Meet our team
Aubrie Simpson-Gotham, Founder & CEO
Aubrie was born and raised in suburban Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and has been a Northeast Florida resident for the past nineteen years.
​
Aubrie has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Flagler College, a Master of Science in Pre-K/Primary Education from Nova Southeastern University and she is a Karyn Purvis Institute Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner.
Aubrie began her career as a preschool and kindergarten teacher in high poverty schools. With a strong passion for volunteer service and helping those in need, she wanted to do more. Aubrie left her public school teaching career to work in the nonprofit sector. She has enjoyed volunteering with many local nonprofit organizations and worked for a local nonprofit social service agency prior to founding Fostering Connections.
​
Through her own family's experiences and experiences as an educator, Aubrie saw a need to provide education and support services for youth impacted by foster care, adoption, or trauma, which gave her the inspiration to found Fostering Connections. Aubrie loves working with our local youth in care and helping them achieve their goals.
​
Aubrie is a member of the Junior League of Jacksonville, and serves on the board of the Early Learning Coalition of North Florida, Women Business Owners of North Florida, The JaxUSA Earn Up Steering Committee, and the Nova Southeastern University Jacksonville Alumni Advisory Board. She is a 2023 Lifework Leadership First Coast graduate and a 2020 Leadership St. Johns graduate.
​
She is happily married to her husband, Steve, an environmental specialist and Adjunct Professor at Flagler College. In her spare time, Aubrie enjoys baking, shopping, playing bunco, and traveling.
Sara Solomons, Administrative Assistant
Sara was born and raised in St. Augustine, Florida. She has two adult children and has lived in Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama before returning to Jacksonville with her family in 2014.
​
Sara has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Flagler College and a paralegal certificate from UNF. Before joining Fostering Connections as an administrative assistant, she worked as a legal assistant and paralegal to two law firms in the Jacksonville area.
Sara loves helping people! She volunteers with a local church in Riverside to give meals to the homeless and at the Jacksonville Arboretum during events and on workdays. She lives in Five Points with her fiance, her dog, Petal, and four hens.
​
She comes from a long line of educators on both sides of her family. Her mother taught both Spanish and English to many St. Johns county youth at Murray Middle School, Sebastian Middle School, Nease High School, and Pedro Menedez High School.
Sara enjoys working with our local foster families and helping keep us organized! In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and being in the great outdoors.
