Ron DeSantis taps Tim Tebow Foundation alum for faith-based post

Erik Dellenback will play a key role bringing faith, governmental actors together.

Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t have to look too far beyond his Jacksonville-area base to find a director for a faith-based initiative.

On Thursday, the Governor tapped Erik Dellenback to head up the Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council.

Dellenback, who ran the Tim Tebow Foundation for seven years, will help liaison between faith-based groups and the government.

“I feel incredibly blessed to serve the State of Florida in this capacity,” said Erik Dellenback.

“It is my prayer that God will use my experience and passion to allow the state and faith-based community to work together to more efficiently care for Florida’s vulnerable citizens. The truth is, both groups already care deeply about lost and neglected people, but through this initiative, we will increase communication and identify ways that we can support each other’s missions,” Dellenback urged.

“Florida’s faith and community-based groups have a longstanding history of intervening to help meet the needs of all Floridians,” said Governor DeSantis, clearly expecting this to continue that tradition.

Chad Poppell, head of the Department of Children and Families, has already “heard from several faith-based leaders that are ready to mobilize their congregations to support vulnerable children.”

“With the Governor’s Faith and Community-Based Initiative,” Poppell added, “I am confident that we can make this important connection and ensure DCF is streamlining access to Florida’s foster and adoptive families.”

 “Faith-based partners serve a critical role as our ‘boots on the ground’ within our towns and cities. Only with their support and ingenuity can we truly achieve the best results for our most vulnerable citizens,” asserted First Lady Casey DeSantis.

“An important initiative of my Hope for Healing Florida campaign is that it brings together all sectors of the community, including the public, private and faith-based sectors, to the table to help forge meaningful solutions to the substance abuse and mental health challenges facing our state,” Mrs. DeSantis added.