Meet the President
Samuel M. “Buddy” Streit serves as the president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend. The father of two children, Buddy demonstrates a passion for providing educational and enrichment programs at the highest standards possible. A lifelong child advocate, Buddy constantly searches for opportunities to improve the lives of children and families.
Buddy received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida and is a licensed member of the Florida and North Carolina bars, where he previously practiced law. His prior experience includes legal and child advocacy, business development and management, program and policy development, research and writing, and public and private sector work with children. He has also served in key leadership positions in the public and private sectors.
Highlights of Buddy’s career include:
- Senior Vice President for Development and Head of the Public Education Group, The Brown Schools
- Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth and Families, Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services
- Executive Director of Child Watch, Inc., a private statewide child advocacy group involved in North Carolina legislation, public awareness and children’s research
- Adjunct Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work and Fellow and faulty member, UNC’s Bush Institute for Child and Family Policy at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center
- Executive Director of the Florida Governor’s Constituency for Children
- Superintendent, Eckerd Youth Development Center
Today, Buddy serves on the boards and in leadership positions for several civic organizations, including the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, United Partners for Human Services, United Way of the Big Bend, Village Square, Knight Creative Communities Initiative, Stubbs Educational Foundation, Leadership Tallahassee, the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County, and Workforce Florida Inc. He also volunteers as a mentor to children at local elementary schools.
It is not unusual to walk through a local Boys & Girls Club and find Buddy talking with children and parents, working with staff, and creatively exploring program enhancements. During the his tenure, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend has expanded to serve four North Florida counties and has increased from four to 13 Clubs with more than 200 staff (30 full-time) serving more than 7,000 area children and young adults.