Serving With Integrity

Unbreakable Kids is guided by a volunteer Board of Directors that provides strategic leadership, governance, financial oversight, and long-term vision for the organization.

Each board member brings unique professional experience and a deep commitment to ensuring that every decision supports our mission and the children and families we serve.

Together, we are building an organization rooted in accountability, compassion, and lastingcommunity impact.

JAMES RICE-PEÑA

President & Board Chair

Entrepreneur • Founder of FL Cleanup • Community Leader • Foster Care Advocate

James Rice-Peña is the Founder, President, and Board Chair of Unbreakable Kids. Having experienced foster care as a child, he understands firsthand the lasting impact that encouragement, stability, and positive role models can have on a young person's life.

As a successful entrepreneur and founder of multiple businesses, including FL Cleanup, James has built organizations centered on leadership, service, and community impact. His experience in business development, strategic planning, team leadership, and corporate partnerships provides the foundation for leading Unbreakable Kids with accountability, transparency, and long-term vision.

Driven by both professional experience and personal purpose, James founded Unbreakable Kids to ensure foster children and youth facing adversity have access to mentorship, essential resources, educational opportunities, and a supportive community that believes in their future

Under his leadership, the organization is committed to building meaningful partnerships with donors, businesses, volunteers, and community leaders to create lasting opportunities for children across South Florida.

LAZARO DE LA NOVAL

Chair of Legal Affairs & Corporate Governance

Attorney • Legal & Governance Leader • Policy Compliance Advocate • Foster Care Advocate

Lazaro De La Noval oversees legal affairs, organizational governance, and policy compliance for Unbreakable Kids. Working closely with the Board of Directors, Mr. De La Noval helps ensure that the organization operates with integrity, transparency, and accountability while supporting its long term sustainability and responsible growth. His leadership and legal experience contribute to the development of strong governance practices designed to protect the organization, advance its mission and strengthen public trust.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Mr. De La Noval was raised in Miami, where his upbringing across diverse communities, including Kendall, Carol City, and Hialeah, provided him with a firsthand understanding of the people, cultures, and challenges that make up the South Florida community. These experiences helped shape his commitment to service and his belief in using the law and his professional experience to advocate for and assist others.

Mr. De La Noval graduated from Florida International University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a minor in Sociology. He subsequently earned his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University College of Law. While attending law school, Mr. De La Noval served as a Certified Legal Intern with the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, where he gained valuable experience representing indigent defendants throughout various stages of criminal proceedings.

In 2015, Mr. De La Noval further demonstrated his commitment to public service through an internship with VIDA Legal Assistance, Inc., where he assisted in advancing and protecting the rights of immigrant survivors of violence. His dedication to helping those in need has remained a driving force throughout his legal career. He also volunteered with United Way’s School Age Education initiative, where he participated in the review of funding requests for after school programs serving communities in need.

Professionally, Mr. De La Noval has represented hundreds of individuals and businesses in insurance disputes since 2016. Early in his career, he represented insurance companies as a defense attorney, gaining valuable insight into the insurance industry and the manner in which claims are evaluated and litigated. He later applied that experience to representing policyholders and has successfully recovered millions of dollars on behalf of homeowners in disputes with insurance carriers. In addition to his insurance practice, Mr. De La Noval has represented clients in matters involving criminal law, contractual and commercial disputes, and personal injury. He currently serves as the Managing Partner of De La Noval, P.A., where his attention to detail, consistency, legal experience, and commitment to his clients have been instrumental in achieving successful results.

Above all, Mr. De La Noval believes that every child deserves the opportunity to live a fulfilling life and to reach his or her full potential. His involvement with Unbreakable Kids reflects his longstanding commitment to serving others and strengthening the communities that helped shape him. Through his role with the organization, he is committed to helping establish the legal, ethical, and governance foundation necessary for Unbreakable Kids to grow responsibly, serve its mission effectively, and create a lasting positive impact in the lives of children and families.

Jeanette Jolis

Chair of Finance & Operations

Financial Strategist • Nonprofit Leader • Operations Professional • Foster Care Advocate

Jeanette Jolis serves as Chair of Finance & Operations, overseeing the organization's financial planning, budgeting, operational strategy, and day-to-day business management. She is committed to ensuring every donation is managed with transparency, accountability, and purpose, helping build a strong and sustainable foundation for Unbreakable Kids to grow and serve more children and families.

Jeanette earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Finance from Florida International University, where she developed a strong foundation in financial analysis, accounting, and business strategy. Since 2005, she has built a diverse career across multiple industries, giving her extensive experience in finance, operations, and organizational leadership.

For more than 20 years, Jeanette has dedicated her time to volunteering with nonprofit organizations and giving back to her community. Her passion has always been rooted in helping children and families overcome obstacles and create brighter futures. She believes that our youth are the future, and that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, someone who believes in them, and the support they need to reach their full potential.

At Unbreakable Kids, Jeanette combines her professional expertise with her lifelong commitment to service, helping ensure the organization is positioned to make a lasting impact for generations to come

HENESSYS GAITAN

Chair of Development & Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocate • Foster Care Advocate • Community Engagement Leader • Child Welfare Champion

Henessys Gaitan serves as Chair of Development & Youth Advocacy for Unbreakable Kids, where she helps lead fundraising initiatives, strengthen relationships with donors, volunteers, and community partners, and support the growth of the organization’s mission. As a youth advocate, Henessys is dedicated to ensuring that children in foster care feel heard, valued, and empowered. She works to raise awareness of the challenges they face, amplify their voices, and help create meaningful resources, experiences, and opportunities that encourage confidence, resilience, and hope.

For Henessys, this work is deeply personal. Having experienced foster care herself as a child, she understands the importance of having someone show up, offer support, and remind a child that they matter. Her own journey shaped her passion for advocacy and inspired her commitment to making sure children in foster care know they are not alone and that their futures are full of possibility.

Henessys believes every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and empowered to dream beyond their circumstances. Through her role with Unbreakable Kids, she uses her personal experiences and passion for advocacy to inspire others, strengthen community involvement, and help create lasting change for children and families impacted by foster care.

RAFAEL A. CERNA JR.

Chair of Community Outreach & Strategic Partnerships

Community Engagement Leader • Strategic Partnerships Builder • Youth Support Champion

Rafael A. Cerna Jr. leads community outreach efforts and strategic partnerships throughout South Florida.

He works to strengthen relationships with businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, faith-based communities, and civic leaders to expand the organization's impact.

His leadership helps create collaborative opportunities that support children and strengthen neighborhoods.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Governance

Providing strategic leadership and oversight.

Financial Stewardship

Managing resources responsibly and transparently.

Community Leadership

Building partnerships that strengthen our mission.

Strategic Planning

Creating long-term opportunities for growth and impact.

Advocacy

Supporting children, families, and communities through leadership and awareness.

Accountability

Ensuring every decision reflects the mission and values of Unbreakable Kids.

Our Commitment to Every Child

Every decision we make begins with one question: How does this help children build brighter futures?

As leaders of Unbreakable Kids, we are committed to responsible stewardship, ethical leadership, and creating opportunities that empower children and strengthen communities.

We recognize that trust is earned through action, transparency, and service.

Our commitment is to honor that trust every day.

Leadership Begins With Service

The work of Unbreakable Kids is made possible through the dedication of volunteers, supporters, donors, businesses, and community partners who believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed.

Whether you volunteer your time, support our, programs, sponsor an event, or introduce a

community partnership, you become part of our, mission.

Together, we are building stronger children, stronger families, and stronger communities.