Association Professionals

Kimberly Crowley serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Palmetto Association for Children and Families. In this role and in concert with the Board of Directors, she directs the initiatives of the Association, advocacy and lobbying responsibilities, and collaborative partnerships which best support the interest and needs of the Members of the Association. Ms. Crowley is dedicated to ensuring the Members of PAFCAF have the most favorable environments to deliver the highest quality of services and supports to our most vulnerable and marginalized citizens of South Carolina.

Ms. Crowley has an extensive career of over 34 years in the field of advocacy, service delivery and administration of programs for vulnerable children and families, and adults across both North and South Carolina. She has worked for private provider agencies in both states. In North Carolina she gained valuable experience over a ten year period working for an Area Authority in a five-county catchment area and was operationally and administratively responsible for all services to children and families in the catchment area, including Early Intervention, Outpatient Therapy, Integrated Day Care, Developmental Day Centers, Day Treatment Centers and Residential Treatment Facilities. This experience prepared Ms. Crowley to open her own private provider agency in 2004, which she was a managing partner for 14 years. The agency provided services to children with mental health, developmental disabilities and/ or substance use disorders and their families. The services ranged from Early Intervention, Diagnostic Assessment and Outpatient Therapy including contracted School Based Therapy, community-based services such as Intensive In-Home and Residential Services.

Laina Shoemake serves as the Coordinator of Policy and Research for the Palmetto Association for Children and Families.  In this role, she supports the needs of our member agencies as they relate to policy and practice concerns.  She is committed to maintaining a strong connection between PAFCAF and its member providers as we forge a path forward with FFPSA and the Michelle H. Settlement Agreement. 

Mrs. Shoemake joined PAFCAF after a lengthy career in education, where she developed a strong passion for helping children and families grow through challenging circumstances.  Having worked primarily in Title I schools, much of her career has been spent assisting families facing poverty and, often, homelessness. In her previous role, Laina worked in concert with many state-level legislators to improve policies which have impacted education throughout South Carolina. Additionally, she has worked with her local government to secure funding through grant opportunities and to develop initiatives in an effort to improve her community.  Her commitment to ensuring positive outcomes for South Carolina’s children and families has been a common thread, tying together her efforts in the classroom and in her local community. 

Mrs. Shoemake holds a B.A. in Sociology from Mary Baldwin College in Virginia and an M.Ed. in Leadership from the University of South Carolina.  She lives in Elgin, SC with her husband of 19 years and her two high school aged children.