Meet Our Staff

Monica Wofford has diligently served on our board and Executive Board prior to being named Interim CEO in May of 2020. She has a significant depth and breadth of exposure and experience in both the Non-Profit and Corporate leadership arena. Monica has served on the board of Freedom Ride, Rollins College Leadership Advisory Board, Girl Scouts, and National Speakers Association and is a current board member of Habitat for Humanity and a political committee, while also serving as a member of Lake County Workforce Housing Task Force and Lake 100. She is a twenty-year Lake County resident and brings a wealth of knowledge and relationships to the organization, due in part to her founding and operation of the leadership training and consulting firm of Contagious Companies, Inc, since 2003. Her roles in this organization have included business coaching, professional trainer, executive consultant, and keynote speaker. Monica has also written for the Non-Profit Times and taught courses within the Non-Profit Mini-MBA at Rollins College.

We value her commitment and passion to serve in this capacity as we smoothly transition during this time. Monica will continue to hold the role of CEO of leadership training firm Contagious Companies, Inc while also working closely and daily with the incredible team within United Way of Lake and Sumter, facilitating meeting the many needs within our communities.

Michelle Dean was born in Ocala at Munroe Regional Medical Center. She was raised in the small town of Anthony, Florida with an older brother, an older sister and one younger brother. Her other sisters and brothers were already married and had moved away. There are twelve children in all.

Michelle’s professional career started at the age of seventeen. She was an early childcare preschool teacher. She worked her way up to assistant Director and then standing Director of an Early Learning Center. She then moved into the school system as the In-House Substitute teacher. In this position, she completed an internship in the placement department. She was hired as a placement specialist working with foster children.

As the Master Teacher of United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties, she works in the early childcare classrooms to provide hands on training for the teachers in their own classrooms. The teachers earn a 45 hours certificate upon completion of the twenty-day program. She feels blessed to work with providers in the Lake and Sumter County areas.

Her personal goal is to complete her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Educational Leadership at the University of North Florida. Her professional goal is to be the Director of the Master Teacher Program. She also wants to provide a quality early childcare training conference to educators free of charge once a year. It is her desire to see this program make a difference in the providers of these two-great counties. She would also love to partner with local early childhood agencies to increase awareness and knowledge of early childhood needs in our area.

Michelle has many interests. At the top of the list, is spending time with her boys and husband. She enjoys watching her middle son play baseball and look forward to the season starting up again. She also enjoys helping her son with his wood working business. Painting, drawing, decorating, reading, and jewelry making is a very soothing experience for Michelle.

Stephen Shylkofski is the Community Impact Director of United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties. A long-time community volunteer and advocate, Stephen has had the pleasure of working closely with many areas of both the Federal and State Government, many Veterans programs, and most recently was the long-time Constituent Services Director for Congressman Daniel Webster. His transition to the Non-Profit sector showcases his passion for helping others and making an even more targeted and localized difference.

With a BA in Political Science from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!), Stephen is adept in advocacy for both our funded partners and community agencies with whom we affiliate. He is also quite skilled in showcasing new opportunities for greater positive impact in the community, including his efforts in leading and growing the Stronger Families Program.

Lena McCamish-Kane came to us as an administrative assistant following a 12 year period of juggling a part time at home medical transcription position while homeschooling and caring for her twin daughters.  After growing up in Augusta, Maine most of her life, she moved to Florida in 1991 with her first duty station in the US Coast Guard.  She earned a magna cum Laude Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida in Psychology and has plans for earning her masters when her daughters are a little older.

Her professional experience has included fundraising, event planning, interconnect consulting and management consulting.  She thrives in making community connections and establishing long lasting relationships that lead to helping those around us that need us the most.  The most rewarding to her is connecting businesses to opportunities that inspire them to grow and flourish within the community.  Lena has a deep passion for traveling, geocaching, painting/sketching, and most of all, her twin daughters who light up every room they are in!

Keia Brown is a Case Manager with United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties. She holds a BS in Business and Accounting and has had 18 years of experience in the medical field. Her passion is in raising morale and establishing strong communication along with a trusting therapeutic relationship with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures.

She has worked with youth as a mentor, clients in need with funding options, and even helped clients assess the risks and outcomes of many of their decisions, using skills learned from when she was a data analyst. Keia tends to roam both counties in our service area, so you may spot her in Sumterville, Mount Dora, or even the South Lake area, as well as her home base of right here in Leesburg.

Justin Adonis was born in southern Florida and moved to New England six weeks later. Spending 25 years of his life in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, he returned to his roots and moved to Central Florida to live with his partner. An empathic soul and derives joy from seeing people improve. He has struggled with medical difficulties since he was young and is driven to improve the quality of life of others who need it. Justin started volunteering at United Way as a Tax Preparer for the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program in early 2021. With an extensive family background of veterans, he was eager and ready to help United Way and Mission United when the opportunity showed itself. Now he is an Administrative Assistant for Mission United at United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties.

 

 

Evin Schneider is an Americorps Vista and began in early 2020, though it often seems as if she has been here much longer. With adept research skills and a drive to learn and grow her grant writing skills, Evin demonstrates a keen eye for funding opportunities and an enthusiasm for ensuring a match between grantee and grantor.

Evin holds a BA in elementary education and a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorder. She shares a passion for the education of children and how that is achieved and to what degree of quality. Her firm belief is that all kids need access to a quality education and deserve to receive individualized instruction.