Bridges of America Officers
Lori Brown - President
Lori Costantino Brown was appointed President and CEO of Bridges of America (BOA) in 2006, succeeding Frank Costantino, the organization’s founder. Over the past 30 years Lori has played a key role in the transformation of BOA from a single contract with the Department of Corrections to becoming the leading provider of Substance Abuse Treatment and Work Release programs in the State of Florida.
Ms. Brown has earned her qualifications as a Certified Addition Specialist, and Certified Associate Addictions Professional. She has personally reengineered the organization as Director of Quality Management, Chief Operations Officer, and Senior Vice President. The result is a new Bridges of America – a company where offenders receive supervision, but also are expected to become better people as they prepare to reenter society.
Ms. Brown has a passion for addiction treatment and recovery. Her insightful experience with substance abuse treatment gives her a unique perspective on the criminal mind and addictive behaviors of offenders at every stage of recovery. As a long time resident of Orlando Florida, Ms. Brown has had a major impact on family unification and public safety in Central Florida.
Father Charles Brown - Senior Vice President
Father Charles Brown brings vast experience in prison reentry, faith based programming, and treatment curriculum development for offenders, prisoners and substance abusers. He currently serves in two capacities as Senior Vice President for Bridges of America and Christian Prison Ministry, the original Bridges of America was founded by Bishop Frank Costantino in 1976. Bishop Costantino played a central role in Father Brown’s life. The bishop was Charles Brown’s mentor for many years which later led to his ordination in1999. Soon after, Father Brown became a Priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church.
Father Brown pioneered reentry and aftercare programs that focused on spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social growth to combat the high rate at which ex-offenders commit crimes and return to prison. When he speaks to inmates about their poor decision making, drug abuse and lack of life skills, he does so from both his heart and real life experience. As a young man, he was incarcerated and sentenced to The Florida Department of Corrections. He also had the misfortune of losing several family members to substance abuse. These experiences gave him the vision that he uses to this day to mentor offenders who are trying to find their way back to society. Father Brown is uniquely qualified to provide the road map and spiritual guidance for these men placed in The Bridge program’s care and supervision...
Father Brown attended the International Seminary in Plymouth, FL and is a Certified Addiction Professional with the Florida Certification Board. He is also certified as an International Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC) with the International Certification of Reciprocity Consortium. In 2003, Father Brown was recognized as FADAA’s "Man of the Year" for his ground-breaking efforts in creating the Bridges of America substance abuse treatment programs.
Marvel Quevedo - Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Marvel Quevedo, in her new role as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer has management oversight and responsibility for all financial functions and oversees all revenues, costs, capital expenditures, investments and debt. She also is responsible for companywide budget execution and implementation. In addition to her fiscal responsible Marvel manages the corporate human resources and information technology departments.
Prior to coming to Bridges of America, Marvel gained valuable experience in billing, financial management, trust accounting and human resource payroll and benefits as Assistant Finance Director at a large corporate law firm. She has also worked for a restaurant management company where she had an opportunity to restructure their accounting process to ensure accuracy and productivity.
Recognized as a quick study with the ability to size up a situation and make the right decision, Marvel leads by example. Her intuitive management style is direct and makes no allowances for failure or excuses. Marvel has a passion for people and has spent her career helping others reach their potential. This is exemplified in her work as a Makeup Artist and training manager for CHANEL.
