Gov. DeSantis appoints five to Pinellas Juvenile Welfare Board

Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed five members to the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County.

Appointees include Brian Aungst Jr., Kristen Gnage, Michael Mikurak, James Millican and Melissa Rutland.

Aungst Jr. is an attorney and shareholder at Macfarlane Ferguson & McMullen. He serves on the Pinellas County Charter Review Board and has been a staple of advocacy in the Clearwater business community.

Gnage is the assistant state attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. She is a member of the Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Gnage earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College and her juris doctor from Stetson University.

Mikurak, who is now retired, previously served as an international consulting partner for Accenture. He chairs the HEPCO Holdings board. Mikurak previously ran unsuccessfully for Pinellas County Commission against Charlie Justice. 

Millican is the division chief and fire marshall for the Lealman Fire District. He also chairs the Lealman Asian Neighborhood Family Center and is a board member for the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board. 

Rutland is the president of the Rutland Florida Gulf Group and serves on the St. Petersburg Area YMCA Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute. 

The Pinellas Juvenile Welfare Board was created through a Special Act of the Florida Legislature to strengthen the lives of children and families in Pinellas County. It is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors and impacts the lives of 60,000 children and families through 85 programs in partnership with 55 nonprofit agencies. 

The appointments are subject to Florida Senate confirmation.