Introducing the New Board Members at Cumberland Presbyterian Children's Home

Introducing the New Board Members at Cumberland Presbyterian Children's Home

At Cumberland Youth and Family Services, we could use all of the help we can get to ensure that each of our residents lives the most fulfilling life possible. That’s why we are so happy to announce that we have five new board members who have stepped up to help us provide above and beyond care to our residents. Each of our new board members comes from a diverse background, but they are all united in the common goal of providing a better life for our residents. We are so proud to introduce you to the new board members on our team:

Thomas R. Spence

Thomas R. Spence (Tom) of Burns Flat, Oklahoma, is a retired United States Marine Corps officer who served in all Marine Divisions in his 20 years of service. He was able to continue his education while in the Marine Corps and thereafter, most recently graduating from Memphis Theological Seminary (PAS). He brings a diverse background to our organization, as he has served on the Board of the Western Oklahoma Family Care Center.

Tom decided to join our board upon recommendation from Don Tabor and Norlan Scrudder. With a recommendation from his friends, he submitted his application to be a part of an organization that he had admired for two decades. His passion for helping our organization grow comes from our mission statement -- In response to Christ's love and example, we serve children and families by providing healing and hope.

“My goal for working with Cumberland is to better present our services to our denomination, which often considers Cumberland as a home for orphans.” - Tom Spence

Jennifer Hayes

Jennifer Hayes of Fort Worth, Texas ties her life experience back to the roots of our organization, as her ordination is held in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She serves as a chaplain in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Cook Children's, where she also works as the PRN chaplain supervisor. She self-describes herself as a decent wife and a goofy mom who wears a taco-shaped fanny pack.

Aside from getting the rest of the board to join in on the fanny pack craze, Jennifer’s hope is that her votes, words and actions will affirm to each Cumberland resident that they are full of worth and are valued. Her passion for joining the Cumberland Youth and Family Services board comes from Jesus Himself. She believes that Jesus is a friend to children and in order to best live out her calling, she must advocate and work for those whom Jesus loves.

“My hope is that I can use my training and experience as a pediatric chaplain as a way to further develop trauma-informed care methods and policies so, together, we can best serve the residents of Cumberland.” - Jennifer Hayes

Lerita Traylor

Lerita Traylor of Alvarado, Texas is a proud single mom of three successful children. She works for the Tarrant County College District, while also being a deacon at Pathway Church in Burleson, Texas. She was inspired by our mission statement to start her journey as a board member for our agency.

While working with underprivileged children herself for more than 10 years, she has also taken inspiration from her daughter, who works for CPS. Her daughter inspired her through the heartbreaking stories from her work with children without homes. Lerita says that hearing the stories motivated her to make a difference in her own way. Through her work with our agency, she hopes to continue the mission of Cumberland but also bring new perspectives for the future of the agency.

“I strongly believe that Cumberland has and WILL continue to be a safe place for youths and families to experience healing and hope. I'm humbled to be a part of such a great organization.” - Lerita Traylor

Constance Lea Caudle

Constance‌ ‌Lea‌ ‌Caudle‌, Coni for short, is ‌a‌ ‌retired‌ 67-year-old ‌mother‌ ‌and‌ ‌grandmother from Nashville, TN.‌‌ She ‌graduated‌ ‌from‌ ‌Trevecca‌ ‌University‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌degree‌ ‌in‌ ‌Human‌ ‌Resources‌ ‌Management.‌ ‌Her ‌employment‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌private‌ ‌sector,‌ ‌non-profit‌ ‌and‌ ‌government‌ ‌in‌ ‌Accounting‌ ‌and‌ ‌HR‌ ‌Management.‌ ‌She is ‌an‌ ‌elder‌ ‌at‌ ‌Tusculum‌ ‌Cumberland‌ ‌Presbyterian‌ ‌Church.‌

One of the biggest benefits of having Coni on our board is that she has lived through the foster care experience. ‌She ‌was‌ in foster care ‌until‌ ‌she was adopted ‌at‌ the ‌age‌ ‌of 2, and that experience inspired her to foster her own child later in life. She fostered her daughter until the adoption was finalized just before her third birthday. Both Coni and her daughter have received‌ ‌services‌ from Cumberland, ‌which‌ ‌they say changed‌ ‌their ‌lives‌ ‌when‌ ‌they ‌had‌ ‌no‌ ‌hope.‌

“As‌ ‌a‌ ‌foster‌ ‌kid,‌ ‌who‌ ‌fostered‌ ‌a‌ ‌child‌ ‌with‌ ‌barriers‌ ‌and‌ ‌special‌ ‌needs‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌way‌ ‌for‌ ‌me‌ ‌to‌ ‌give‌ ‌back‌ ‌and‌ ‌help‌ ‌other‌ ‌children‌ ‌and‌ ‌families‌ ‌heal‌ ‌and‌ ‌to‌ ‌know‌ ‌there‌ ‌is‌ ‌HOPE.‌ “ - Coni Caudle

Lauri Ragland

Lauri Ragland is a proud wife and the mother of 4 beautiful daughters, located in Flower Mound, TX. She has been a prosecutor with the Denton County District Attorney's office for almost 15 years, including the Chief of the Child Abuse Unit for 3 years. Currently, she is a felony chief prosecutor which involves trying cases of child abuse.

Lauri was inspired to join our board after serving as the Chair for our inaugural Hats & Horses for Healing & Hope gala. As a result of prosecuting child abuse cases, she has seen first-hand the trauma that abuse and  neglect can cause a child. Having 4 children herself, she has vowed to do everything in her power to see that abused and neglected children heal and find success in life.

“I hope that I will be able to educate the community about the importance of Cumberland and the difference they can make either by donating monetarily or by volunteering their time.” - Lauri Ragland

We know that each of our new board members will inspire positive change in our agency, community and residents. Each is committed to making a difference in the lives of our residents and will do everything in their power to ensure that they live successful lives. We are so proud that this group of exceptional individuals have decided to help make our mission possible, each bringing a background that we believe will service our agency well. Want to learn more about everything they will be helping our agency accomplish? Check out our blog today!