Keepers of the Flame
Tammy Riley
Co-Founder / President / Freda’s Sister
Tammy Riley is a high-impact human resources and operational leader with over 20 years of expertise spanning strategic workforce planning, enterprise scaling, and organizational leadership. Throughout her career, she has combined hands-on entrepreneurial leadership—successfully building and scaling a boutique healthcare organization from the ground up to a $3M+ valuation—with professional roles across major health systems, DSOs, and national operational structures. In her academic and career services oversight, she forged deep collaborations with community partners to build regional workforce capacity and guide individuals into professional careers.
Her core strengths lie in guiding initiatives from inception to sustainability through comprehensive program and process development, impactful branding and marketing strategies, and inaugural operational design. By blending extensive entrepreneurial, human resources, and governance experience with advanced analytics and multi-site management, Tammy consistently drives sustained operational excellence and long-term organizational success.
Beyond her professional achievements, Ms. Riley is deeply committed to disability advocacy, community transformation, and the arts. She has lent her leadership and governance expertise to the boards of several prominent non-profit organizations, including:
The Auditory-Verbal Center: Supporting specialized listening and spoken language programs for children and adults with hearing loss.
Lekotek of Georgia: Championing play therapy and specialized resources for children with disabilities.
The Hammond House Museum: Preserving and celebrating Pan-African art, culture, and history.
Burnette-Harmon-Wood Community Resource Center: Founded and established the community resource center from the ground up, successfully securing land, physical office space, and essential equipment, obtaining official 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and forging strategic partnerships with local resources and non-profit organizations.
Mecca Chapter of 100 Black Women: Driving impactful initiatives centered on education, health equity, economic empowerment, public advocacy, and civic engagement.
Core Values: Grounded in a lifelong family legacy of service and community stewardship, Ms. Riley co-founded Freda’s Light to merge her professional dedication to workforce development with a deeply personal mission: creating enduring educational opportunities and robust advocacy networks across the Florida Panhandle.
Responsibilities: Tammy oversees executive leadership, strategic operations, and the overall growth of the foundation, to guide Freda's Light from its inception into a sustainable organization dedicated to serving the cerebral palsy community.
Debi Riley-Broadnax
Co-Founder / Vice-President / Freda’s Sister
Debra Riley-Broadnax is a dedicated public servant, master social worker, and community executive with extensive expertise in social services administration, public health program management, and municipal governance. Serving as a member of the Fort Walton Beach City Council, she brings a deep commitment to civic leadership, policy development, and community welfare to her advocacy and board service.
With a distinguished career spanning decades in the Florida Panhandle, Ms. Riley-Broadnax has held prominent leadership roles, including serving as the Executive Director of Okaloosa County Comprehensive Head Start Child Development, Inc. and as the Healthy Start Director for the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County. Her professional background encompasses large-scale budget management, regulatory compliance, grant writing, clinical social work, and the implementation of vital community health and family support initiatives. Debi was most recently selected as the 2026 "Elected Public Official of the Year" by the National Association of Social Workers, Florida Chapter for her dedication to health equity, child welfare, and alleviation of suffering for the community.
Rooted in a family legacy of service and community stewardship, Ms. Riley-Broadnax has lent her governance and social work expertise to numerous organizations and boards, including:
Fort Walton Beach City Council: Serving as an elected city council member guiding municipal policy, community development, and public administration.
Okaloosa County Comprehensive Head Start: Directing comprehensive child development, educational compliance, and family support programming.
Burnette Harmon Wood Community Resource Center: Serving as founder and board leader to develop local programming, grant foundations, and community resources.
Okaloosa County Elderly Services: Serving on the Board of Directors to advocate for senior welfare and specialized community care.
Core Values: Core Values: Driven by a lifelong commitment to human development, social justice, advocacy, and community empowerment, Ms. Riley-Broadnax brings expertise in social work administration, public health program management, and local government to advance Freda’s Light’s mission and community impact.
Responsibilities: Debi oversees municipal governance alignment, community health partnerships, and strategic advisory services, to support the foundation's community impact and outreach initiatives.
Francesca Henderson
Co-Founder / Incorporator / Secretary / Freda’s Niece
Francesca Henderson is an aspiring psychiatrist, neurodiversity advocate, and mental health researcher slated for graduation from the University of Chicago in 2027 with a B.A. in Comparative Human Development. She brings a vital, globally informed, and youth-centered perspective to the leadership of Freda's Light by blending diverse practical experiences, including clinical research in roles at UChicago Medicine’s Keenan Lab, applied behavior analysis (ABA) providing direct one-on-one therapeutic treatment to neurodivergent children with Instructional ABA, and international engagement through the UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine's Global Health Scholars Program with travels spanning from Los Angeles, California, to Zurich, Switzerland.
Ms. Henderson has been profiled as a youth advocate in several articles and media outlets for her work in mental health and disabilities, including:
The Chicago Maroon, "As Student Accommodation Requests Increase, Student Disability Services Expands and Student Advocates Push for Greater Awareness" (November 24, 2025).
The Chronicle Journal, "Coming Together for Children's Mental Health" (May 17, 2022).
VOX Atlanta, "How the Pandemic Affected Teen Mental Health — And Ways to Improve It" (July 23, 2021).
Additionally, her public speaking engagements include serving as the only teen panelist for the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health Re-emergence Program virtual event, "Connecting the Dots: How Teens, Caregivers and Educators are Coping with their Return to School in Uncertain Times" (moderated by NPR health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee, December 9, 2021).
Beyond her academic and research endeavors, Ms. Henderson has a long history of leadership, advocacy, and board service devoted to child welfare, education, and community wellbeing. Her governance and community engagement experience includes:
UChicago ABLE (Access, Belonging, Learning & Empowerment): Founding and leading a student organization dedicated to supporting neurodivergent students through accessibility-focused programming and campus advocacy.
Southside Together: Working as a Health Justice Intern on community health data collection, outreach, and mental health campaigns.
The Steve Fund: Advising senior leadership on mental health program operations, youth outreach, and digital stigma-reduction initiatives.
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners: Serving as an appointed Youth County Commissioner to represent youth interests and collaborate on legislative service and food security initiatives.
Woodward Serves Board of Advisors: Acting as Lead Liaison for community food security and agricultural outreach projects.
Core Values: Guided by a deep commitment to equity, mental health access, disability advocacy, and community empowerment, Ms. Henderson is dedicated to expanding resources, educational opportunities, and meaningful support for individuals with cerebral palsy and their families across the Florida Panhandle.
Responsibilities: Francesca oversees governance, organizational records, communications, and strategic development while helping build the foundation from its inception into a sustainable nonprofit dedicated to serving the cerebral palsy community.
Cassandra Riley-Pfalzer
Co-Founder / Treasurer / Freda’s Sister
Cassandra Pfalzer is a decorated U.S. Army veteran, financial administration professional, small business owner, and longtime military family advocate with experience spanning federal service, international diplomacy, accounting and budget management, logistics, and healthcare administration.
She began her career in Material Control and Accounting, supporting military logistics, procurement, inventory accountability, and financial operations. She later served in political administration with the U.S. Ambassador to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, where she supported the U.S. Mission to NATO’s Political Section and coordinated diplomatic protocol, security clearances, travel, correspondence, and visits for senior officials and VIPs. Her service was recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service from US Ambassador Ivo Daalder, United States Department of State.
Ms. Pfalzer brings a strong background in financial management, including overseeing Non-Appropriated Fund accounts, conducting cost analyses, maintaining accounts payable and general ledgers, auditing financial documents, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Her experience also spans service with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, supporting Primary Care and Physical Therapy clinics and coordinating services supporting veteran care.
Beyond her professional career, Ms. Pfalzer has a long history of volunteerism, leadership, and service within military communities. Her experience includes:
203rd Personnel Services Battalion Family Readiness Group: Serving as Family Readiness Group Leader while her spouse served as Company Commander, supporting military families during deployments, developing programs for families with special needs, welcoming incoming families, coordinating unit functions, leading fundraisers, managing Family Readiness funds, and providing training and guidance to military spouses.
Army Community Service, USAG Brussels: Supporting military and civilian families relocating internationally through newcomer orientations, sponsorship and relocation resources, financial-management information, employment resources, cultural orientation, and community referrals.
Military Spouse & Command Family Leadership: Drawing upon years of experience within military communities to provide family advocacy, mentorship, resource navigation, volunteer coordination, event planning, crisis support, and relationship building while strengthening communication and cohesion among service members and their families.
Core Values: Shaped by a lifelong dedication to military service, family advocacy, and community stewardship, Ms. Pfalzer brings to Freda’s Light a leadership approach that emphasizes mentorship, preparedness, meaningful connection, and ensuring families have access to the resources and support they need to thrive. Her diverse military, federal, and financial experience further reinforces her commitment to compassion, accountability, and responsible stewardship.
Responsibilities: Cassandra is responsible for the financial stewardship and fiscal accountability of the organization. She helps ensure sound financial practices, supports budgeting and financial planning, and
responsible management of charitable resources while supporting the organization's long-term sustainability.