Episcopal Children’s Services New President and CEO Dr. Natalya Bannister Roby
By Jennifer Kennedy
Fifteen years ago, Dr. Natalya Bannister Roby came home from volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of North Central Florida and threw her law school applications in the trash. The college senior always planned to become an attorney, but a conversation with a 6-year-old changed her mind and the trajectory of her career.
When Roby told the little girl she was a student at University of Florida, the child asked for proof and said, “I didn’t think brown people went to college.”
She thought an educational institution located one mile from her public housing project home was out of her reach.
Changing the Narrative
Roby knew changing the narrative for underprivileged children was the work she was meant to do. The first-generation American grew up attending private school in New York. When her parents divorced, she moved to Orlando with her mother and experienced financial hardship that shaped her life. The significant challenges that came with exposure to poverty ignited a desire to help young people navigate tough circumstances.
“My passion and life experience have been my superpower. I am grateful for what I have overcome and leverage that to help others.” Roby said, “The difficulties I faced have provided unique insight into how to serve children in an effective way.”
Determined to use her advocacy and communication skills to support the most vulnerable, Roby told the Boys and Girls Club she would accept any position. During graduate school, she started as an intern mopping floors and eventually worked her way up to become the vice president of operations, overseeing all of the county’s sites. Her programs earned four prestigious national awards for excellence. The initiatives met children’s needs and interests while elevating the organization’s profile in the community.
While still in her twenties, Roby became the youngest executive director at PACE Center for Girls, succeeding the founding executive director in Alachua County. She instantly connected with the adolescent girls through their shared childhood experiences.
“When I walked into a boardroom, met with a funder or spoke on behalf of the agency, I carried each of those children on my shoulder,” Roby said. “I never lost sight of what my voice and advocacy meant for their future.”
Building A Solid Foundation
Roby credits her own solid academic foundation for instilling the confidence she needed to assume leadership roles and earn a doctoral degree. Her most recent endeavor aims to provide a strong developmental start for babies and children ages 0-5.
As president and chief executive officer of Episcopal Children’s Services, Roby leads one of the largest nonprofit agencies in the state that serves nearly 30,000 underserved children in 14 counties throughout Florida. The holistic program addresses poverty at the root, ensuring access to the early childhood education and support needed to break generational cycles. Hundreds of children in Greater Gainesville, who will shape the future of the community, benefit from their services. She encourages residents to volunteer and donate to ensure the nearly 500 children in great need on the ECS waiting list have access to these critical programs.
One boy entering this program has brought her career full circle. The memorable little girl from the Boys and Girls Club followed Roby to PACE and went on to college. She is now a single mom that requested ECS services for her son, so he can reach his full potential and thrive. Roby changed the narrative for her– and she is determined to do the same for her son.
“She said I changed her life, but she changed mine,” Roby said.
