CEO of Family Partnerships of Central Florida. He joined Brevard Family Partnership, the predecessor organization, in November 2018 and in May 2024 led the organization in expanding its growth to serve four counties encompassing two circuits, rebranding the organization as Family Partnerships of Central Florida.

As a long-term servant leader, Phil has been involved in Florida’s child welfare system since the inception of privatization, as early as the late 1990s. Previously, he worked as part of the Department of Children and Families central region’s leadership on the professional development and talent management of its middle and senior managers. Prior to that role, he was state director of Key Assets Florida Inc., part of the International Core Assets Group, a leading children’s services provider.

Phil has 35 years of experience in behavioral healthcare and child welfare in clinical and administrative capacities. Throughout his career, he has been committed to children and families at risk and to developing a perpetual learning environment willing to challenge the status quo, relentlessly integrating innovation, inclusion, transparency and trust.

Phil has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gerontology from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, and a master’s degree in psychology from Yeshiva University, New York.

Rebecca Melick, MSW — Executive Director
321-752-4650, ext. 1019
Rebecca.Melick@brevardcares.org

Rebecca has been working with children and families in Brevard County for the last 10 years. She obtained her Bachelor of Social Work in 2012 and went on to earn a master’s in social work in 2013 from the University of Central Florida.

Rebecca has worked within her preferred area of social work, child welfare, for most of her career. She started with the Department of Children and Families, where she served as a child protective investigator and eventually became a senior child protective investigator. She has held her Child Welfare Certification since 2014.

Rebecca transitioned to a supervisory role with the Non-Judicial In-Home Services program with CARES and was promoted to program director in 2019. She became director of operations in 2021. Currently, Rebecca is executive director, where she is able to­­ utilize the hands-on experience she has obtained, along with her passion for strengths-based family engagement, to promote change within the community she serves.