founder & Executive Director: Rebecca Davis
Rebecca Davis is a native of Tennille, Georgia, and has lived in Jacksonville, Florida since 1997. Rebecca is happily married to Willie Davis and is an active member of her church where she leads the Helping Hands Ministry and sings in the choir. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority Incorporated. Rebecca received her Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. She has over 20 years of professional experience to include serving on the management teams that allowed her to develop and lead team members to show genuine concern for people. She steadfastly believes that one of her primary purposes is to serve God and others.
Rebecca was inspired to start the nonprofit R.E.S.T.O.R.E. (Rebuilding Ex-Offenders Successfully Through Opportunities Rehabilitation and Education), because of her love for people and her belief that we all deserve another chance. She has encountered many ex-offenders who have shared how difficult it was to function on the outside after serving their sentences. She strongly believes that if the necessary services are provided and skills developed, the chances of recidivism are drastically reduced. Rebecca’s ultimate goal for R.E.S.T.O.R.E. is to build hope, character, and stronger communities, not more prisons.
President: JP Mills
JP Mills is currently employed by the Federal Aviation Administration. In his thirty years with the company, he served in various roles which included Electrical Engineer; Supervisor of Technical Evaluation; System Maintenance Manager of which he was responsible for the technical operation for airports in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and the Northwestern Panhandle of Florida; Human Resources Branch Manager, where he trained over 1,000 personnel logistics real property inventory, IT staffing, EEO and managed a budget of $138 million dollars; Executive Advisor and District Manager.
JP’s passion to serve others has guided him to join the R.E.S.T.O.R.E. Board of Directors where he is looking forward to making a positive impact on Jacksonville communities.
CFO: Anthony seabert
Tony grew up in the Jacksonville area. He is a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur who has worked across multiple industries and continents. In addition to his consulting business, he owns a real estate business with his wife Lindsay. Not having mentorship in this area, he has worked through the process of learning much of it on his own. With this knowledge and his passion for paying-it-forward, he brings R.E.S.T.O.R.E. not only his real estate guidance, but also a desire to support the financial education of R.E.S.T.O.R.E. participants.
Secretary: Lawanda Brown
Lawanda is originally from Ohio; she earned her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics & Nutrition from the University of Cincinnati. Lawanda is very passionate about wellness and mindfulness.
Lawanda brings 20+ years of real estate, and financial services management experience to R.E.S.T.O.R.E. Lawanda has had the opportunity to work with national grocers, various municipalities, realtors, brokers, and maintenance services companies. Currently, Lawanda owns and manages a commercial and residential real estate portfolio.
Lawanda believes wholeheartedly in making the most of your opportunities and is a strong advocate for second chances “a Mistake is NOT a Monument.” Lawanda firmly stands behind the vision and mission of R.E.S.T O.R. E.
tracy hay
Tracy T. Hay is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She is a proud graduate of Jean Ribault Senior High. She continued her formal education to earn her bachelor’s degree in Professional Management and her master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University. She has over fourteen years of dedicated experience in education where she served in various capacities including school and district leadership roles, K-12 teacher, and Sunday School teacher.
She believes education is a catalyst that will give a person the opportunity to transform his or her life and help anyone make positive contributions to our community. Tracy remains true to her faith in God as she fulfills her passion for inspiring others to become lifelong learners.
Hillary Berger
Hillary Berger moved to Jacksonville, FL in 2003 after graduating from Valdosta State University with her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. In her 19 years of residing in Jacksonville, Hillary has volunteered for various organizations and served on several non-profit Boards. Hillary’s Board service to Adoption Authority started in 2012. When the organization’s founder was ready to step away from managing the day-to-day operations, Hillary voluntarily managed the Operations. After volunteering for one year, Hillary accepted a full-time staff position as the Adoption Authority’s Operations Coordinator. In order to fulfill Adoption Authority’s Board’s desire to have her take the role of Executive Director, Hillary went back to school and earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from Florida State University in 2019. She is a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern in the state of Florida. In 2022, Adoption Authority merged with ACF Adoptions, and now operates as Advocates for Children and Families. Hillary is the Director of Development for Advocates for Children and Families, a non-profit organization focused on helping children and families thrive.
Kimano edwards
Kimano Edwards is a civil litigation attorney who spent over a decade in public service as a law enforcement officer and prosecutor. As a police officer, Kimano protected and served local communities in Gainesville, FL, and Jacksonville, FL. As an Assistant State Attorney, he represented the state of Florida in the prosecution of criminal offenses where he managed and litigated a high volume of diverse cases—ranging from municipal ordinances to felonies. Kimano now focuses his practice on representing and providing legal counsel to clients in civil litigation matters. He is admitted to practice law in the state courts of Florida and in the U.S., District Courts for the Middle District of Florida.
Kimano grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, FL before attending the University of Florida (UF) where he graduated with a B.A. in History and minored in Education. Kimano subsequently attended UF Law where he received his Juris Doctor and earned outstanding achievement certificates for his pro bono & community service work. Kimano is a recipient of UF Law’s Dean Leadership Award that recognizes outstanding service to the UF Law community and a U.S. President’s Student Service Award for his commitment to community service.