Meet our passionate and empowering leaders.

Jerry T. Haag, Ph.D., CFP®

President/CEO

Dr. Jerry Haag is the president/CEO of One More Child. During his tenure as president, he has guided the expansion of ministry sites from nine locations in Florida to a global reach of 26 states and 19 countries. Under his presidency, One More Child has launched its Anti-Trafficking, Child Hunger, Single Moms, Family Support (prevention), and Global programs to meet immediate and long-term needs of children and families. Under Dr. Haag’s leadership, One More Child has increased from serving 3,351 children and individuals in 2007 to 250,259 in 2023.

Dr. Haag earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from Baylor University and earned a Ph.D. in finance and real estate in 1995 from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has led and participated in humanitarian aid, emergency relief, childcare, and ministry to children and families in countries around the world.

Dr. Haag was appointed to serve on the Florida Faith-based and Community-based Advisory Council by three governors and served as the chair. He also serves on the board of directors of the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), where he has chaired its Faith and Foster Care Research Team and served on the President’s Advisory Council.

In addition, Dr. Haag is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council as well as the National Foster Care Collaborative – a national collection of organizations that seeks to deliver lasting, systemic change in child welfare. He also serves on the Child Welfare Innovation Working Group through the American Enterprise Institute in Washington D.C.

Because of Dr. Haag’s experience and leadership in launching global, prevention, and anti-trafficking programs, he has been invited on numerous occasions to share our organization’s expertise with national and world leaders – to include the United States Health and Human Services, the White House, the President’s Office of the Dominican Republic (in coordination with President Danilo Medina) and the Office of the First Lady of Guatemala (in coordination with First Lady Patricia Marroquin de Morales).

Dr. Haag is passionate about long-term policy change to impact vulnerable children, and he had the pleasure of participating in a distinguished seminar on Religion and U.S. Foreign Policy, sponsored by the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs at Boston University.

He preaches regularly in churches throughout the nation, and he and his wife, Christi, also enjoy speaking together. Additionally, he has authored, presented, and published academic articles relating to his business expertise and has been honored several times for his business, professional, and civic achievements.

In 2018, Dr. Haag was awarded the 2018 George W. Truett Distinguished Service Award by the Baylor Line Foundation and was honored at its Hall of Fame Gala for his exceptional leadership in meeting the needs of children around the world.

Dr. Haag has served on the faculty and administration of both public and private universities, and he was named Baylor University’s Vice President for University Development in 2011, where he served before returning as president of One More Child.

From 2000-2007, Dr. Haag served as president and CEO of the South Texas Children’s Home in Beeville. He also has corporate work experience with AT&T and is a Certified Financial Planner.

Dr. Haag and Christi have been married for more than 3 decades and live in Lakeland, Florida. Christi is a renowned speaker, thought influencer, and spokesperson for One More Child. They have two sons, Ben and Brady, and daughters in law, Maddie and Katie.

Christi Haag

Advocate/National Speaker

A passionate leader and advocate for the needs and care of children and women around the world, Christi Haag is a renowned speaker, thought influencer and spokeswoman for One More Child, a faith-based non-profit. Christi is a trailblazer in Christian orphan care, anti child sex trafficking, humanitarian aid, and global ministry.  She is also a self-proclaimed sugarholic boasting her ability to eat a whole French silk pie in one 24-hour period.

Christi has been happily married to her best friend, Jerry, for 36 years! Jerry is President/CEO of One More Child. They have two awesome sons, Ben and Brady, and two phenomenal daughters in law, Maddie and Katie and three grand dogs.

A graduate of Baylor University, Christi has led missions and traveled to countries around the world. She has eaten scorpions in China, fed children in Africa and ministered to sex trafficked children in leper colonies in Southeast Asia. She is passionate about spreading the Gospel and sharing inspiring stories of triumph. Christi has been a guest on Christian television, radio, blogs and podcasts. A survivor of breast cancer (and double mastectomy), Christi is also an encourager to women who have experienced trauma and hardships. Christi is a very humble and genuine person who will make you belly laugh, bring you to tears and help you desire to know and love Jesus more.

Speaking Topics

Stepping Out of Comfortable:
10 Ways to Love God and Others Well

Pray Big:
7 Ways to Pray to a God Who Hears

Healthy & Fresh:
How to Keep a Godly Marriage Thriving

Friendships Matter:
How to Make and Keep Healthy Friendships

Lasting Legacy:
Living a Life that Matters

Wise Girls:
How to Live and Grow in Wisdom

Door #3:
Things I Have Learned Through
My Breast Cancer Journey with Jesus

Christi Haag
MAKE A BOOKING REQUEST

Phone: 863.687.8811

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Stephen Robert

Chief Operating Officer

Stephen Robert serves as Chief Operating Officer for One More Child.

Stephen’s leadership in areas throughout the organization has been critical to increasing our impact for children in need. Stephen’s expertise in program leadership, strategic operations, church engagement, business partnerships and more have grown our ministry exponentially. Stephen has also been an important voice for our organization, whether it is leading an expert workshop at Christian Alliance for Orphans, hosting our Dream Big for One More Child events or welcoming the governor to our campus. 

Stephen previously served as the Executive Vice President and Vice President of Church Engagement and Strategic Operations.

Prior to that, Stephen served as One More Child’s Area Administrator for Central and South Florida and he also held the title of Central Florida’s Director of Development when he was first hired to One More Child.

Prior to joining One More Child in 2010, Stephen worked in the furniture industry for 10 years. He was the general manager for a retail furniture franchise overseeing multiple retail store locations.

Stephen graduated from Florida State University with a degree in economics and earned a master’s degree in Christian studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Stephen is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Leadership from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Stephen has been ordained into the Gospel Ministry by his home church, First Baptist Church of Plant City.

He and his wife, Laura, reside in Lakeland with their four children, Rileigh, Landen, Hannah and Micah.

Contact Stephen

Phone: 863.687.8811

Leon Battle

Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

Leon Battle serves as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. He leads our efforts to connect people, businesses and churches with unique opportunities to do what they do best and are passionate to help us serve more children and families. 

Previously, he was the Executive Director of Child Hunger and Family Support Services at One More Child.

Leon graduated from Southeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in theology and a minor in business, he continued on to earn his master’s degree in human services, and completed his doctorate in 2022 with a dissertation on Gospel-centered feeding programs. 

Leon served as a youth pastor throughout college and soon after accepted a pastoral job in Albany, New York. During his time in ministry, Leon saw the immense trauma that families were being confronted with and desired to get a deeper look into the dependency system. He changed career paths and started working for the Department of Children and Families (DCF). During his time with the department, he investigated abuse within families and institutions, and he later became a human trafficking specialist. Leon helped children get out of abusive homes and helped rescue children from human trafficking rings. He received multiple recognitions from Governor Rick Scott during his time with DCF.

Leon is very involved in his community. He recently graduated from Leadership Lakeland and has been named the chair for human services for the program. He serves as the vice chair of the board of Tri-County Human Services which provides in-patient, outpatient, and residential care for individuals getting help with addiction and mental health issues. Leon also serves on the advisory board of the social work department at Southeastern University.

Leon helped Aaron Burke launch Radiant Church in South Tampa. In five years, the church has reached more than 5,000 people and is consistently growing and impacting the city of Tampa.

Leon has a deep passion for intervention. He desires to see Christ’s love and restoration brought to families during their times of hurt and crisis. Leon believes the local church is the greatest asset for families in need and desires to empower the local church to step into the call of Christ, which is to help the widow, the orphan and hurting families in their time of need.

Contact Leon

Phone: 863.687.8811

Jennie Ard, LCSW

Chief of Staff

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Jennie began her work with One More Child in 2010 as the director of community ministries for Central Florida where she supervised the foster care, adoption and Caring Families programs. She later moved into the role of statewide director of adoption services and most recently Assistant to the President.

Jennie currently serves as a critical part of the executive team as the chief of staff where she leads special projects, cultivates development relationships, prioritizes the direction for leadership decisions and more. She also serves as the corporate secretary to the agency’s corporations where she maintains related legal documentation, ensures agency compliance with board actions and facilitates business decisions.

Jennie earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Mississippi College and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama, with a concentration in children, youth and families. Jennie has worked in the social work field since 2001. Prior to joining One More Child, she held various positions in therapeutic foster care, medical social work, school social work and Christian counseling. Jennie is a Certified Child Licensing Counseling Supervisor and is also certified as an Adoption Competent Professional. Jennie resides in Lakeland, Florida, where she is a member of First Baptist Church at the Mall.

Contact Jennie

Phone: 863.687.8811

Averitt Ennis

Senior Vice President

As Senior Vice President at One More Child, Averitt serves as the national chief fundraising strategist and external partnership leader with churches, volunteers, corporations, non-profits, legislators and others to help meet the needs of vulnerable children and struggling families. His passion is to ensure One More Child remains fiscally strong and continues to meet the goal of always helping one more child.

Averitt is a graduate from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s and master’s degree.  He is also a graduate of the Fund Raising School at Indiana University. Averitt has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership.

Prior to joining One More Child, Averitt was employed by Orlando Health where he was a Vice President within their Foundation and provided oversight for the capital campaign, annual fund program, donor relationships and policy development. He is noted for his visionary, effective and results-driven leadership. Averitt is a member at Family Church in Windermere, FL. He and his wife, Renee, have three daughters. Averitt believes his role at One More Child is a unique way to serve those in the most vulnerable positions.

Contact Averitt

P.O. Box 8190
Lakeland, FL 33802

1015 Sikes Blvd.
Lakeland, FL 33815

Phone: 863.687.8811

Kim Bedwell

Vice President of Finance and Administration/CFO

Kim Bedwell is the Vice President of Finance and Administration/CFO at One More Child.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and had the honor of being one of only two students selected from the United States to be an accounting intern for a semester in Amsterdam, Netherlands. After graduation, Kim worked for this same firm – which is one of the Big Four — in their Chicago and Atlanta offices.  In addition to Big Four accounting experience, she also has over 10 years of public and private accounting experience and has performed compliance, attestation, internal audit, income and sales tax services for individuals and organizations during the course of her career in Texas, Mississippi and Florida.

Kim has been married to Mark since 1997. Mark is the Senior Pastor at Ardella Baptist Church in Lakeland, Florida.  Mark and Kim have led youth camps around the world including South Korea, Hawaii and New Mexico.  They have two children, Christian (attending the University of Florida) and Shelby (attending the University of South Florida).

Contact Kim

Phone: 863.687.8811

Andrew Tattrie, D.Min.

Vice President of Global

Andrew Tattrie joined One More Child in 2014, and served in several key roles before being promoted in 2017 to Vice President of Global.

He has overseen the launch of our child sponsorship program and has been instrumental in the creation and development of our medical mission trips and feeding program sites. Andrew brings tremendous leadership skills to this position. Andrew and his family served as long-term missionaries in Costa Rica and Uruguay, and as short-term missionaries throughout Latin America and Africa. He is bi-lingual and adept at speaking and writing Spanish.

He was born and raised in Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. Andrew graduated with a diploma from Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York, in 1996, and he earned his bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, in 1999. He has also earned master’s degrees from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and from the University of South Florida; He graduated with his doctorate degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2019.

Andrew and his wife, Crystal, have four children: Nathaniel, Emilia, Abigail and Jonathan. They enjoy ministering together as a family locally and internationally, and they serve in teaching and leadership roles in their local church in Lakeland, FL.

Prior to joining One More Child, Andrew was a teacher and an administrator for more than 11 years in Polk County, and he also worked in the missions department at his church.

Do you need a brief bio for Andrew for an upcoming speaking engagement or event he is participating in? We have you covered — find it here.
Contact Andrew

Phone: 863.577.4488

Pam Whitaker, Ed.D., LMHC, CCTP

Senior Vice President of Program Development

Dr. Whitaker joined One More Child in 1999 as the Director of Campus Ministries and later served as the Central Florida Administrator and Vice President of Programs. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Program Development and leads One More Child in developing new, innovative programming to further impact children and families through implementation and growth of childcare programs. Dr. Whitaker leads research and launch efforts to implement best practices, study child welfare trends and make recommendations for program adaptations (considering evolving public policies).  Prior to her work at One More Child, Dr. Whitaker worked at Peace River Center for 11 years serving as a therapist/coordinator for children and adolescents in the residential psychiatric services center. She has worked with children and families in crisis for over 30 years.

Dr. Whitaker has received a Bachelor’s of Science (B.S.) in Social Work from Florida Southern College, earned a Master’s of Arts (M.A.) in Counseling Education from the University of South Florida and holds a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from Nova Southeastern University, majoring in organizational leadership with a minor in conflict resolution.

Dr. Whitaker has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) since 1997 and is a Qualified Supervisor for counselors seeking licensure. She is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) and holds professional certification in Human Trafficking Prevention and Intervention from Florida State University.

Active in her church, Kathleen Baptist, Dr. Whitaker currently serves on the Personnel Committee, is a Care Group Leader, substitute Life Group teacher, and nursery worker.  Married to Gary Whitaker since 1986, they have a daughter, Tierney.

Dr. Whitaker is passionate about bringing creative, Christ-centered services to children and families in need and reaching the “least of these.”

Contact Pam

Phone: 863.687.8811

Melissa Poole

Vice President of Program Operations

Melissa Poole serves as Vice President of Program Operations for One More Child. She has worked with One More Child for more than 16 years, previously serving as the Executive Director of Foster Care Ministries and the North Florida Administrator and the Director of Community Ministries.

Melissa has been a Certified Behavior Analyst in the state of Florida since 1993 and has also been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida since 1995. She is also a qualified supervisor for counselors seeking licensure. Melissa has nearly 30 years of experience working with children, youth and families in crisis and has received specialized training in trauma-informed care as well as infant mental health.

Melissa is a member of Chets Creek Church and volunteers in the preschool ministry. She has been married to Ray Poole since 1991 and has a daughter and stepson, Hannah and Blake, along with two grandsons and one granddaughter, Addison, Colton and Kennedy.

Contact Melissa

Phone: 904.721.2711

Don Whitman

Vice President of Properties

Don Whitman is the Vice President of Properties at One More Child where he oversees the timely, efficient and effective construction of new facilities across the state to serve children, as well as the maintenance and renovation projects for all existing assets. In his role, he is the point person for those desiring to give additional property and assets to enhance and expand the ministry of One More Child.

Don attended Auburn University, and spent a brief period working for the F.B.I. He later went on to work in the insurance industry for 26 years where he was promoted to senior management at his company in Lakeland, Florida, – the youngest to be awarded this position at that time. Don has completed all the course work for the Certified Financial Consultant Designation and received the Chartered Life Underwriter Designation from The American College.

Don later took an early retirement and became part owner and CFO of Alabama Medical Services, Inc., a regional durable medical equipment supplier headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama.  Upon returning to Florida in 1997, Don founded several private companies, became a consultant to the DME industry and made private investments.

Previously, Don served as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees for One More Child and chairman of the One More Child committee. He is currently the managing member of AgriQuip LLC, AgriQuip Services LLC and Athens Land Company LLC.

Don has a private pilot license and enjoys flying, fishing and hunting.  Most of all, Don enjoys spending time with his wife, Sarah, their children and grandchildren.

Contact Don

Phone: 863.687.8811

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