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Better Together names chief operating officer

| Jo-Lynn Brown

Better Together, a nonprofit focused on supporting families and children, has appointed Jess Tharpe as its new chief operating officer.

Tharpe joins Better Together after serving as assistant secretary for the Florida Office of Community Services, part of the Department of Children and Families.

At DCF, Tharpe led initiatives including the launch of Family Navigation, Florida’s Foster Information Center and Father First. Her background includes roles in nonprofit leadership, higher education and the private sector, emphasizing program development and continuous quality improvement.

Tharpe, a former Junior League of Tallahassee president, lives in Tallahassee with her family and remains active in her community and church.

Founded in 2015, in Southwest Florida, Better Together serves 48 counties, across six regions in Florida, assisting over 10,000 children and connecting nearly 40,000 job seekers to employment.

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