Our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors provides strategic guidance, fiduciary oversight, and leadership support to ensure Dream Beyond Your Journey remains strong, ethical, and mission-driven. Our dynamic board includes dedicated community leaders who guide our leadership and grantmaking, driving meaningful impact within the recovery community. Each member brings valuable expertise, lived experience, and a shared commitment to empowering women and families on their journey toward healing and long-term stability.
Founder & Chair
Sonya is a Licensed Certified Addiction Counselor and a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist with more than a decade of experience in the substance use treatment field. She previously served as Director of Residential Services at the Susan B. Anthony Center, where she managed program operations until 2019. That year, Sonya went on to open the first FARR-certified recovery residence in the Tri-County area designed specifically for women with children.
A proud U.S. Army veteran who served four years of active duty, Sonya also identifies as a mother in long-term recovery. She has worked in the substance use treatment field since 2011 and brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her leadership. Her passion lies in supporting women and children, and her purpose is to ensure families have a safe, stable place to heal and rebuild while in recovery.
Treasurer
Christina Kelley is a Senior Tax Associate at a boutique CPA firm. With more than 15 years of experience in public accounting, Christina brings valuable financial expertise and strategic insight to the Board of Directors. She is deeply committed to supporting recovery and is passionate about helping mothers and their children break cycles of substance and alcohol use across generations. Christina strongly believes in the mission of Dream Beyond Your Journey and the power of community involvement. We are grateful for her leadership, dedication, and the skills she brings in service to our organization.
Secretary
Carol is a Licensed Certified Addiction Counselor and a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist with more than 27 years of experience serving the substance use and recovery community. She is deeply passionate about helping mothers discover a new way of living rooted in healing, stability, and hope. Carol previously worked alongside Sonya at the Susan B. Anthony Center, where their shared commitment to women and families in recovery began. She remains dedicated to the mission of Dream Beyond Your Journey and to empowering women to heal alongside their children.
Board Member
Ms. Sophie Mitchell, Esq., serves as a Managing Attorney in the Civil Division of the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Fourth District, Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. In her role, she leads a team of attorneys and staff who are specially trained in dependency law and related procedures. Sophie and her team are deeply committed to advocating for families and achieving the best possible outcomes for the clients they serve.
Board Member
Ms. Darlene Viola brings more than three decades of lived recovery experience to Dream Beyond Your Journey. She is deeply committed to supporting women and children as they pursue healing, stability, and long-term recovery. Reflecting on the impact of the program, Darlene shares, “If Dream Beyond Your Journey had been available 32 years ago, it would have changed the trajectory of my life.”
Board Member
Derrick Roberts, ESQ. serves with the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Fourth District of Florida, where he represents indigent parents and adults in dependency and guardian advocate proceedings. From 2003 to 2017, Mr. Roberts served as General Counsel for ChildNet, the nonprofit lead agency responsible for implementing and managing the child welfare system in Broward and Palm Beach counties under a multimillion-dollar contract with the State of Florida.
Derrick brings decades of legal expertise and a deep commitment to children and families to Dream Beyond Your Journey. His leadership and experience in child welfare law and system-level advocacy strengthen the Board’s strategic planning efforts and support our mission to serve some of the most vulnerable women and families in our community.
Board Member
Ellen Mitchell is a full-time licensed Realtor with an extensive record of leadership and service within the real estate profession. She has served as a Director on the Miami Association of Realtors Broward Board and as Broward President of the Miami Association of Realtors, the largest local Realtor association in the United States. Ellen has also held leadership roles as a board member, committee member, and committee chair at both Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.
Beyond her professional achievements, Ellen has dedicated her time to volunteering with organizations including Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Broward Outreach Center, the Jewish Federation, and many others. Her deep commitment to service, combined with her broad board experience and leadership expertise, greatly strengthens Dream Beyond Your Journey’s mission and vision as we support women and families on their path to recovery and stability.