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Foster Care Nonprofit Tennessee: The People Behind Floyd's House
Eighteen is too young to be handed adulthood with no family, no plan, no safe place, and no one to call when things fall apart. Thousands of young people age out of foster care every year and face the world completely alone, not because they are not capable, but because no safety net exists for them.
As a foster care nonprofit in Tennessee, Floyd’s House exists to close that gap. We are more than a shelter. We are a home, a launching pad, and a family-style support system designed for the long term. Our leadership team and Board of Directors are the people making that support possible, building a real, steady network of care so that no young adult walks into the future alone.
Don Lawson — Founder and Executive Director
Don Lawson is the founder and executive director of Floyd’s House. After entering foster care as a child, Don spent years moving through placements without a permanent home or dependable safety net. At eighteen, while still in high school, he became homeless.
He later earned his GED and graduated from the University of Tennessee before building successful careers in banking and business. After achieving financial independence and retiring at fifty-four, Don turned his attention to creating the support he needed but did not have when he entered adulthood.
Floyd’s House grew from that lived experience. Don believes young adults aging out of foster care need more than temporary shelter. They need practical guidance, steady relationships, clear expectations, and a safe place to land when life does not go according to plan.
Don Lawson, Founder and Executive Director
“We are building an open door for young adults who deserve safety, support, and family-style care. We provide the community they need to step confidently into adulthood.”
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors exists for one reason: to make sure every decision at Floyd’s House serves the young adults ages 18 to 22 who depend on this home.
Victor Jernigan
Board Member
Victor Jernigan has spent nearly 50 years in Knoxville real estate, buying, developing, and rezoning residential and commercial properties throughout Knox County. He has also served on committees that helped develop the county’s Hillside, Stormwater, and Neighborhood Commercial regulations. About ten years ago, Victor took on a different kind of challenge: helping build Volunteers for Recovery into one of Tennessee’s most successful recovery programs. Throughout his career, he has focused on taking complicated situations—whether involving property, business, or people—and finding practical ways to make them work. As the first founding board member of Floyd’s House, Victor brings decades of experience, community leadership, and problem-solving to the organization’s mission.
Dale Akins
Board Member
Dale Akins is a founding board member of Floyd’s House and the founder and president of The Market Edge, Inc., a Knoxville-based provider of construction-market data. A University of Tennessee graduate with a degree in finance, Dale’s career includes construction lending, real estate, entrepreneurship, and public speaking. Dale has also dedicated more than 20 years to Big Brothers Big Sisters, serving twice as a matched mentor and as a board member. In 1991, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America honored him with its National Hero Award. He brings to Floyd’s House extensive experience in business, housing, mentorship, and community service.
Building the Founding Board
Floyd’s House is assembling a founding Board of Directors with experience in nonprofit governance, finance, law, housing, social services, workforce development, fundraising, and lived experience in foster care.
We seek candidates who share the mission, understand the responsibilities of nonprofit governance, will participate actively, and bring relevant professional, community, or lived experience.
Board members are expected to participate actively in fundraising and to make a personally meaningful annual contribution. There is no fixed minimum contribution.
Board Member Expertise Highlights
Effectively supporting young adults facing housing instability takes a wide range of skills at the leadership level. Our board is intentionally built to bring the right expertise to every challenge:
Legal & Advocacy
Navigating a complex child welfare system on behalf of our residents.
Financial & Fiduciary Management
Making sure every donor dollar directly serves youth in transition.
Trauma-Informed Social Work
Building policies that put emotional wellbeing and mental health first.
Workforce Development & Business
Connecting residents to local employers and vocational training opportunities.
Lived Experience Representation
The most effective solutions come from people who have lived the problem. At Floyd’s House, that is not just a philosophy. It is who we are. A significant portion of our board and staff, including our Founder, have personal foster care experience. That lived knowledge shapes everything we do, keeping our work rooted in empathy, community trust, and real-world understanding. We do not just work for young adults aging out of foster care. We work with them.
Governance Commitment
Floyd’s House is committed to responsible, transparent, and mission-centered governance. Our Board of Directors accepts its fiduciary responsibility to protect the organization’s mission, oversee its resources carefully, and make decisions in the best interests of the young adults we serve.
Resident safety will remain central to every policy, partnership, and program decision. Board members are expected to act with honesty, disclose and appropriately manage conflicts of interest, and maintain clear standards of accountability.
We are committed to responsible financial oversight, accurate reporting, and the careful use of every donated dollar. We also believe effective decisions must include the voices of people who understand the foster-care system from lived experience. Meaningful lived-experience representation will help keep Floyd’s House grounded in reality, dignity, and the needs of the young adults whose futures are at the heart of our work.
Board Committees
To maximize our impact across East Tennessee, our board works through focused committees, each with a clear lane:
Program & Resident Success Committee
Measures the effectiveness of our life-skills, cooking, and budgeting curriculum.
Finance & Audit Committee
Oversees our budget and protects the long-term financial health of the organization.
Fundraising & Community Partnership Committee
Builds relationships with local businesses, churches, and civic groups.
Governance & Nominating Committee
Ensures board health, diversity, and full compliance with our bylaws.
Join Our Board
Floyd’s House is looking for people in the Knoxville, Oak Ridge, or greater East Tennessee area who want to help young adults build a future.
What We Look For
We seek individuals ages 30 to 75 who are professionally connected, financially able to give or help raise funds, and genuinely moved by the mission to support young adults aging out of foster care in our region.
Time Commitment:
Board members commit to monthly meetings, active involvement in at least one committee, and attendance at our annual fundraising events.
How to Apply
If you are ready to be the person a young adult can call when their plan falls apart, fill out our [Board Member Interest Form] or email our Governance Committee directly.
Contact Leadership
To connect with Floyd’s House about a partnership, a donation, or getting involved, we welcome the conversation.
(555) 123-4567
(Call to schedule an intake interview)