The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) just announced Leighann Elliott as the newest member of its Board of Directors.
Raised in the Atlanta area and a 2017 graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Hospitality Management, after graduation, Elliott relocated to Northwest Florida. She joined The Village of Baytowne Wharf staff in Sandestin to pursue her career goals, eventually becoming their Events and Marketing Manager. In 2020, she co-founded RaeBird Weddings + Events, as of 2025, the company is now solely led by Elliott. As well, in addition to planning and implementing weddings, The Village of Baytowne Wharf is now also her client where she currently handles all their events, too. RaeBird has received many impressive awards and recognition in numerous publications in their first five years. Also, Elliott has received personal recognition honors as I Am Destin in VIP Destin Magazine and Scarlett Magazine’s 2025 Women of the Year Winner as The Wedding Planner.
Since helping start ECCAC’s Young Ambassadors group in 2018, the non-profit organization has played an important part in her life and brought her a step closer to now becoming a Board of Directors member. She has also been instrumental in assisting ECCAC with their signature Golf & Gala event planning for the past few years.
Elliott commented on her new Board position, “I am inspired by the work of ECCAC because I believe every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and valued. As a young professional, I want to give back to my community in a way that truly makes a difference, and their mission aligns with my passion. What drives me most is knowing that ECCAC can change the course of a child’s life. It is important to me to make a difference by sharing my time, energy, and heart with ECCAC.”
Julie Porterfield, ECCAC CEO, added, “What ECCAC does matters because every child should have a normal childhood. Last year alone, we assisted 1,480 kids and 17,367 students in Walton and Okaloosa Counties received Safety Matters education. There is no doubt that Leighann Elliott’s efforts and expertise will help us make a positive difference for our kids.”
ECCAC’s mission is to heal and prevent the trauma of child abuse and neglect by providing advocacy, therapies, and a safe child-friendly environment for kids to feel seen, heard, and understood. Though ECCAC doesn’t house children, they provide services to children and their families at no cost in their two centers.
For further information about ECCAC, visit www.eccac.org. If abuse is suspected, report it by calling the anonymous Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE.
