Name:  Jim Sylvester

Role with JCCI:   Volunteer

1.  What do you do from 9-5?

I joined the Biomedical Research Department at Nemours Children’s Clinic in 1996 as a molecular geneticist.  Over the years in the Laboratory, I have worked on various human genes involved in protein synthesis and also with some genes that influence the patient’s response to drugs used in asthma therapy.  Now I am away from the bench working as the Director of Faculty Resources where I am involved in teaching and fostering new research projects with our physician-scientists at Nemours.

2.  What do you do outside of work?

I am known for and love being Scott’s dad, Karissa’s dad and Linda’s husband. I am also known as that guy, a Professor, who works with DNA and RNA.  Now, Linda and I are learning to be empty nesters.   I really enjoy a long bike ride, cooking a nice meal, kayaking in the river, looking out my telescope, being walked in the park by the dogs and, of course, travelling somewhere in the world.  Oh, and Go Jags!!

3.  How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

Part of our responsibility as scientists is to inform and, actually partner, with the community.  Our research mission statement at Nemours reads “Bench to Bedside, Clinic to Community”. I think it was in 2007, that Dana Ferrell told me to join JCCI, introducing me to a whole new world and to many, many fantastic people. I got on the membership committee, regularly attended “Issues and Answers” a JCCI lunch program, now I am participating on the Healthcare & Bioscience implementation committee and attended all Jax2025 meetings.

4.  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

Not technically in Jacksonville but Alpine Groves Park, a few miles past Julington Creek Bridge down San Jose Blvd into St. Johns County is where the dogs walk me after work and on weekends.  It has some paths that meander down to the river.  Therefore it reminds me that everyone should find a similar Jacksonville Park (GEM) to enjoy and protect.  They are necessary for healthy minds and bodies, become a regular for 30 - 45 minutes a day.

5.  What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?

The Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Program has an agenda item called Joint Use that I have been working on for a while now.  Joint Use is an initiative that strives to have community assets such as school facilities used after hours for community needs. Meeting rooms, playgrounds, tracks, pools, etc. could be used if all safeguards are met and agreed upon between the two participating entities. There are policy agreements and a number of examples already in existence.  The task now is to make all potential parties aware of the opportunities and to communicate the process.

6.  Why is JAX2025 important to you and what Target will you be working towards?

Our JCCI implementation committee, devoted to the JCCI Recession Recovery Study recommendations on Healthcare, Bioscience & Academics, is proposing the formation of an Institute of Preventive Medicine and Urban Health to be housed in a downtown area. The Institute would be an academic (University based) and business Alliance that integrates academicians; educators; healthcare delivery institutions; health department and city government officials; non-governmental health and wellness agencies; and community, military, and business members.  It would be chartered to research, test, and then help install best practices to make Jacksonville a national leader and a model for healthy living.  Secondly, there would be a Life Science research component that would move new innovative ideas into the marketplace and be an economic driver for the city. It should be promoted as a city vision.  We believe that it nicely links 3 or 4 JAX2025 vision statements and goals.  Along with other committee members, I will be working hard to make this proposal a reality and a success.

In conjunction with JCCI's participation at the International German Forum, the Bertlesmann-Siftung Foundation released its report, People, Progress and Participation: How Initiatives Measuring Social Progress Yield Benefits Beyond Better Metrics. The report makes the point that "What we measure shapes what we do," and highlights seven case studies from around the world of places doing it right. 

JCCI is one of the case studies.

You'll enjoy reading the report. The benefits they highlight of these new ways of measuring progress include:

• Strengthening the machinery of democracy
• Making the business of government easier
• Building capacity and resilience

I like this conclusion they reach:

"... the process by which these measures are selected is itself fundamental to the success of an initiative. Processes that build legitimacy and ownership will produce a better set of measures. This study has shown that the process is important in other ways, too. It is important in its own right because it can empower people to undertake action in advancing well-being in society. A well-handled process can lead to many benefits that go beyond the creation of mew measures. These benefits can strengthen the machinery of democracy, make the business of government easier, and build our capacity to foster and expand the capabilities needed for meaningful participation in society."

Thank you again -- your involvement and your support are helping JCCI create change here at home and around the world.

"Six Questions" features JCCI volunteers, speakers, and participants. For this entry, we're featuring John Lomas IV, one of the nine finalists in our #IgersJax Connections photo contest for JAX2025. John's unique photo of the St. Johns River inspired us, and ended up as the inside cover of the JAX2025 report. To learn more about #IgersJax, read our blog post here: Through the Lens: A JAX2025 Visioneer's (Photographic) View.

Name: John Lomas IV 

What do you do from 9-5?
I work as a transporter at Baptist Medical Center downtown.

What do you do outside of work?
I take mobile snippets with my mobile device.

What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?
I wish I knew of an hidden gem. Ha if I did, I believe by now it wouldn't be hidden anymore.

What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?
For me, I think it would have to be the lack of voices heard for creativity. I wish there were more opportunities for artists, photographers, musicians, painters, etc to be heard, weekly!

Why did you choose to select this particular photo to submit to the Connections contest and has this contest changed or strengthened your view of what “connections” means?
I wanted to submit something different, something that was outside the box. I didn't realize it would have such a positive response.

Why is JAX2025 important to you?
It's important to me because it's my city. If I want things to be better I have to be apart of the solution, of change!

Last week, I went to Berlin, Germany at the request of the Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to share Jacksonville's story as part of a global conversation about people and progress and what nations should be paying attention to as they develop public policy. JCCI was both the only organization represented who works in communities (below the national level) and the only U.S. representative to the dialogue. 

Why was JCCI there? What could we possibly contribute to a group that included members of the European Parliament, Chair of the German Council of Economic Experts, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the London School of Economics, United Nations, OECD, and directors of the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, UK Office for National Statistics, and countries from every inhabited continent? Jacksonville, Florida is seen as a global best practice in what we do, and our story is compelling as around the world people and nations search for a new way to engage their citizenry and measure real progress.

JCCI has always been a part of this conversation. Our Quality of Life Progress Report is the oldest and longest-running measurement of the well-being of a community in the world. In 1985, we invited residents of Jacksonville to help define what matters and how we could know if we were making progress as a community towards a shared vision of the future. Every year since then, a citizens' group has reviewed the indicators and made the necessary adjustments to keep the measures on point for community needs. By the early 1990s, JCCI was consulting with other communities to create their own reports. By 2001, the United Nations had recognized JCCI as a model for other countries. By 2003, our work was influencing work from Siberia to Australia to Brazil in their efforts to engage communities in measuring what matters.

In 2004, JCCI helped create a new international organization, the Community Indicators Consortium, to enhance the art and science of this movement. Also in 2004, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development hosted a high-level conference in Palermo, Italy to talk about these efforts. JCCI's work was required reading for the conference. The Palermo conference led to follow-ups in Istanbul in 2007 and Busan, South Korea in 2009. The "Istanbul Declaration" of 2007 identified "an emerging consensus on the need to undertake the measurement of societal progress in every country, going beyond conventional economic measures such as GDP per capita" with the aim of producing "high-quality, facts-based information that can be used by all of society to form a shared view of societal well-being and its evolution over time." (see On the Shoulders of Giants: Tracing Back the Intellectual Sources of the Current Debate on "GDP and Beyond" to the 19th Century, 2012, by Nils aus dem Moore and Christoph M. Schmmidt.) In 2006 and 2008, JCCI was in France to help them think about new kinds of indicators and new ideas around governance that would allow the residents of a community to take part in the dialogue of what to measure. (You can read about these efforts in France here.)

In 2009, the European Commission held a conference called "Beyond GDP (the Gross Domestic Product, or the amount of stuff produced in a country)" in Brussels. JCCI was there (you can read my conference notes here), again as the only sub-national group on display. This conference was followed by a report, "GDP and Beyond: Measuring Progress in a Changing World," which spurred more action. Following that effort, still in 2009, President Sarkosy of France commissioned Nobel prize winners Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen, along with French economist Jean-Paul Fitoussi, to identify what new measures nations should be examining, beyond GDP. In the United States, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a series of reports on measuring progress. JCCI is featured in these reports. The GAO said of JCCI: "With every annual update of each set of indicators, JCCI's proactive efforts in community indicators are enhanced and Northeast Florida remains a recognized world leader in this work." 

So we needed to be in Berlin to continue this conversation. Our message to the world is simple: Every nation, every community, needs to answer two questions. First, what is important? What we value, we measure; what we measure, we do; what we do, we value. The global emphasis on GDP (and only GDP) has led to public policy focused only on creating more stuff -- and not on societal well-being or on any other issue. 

The second question is, who gets to decide what is important? Nations traditionally decide by involving politicians, or academics, or perhaps business leaders. We suggest that a nation (or a community) that invites the citizenry to be part of the decision-making process will increase its well-being through that participation.

Jacksonville's story is that it works. People can come together to decide what matters, and how to measure it. And when the community as a whole is part of deciding what's important, the community as a whole has a vested interest in working together to reach for the vision they create. 

I shared with this convocation of 130 world experts your efforts and involvement in JAX2025. Together, we are building a better future for Jacksonville. And together, we are creating a brighter future for the world.

"Six Questions" features JCCI volunteers, speakers, and participants. For this entry, we're featuring Brandon Kidwell, one of the nine finalists in our #IgersJax Connections photo contest for JAX2025. Brandon was named the winner of the contest at the May 18th Release Event and celebration for his fantastic picture of Treaty Oak. To learn more about #IgersJax, click here to read our post on the creator and manager, Stefan Stears.

Name: Brandon Kidwell

What do you do from 9-5?:

I work as a Project Manager for Lender Processing Services, Inc. and an responsible for our Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, Financial Reporting and various other projects.

What do you do outside of work?:

Currently I enjoy time with my family, mobile photography, our very small farm as well as skateboarding (when time permits), attempting to surf and home brewing beer.

What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?:

I’m not sure it this is still considered Jacksonville but Pope Duval park is a great fishing preserve as well as a great spot to get away in the middle of everything.  The entrance is so brief it literally is a hidden gem.

What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?:

For years I worked in the Facilities department as the Senior Financial Analyst.  I was responsible for the financial analysis behind our most recent property leasing deals here in Jax.  One thing that I found out while in this process is that Downtown Jacksonville, especially towards the Riverside area, is brimming with opportunity to grow but there is no parking solution.  The rail ends on a piece of property (don’t know who the owner is) that would be an ideal parking area for Jacksonville that might bring convenient options for the Landing, 5-Points, possibly put some stores in the Everbank building facing Riverside Avenue and more.  I am not from Jacksonville but love the feel of a communal downtown area, I think it brings people together and gives them a sense of community and pride in their city but I don’t feel that Jacksonville has that.  The downtown area is difficult to park in and offers some great features but is just a little too inconvenient to “want” to go there.  I probably should have said something a little more hospitable towards our fellow neighbors in need but I feel that if there is a strong economy it lifts everyone up.

Why did you choose to select this particular photo to submit to the Connections contest and has this contest changed or strengthened your view of what “connections” means?:

Honestly my entry was a work in motion as most of my photos and edits are.  When I read about the contest the Treaty Oak came to mind with the image of branches and rings of life that come with a tree that touches so many generations.  I had never visited the tree so I decided to take a jog with my phone after work across the bridge and check it out.  I was moved by the families that were walking through constantly and the words explaining the significance of the giant oak.  From there I happened upon a family walking by and snapped a few images, sat on a bench, edited my photo and wrote out my interpretation connections.  This process strengthened my view of what “connections” means to me in that I saw it in action, living and breathing.  The historical oak that was preserved was enjoyed by so many people of so many different ages.  Some were just passing through, others catching some sleep and other’s having a picnic and playing all under this glorious natural canopy reaching out to all of them.  This memory and inspiration would not have been possible without this contest as it was this contest that motivated me to see something new.  In seeing that, I have now grown a little myself as well as gained a little more pride in my hometown.

Why is JAX2025 important to you and what Target will you be working towards?:

JAX2025 is important to me because I call Jacksonville my home now and plan to stay here.  I love a strong foundation and your home is the foundation on which you raise your family.  I will be working towards 2 Targets specifically just because they are goals that I feel I can contribute the most towards.  Arts & Entertainment and People which can go hand in hand.  With my new hobby of mobile photography and video editing I love to contribute images in any way that I can.  Sometimes an image can speak volumes and if you can capture a brilliant and inspiring or sad and devastating moment and share it with others it can help turn on that little light that shines brightly in all of us, inspiration.  I can help People every day by treating my community like family.  If we treat each other like family we will begin to act like family (unless you don’t like your family, in that case we might need a better example haha).

Global dialogue to be held in Berlin on June 5, 2013

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited Ben Warner, President and CEO of JCCI-Jacksonville Community Council Inc., to speak at the First International German Forum at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. The topic of this first-time event is: “What Is Important to People: Quality of Life and Progress.” Mr. Warner will be the only speaker representing local (sub-national) populations, and the only speaker from the United States.

Chancellor Merkel wrote, “It is … my aim to create a forum for global learning. In a new series of discussions I want to talk about processes of societal, economic and political development that interest people in Germany as well as in many other countries.”

Mr. Warner has been asked to present on “Community Matters;” a perspective on how to involve residents of a community in determining a shared vision, metrics to create accountability for that vision, and civic engagement to implement the vision and improve the selected measures. Among the examples to be shared in his presentation are the recent successes of the JAX2025 initiative, now transitioning into its implementation phase. 

On Thursday, May 23, the Museum of Science and History, the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and JCCI came together in a panel discussion on the future of Jacksonville architecture. I was not there as an architect, but rather to frame the discussion using the JAX2025 Vision as the goal towards which we are working. 

Architecture matters -- the built environment is a piece of the Vision Targets around health, economic development, a place where people matter, arts and entertainment, and neighborhoods and downtown. The panel was moderated by City Council President Bill Bishop, and included Melody Bishop, Ennis Davis, Danny Garcia, Ted Pappas, and Rob Zinn.

If you haven't seen the Jacksonville by Design: AIA Celebrates 100 Years of Architecture display at MOSH, please make plans to see the exhibit. 

Some of the questions we discussed included:

• Suburban v. urban development and the roles of personal choice and government policy;
• The challenges and successes in building dense urban environments;
• The role of NIMBY-ism in locating commercial interests close to residential neighborhoods;
• The new challenges in design and transportation linked to the growing aging population; and
• The best and worst examples in Jacksonville's built environment as we work toward creating a great city.

One of my take-aways from the discussion is that we all have a critical role to play in creating the Vision of JAX2025. As you think about where you might be most effective, think about joining us on June 26 at 11:30 at the WJCT Studios for the first Build It! meeting of the JAX2025 implementation.

See you there!

On May 20, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Equality Means Business luncheon at the University of North Florida. Featured speakers included John Delaney, former Jacksonville Mayor and current President of the University of North Florida; Bob Wall, Senior Vice President, Human Services Group and Chief Human Resource Officer, Florida Blue; and Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida.

My role was to introduce the JAX2025 Vision to the group, and allow a panel discussion to explore what it would mean to implement the JAX2025 Target of creating a Diverse and Inclusive Community. We then answered questions from the audience about specific implementation steps people could take to move the vision forward. 

What I heard in that luncheon, from speakers to panelists to audience questions, was hope for the future of Jacksonville and a willingness to work together to build that future together. Along the way was recognition of the progress already made in Jacksonville, and the love people have for this community.

If you are interested in being part of the implementation work on this Target, please join us on June 26 at 11:30 at the WJCT studios.

Did you know that more people in the U.S. die from suicide than from motor vehicle accidents? I did not. I’ve known for a while that more people die every year from suicide than from murder. And this is a fact that usually catches people by surprise. You mean more of us die from depression and suicide than from guns and homicide? You mean cars speeding down the highway are safer than our own day-to-day mental health? Seriously?

Doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? Well, in the wonderful words of the Talking Heads, “Facts are written all over your face/Facts continue to change their shape.” Let’s look at those facts about suicide.

In 2009, the number of deaths from suicide surpassed the number of deaths from motor vehicle crashes in the United States…Suicide rates from 1999 to 2010 increased significantly across all four geographic regions and in 39 states.

The above is from a May 3rd 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When I read the part about 2009, I thought, ‘well, that was a pretty bad year for the entire nation. Maybe it’s like people were committing suicide because they lost their job and house that year.’ But the next year there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 deaths from suicide. So it wasn’t just one year.

From 2000-2006, the Western US counties, including Alaska, had predominantly high suicide rates. Suicide rates were also high in certain Appalachian counties of Kentucky and West Virginia, southern Oklahoma and northern Florida.

-- From National Suicide Statistics at a Glance

Over Memorial Day Weekend, I saw countless public service announcements on the television imploring me to put my seat belt on. Those messages are in my brain now. I don’t recall any public service announcements about untreated depression or the signs of suicide.

Why is this? It’s because we have a major myth going on right now about mental disorders, mental illness and suicide. We think mental health is about crazy people. Here’s the thing: mental health is about day-to-day health of the nervous system, and specifically the brain. I know someone who checks their glucose several times a day, monitoring the ebb and flow of their diabetic condition. Why don’t we monitor about our behavioral and mental health? Do we check in (besides the questions we answer at an annual check-up at the doctor’s office) with the progression of things like sadness, sleep patterns, or ability to concentrate?  Why don’t we have a healthcare system that focuses on the day-to-day struggles to maintain mental health?

If you are old like me, then you remember when people called cancer “The Big C.” People from previous generations remember when the word cancer was whispered because it was so frightening. We were afraid of it, and so we had code words for it, or spoke about it in ways not meant to offend. It’s the same now with mental illness. I read an obituary just a year ago that said “died from a long illness.” Well, yes, it was a long illness. It was a mental illness, and she died from suicide.

It’s because mental health is still in the shadows. And it’s in the shadows because we are afraid of this particular disease.

Now we run marathons, 5Ks, take up donations, and talk about cancer diagnoses in church. We have done a total about-face when it comes to cancer.

And in Jacksonville, we have one of the leaders of that about-face, Donna Deegan. The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer brings people from all over the world to Jacksonville to celebrate the courage and resilience of breast cancer survivors and their families. The marathon raises money to finish breast cancer as well as help less fortunate families coping with a mother’s diagnosis. This event is a force in the cultural shift toward surviving and living with breast cancer.

October is Pink. Even the White House is Pink in October. Do you know the color associated with Mental Health Month? I don’t. Did you know this month is Mental Health Month?

Jacksonville has all the pieces in place to make a long-term commitment to changing hearts and minds when it comes to mental health here.

Here are some of our players already in the game:

• Our local chapter of Mental Health America.
• The System of Care Initiative which is organizing Jacksonville youth living with mental disorders and illness.
• The Women’s Giving Alliance, which has a grantmaking focus on the mental health of women and girls.
• The Weaver's generous gift of $10 million to Baptist Health to endow pediatric and adolescent behavioral health services.
• Responsible journalism at the Florida Times-Union, which involves editorials on the fact that more people die from suicide than from homicide.

At JCCI, we are ready to look at mental health as a community problem. And this will be an inquiry for all residents to take part in. Here’s a blog post that we already published about the need to focus community resources on mental health.

I rarely get a chance to do this, so I’m going to make the most of it now. Because this is a follow-up to the previous mental health post, I want to make a revision; a kind of re-thinking of the first one.

In the first blog post, there is mention of murder-suicide. This topic and the whole discussion of school shootings do not belong in the current discussion of mental health. It’s sensationalizing and taking us back down the road of thinking mental health is the province of that black box we’ll never understand. The horror and magnitude of grief weighs us down and takes our attention away from the fact that so many of us live with garden-variety mental disorders. The effects of mental illness are all around us, and we need to see their origin in a clear light: the brain and nervous system get sick like any other part of the body. And people live with mental illness just like others live with diabetes. People survive with pride just like others survive breast cancer.

This issue is a citizen issue. It’s an issue that demands our collective attention and care. After all, when I broke my wrist in 2006, I went straight to the emergency room. I knew, all the while, that my community made a promise to me that if I broke a bone, it would get set. That day, I could flash my insurance card. My brother-in-law later broke his leg in a car wreck. He didn’t have an insurance card to flash. He knew the promise, however: if a bone is broken, the community will fix it. We don’t have the same promise when it comes to mental health. Divorce, loss of a loved one, chronic pain, loss of a job…all of these happen to individuals and families and have long-term effects just like a broken bone. Why won’t we attend to them?

What You Can Do: Tell me you want to get involved in JCCI’s next citizen-based inquiry! Send me an email and I will make sure to invite you when the time comes.

JAX2025 has been an exciting opportunity to have the community come together to craft a vision for our future. We began the process by asking the community to Imagine It -- and the outpouring of responses was nearly overwhelming. You had thoughts, hopes, dreams of the future of this community, and over 16,000 people let us know what you wanted the future to be for Jacksonville.

We have the 10 Vision Targets in place. We've determined the metrics of accountability we will use to measure progress toward that vision. We've determined what our priority strategies are to reach that vision.

And now it's time to get to work.

On Saturday, May 18, at the West Touchdown Club at EverBank Field, we will release the full JAX2025 report, celebrate those who have created it, and launch the implementation effort. Working together, we will build that vision.

How will the JAX2025 Vision get implemented?

Implementation will have three components, and there's a place for you in all three areas.

First, the Visioneers identified at the April 27 meeting which key organizational partners need to be involved in reaching the vision. Institutional action -- public, private, and non-profit -- is a necessary component for sustained community change. This is the strategy area called They Should -- we highlighted the institutions, organizations, agencies, and coalitions that need to be involved as we align our efforts in the community to reach the vision. Part of the implementation process will be advocacy teams working to assist and encourage these institutions in their important role in the process.

Second, the Visioneers also created a list titled You Can for each of the Vision Targets. These are the places where individual action is an important component in moving the Vision forward. Part of the implementation effort will be linking individuals in the community to where they are most needed in helping build the future Jacksonville -- in both large and small ways, we all need to be part of creating our future together. If we are serious about creating the future we want, we can't wait for someone to do it for us. There is no place for people to sit in the bleachers and criticize the action on the field -- it's time for us all to suit up and move forward. Together.

Third, coordinating and aligning institutional and individual action requires constant communication with the community. We've created a new email address -- Progress@JAX2025.org -- for people and institutions to report in. We encouraged (and will continue to encourage) people to make personal commitments to action on I Will pledge cards -- one task they can complete within six months in order to move the vision one step further. We'll be sharing stories, measuring progress, highlighting areas that need additional work, and keeping you informed on what's happening. There is no shelf for this report -- it's an active document, and you'll be hearing a great deal more about that activity.

So join us on May 18, and find your role in building Jacksonville's vision. We need your help.

JCCI makes democracy work - that's why after 15 years, I still love this organization.

Now that I'm approaching 15 years of working with JCCI, I'm often asked what brought me to the organization and what keeps me here. I'd like to share a few thoughts on why I feel that JCCI is such an important part of our community, and why we've been helping communities around the world set up their own JCCI's for close to three decades.

Scott London wrote a piece called Doing Democracy that captures, I think, the heart of our work. 

When Alexis de Tocqueville toured the United States in the 1830s and 1840s, he marveled at Americans’ propensity for civic participation. “Americans of all ages, all conditions and all dispositions constantly form associations,” he famously wrote. ... What was distinctive about these civic organizations, Tocqueville observed, was not just how numerous and variegated they were, but how they embodied what he saw as a unique and distinctly American understanding of democracy. Associations were the means by which Americans acted together in pursuit of their common goals and aspirations. They were carriers of what he called “habits of the heart”—the essential beliefs and practices that shape our character as democratic citizens.

But today, civic participation -- the underpinnings of successful democracy -- is at risk across the country. "Once a nation of joiners, we’ve become a nation out of joint, more disconnected from each other and from our communities than ever," London adds, quoting the work of Robert Putnam. 

So what do we do to make our democracy work? Suzanne Morse, in her book Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future, devotes a chapter to Practicing Democracy. In it, she writes, "Evidence shows that education, dialogue, and deliberation can make the public more aware of the seriousness of local problems and can provide a catalyst for addressing those problems. In turn, greater public involvement may encourage a culture of collaboration, which not only solicits citizen participation but also encourages and expects it. In turn, the public requests and accepts responsibility for helping solve community challenges. At its best, community problem solving can harness the energy and enthusiasm of citizens working together, putting their talents to work to address problems, and at the same time promote a sense of ownership over the processes and outcomes of democratic community life."

The example she uses to show how civic participation works in communities? Jacksonville Community Council Inc. Of us, Dr. Morse said, "In my judgment, this is the preeminent non-partisan civic organization in the country."

So why have I worked at JCCI for the past 15 years, and why am I still excited about coming to work each day? Because at JCCI, we make a difference. Because we truly believe in the bold idea that together we can build a better community. Because I see it happening every day.

Professor Daniel Schafer wrote: “There is a spirit alive in JCCI; it is the spirit of thousands of civic volunteers who have come to the aid of their beleaguered community from the 1880s until the present.” Thank you for being one of them. 

I'm in Washington DC for the annual conference of the National Association of Planning Councils. JCCI is a founding member of this organization, which brings together like-minded organizations from around the country (and Canada!) to improve the human condition through encouraging research-based community planning and action. These are organizations that, like JCCI, bring people together to identify needs and work toward solutions, mobilizing community involvement, developing and coordinating services, advocating for informed decisions by funders and policy makers, and linking people with community resources. 

The conference began in the U.S. Capitol, where we met with Howard Hogan, Chief Demographer of the U.S. Census Bureau, who presented detailed information about where we are as a country and where the trend lines are heading. This sparked a rich discussion of the trends we needed to be paying attention to in local communities that will affect economic development, social service delivery, and the types of issues we're going to be facing in the next 50 years.

Melissa Boteach, Executive Director for the Half in Ten Campaign, challenged us to think bolder about how we address the human condition, and showed that bold visions were attainable.

Leaders of community-based organizations in Dallas, Chicago, and Tulsa spoke of the impacts of poverty and changing demographics on communities, and how their organizations were addressing the issues.

We brought together representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, National Association of County and City Health Officials, Office of National Drug Control Policy, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and me (representing JCCI and the local community perspective.) We talked about the need for cross-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary collaboration to address the kinds of issues we were seeing across the nation and in local communities, with the clear understanding that no single agency had within their purview the kinds of things that had to happen if they were to be successful in their missions. In order to efficiently and effectively serve community needs, we have to break down the silos between the programs and initiatives to reach people where they are. We took local examples as talking points to engage in a three-hour conversation to find out how to really get good work done.

By the time we were through, we had a greater understanding of the barriers that Federal agencies have in working together, where they are making progress, and how we can better braid and blend programs. We also clarified some of their regulatory statements to find ways to open up systems to better serve individuals and families. And they heard from us on where what they were doing was helping, and where it was not. Special thanks to Vanessa Sarria from the Community Action Network for her facilitation -- panelists remarked that it was among the best they had ever experienced.

The conference is continuing. I will be presenting the work of JAX2025 to the conference later. But I wanted to let you, the supporters of JCCI's work, know how proud I was to represent the work you have been doing for so many years to come together to learn, engage, and act for community change. Your willingness to address community issues outside of traditional silos and systems has helped our community make a real difference in people's lives. And from what we've learned so far in the conference, it's the only way we're going to face the next 50 years successfully. 

JAX2025 Ten Targets Series: Health

What specific strategies would YOU like to see implemented in regards to the Health Target? To put your voice in the discussion, join the next JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th.

The next JAX2025 meeting discussing strategy implementation will take place Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Parking and entrance is free, with coffee provided. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

Name:  Michelle Simkulet

Role with JCCI:  Chief Financial Officer, Director of JCCI Forward, Volunteer Coordinator, Goddess

JCCI: What do you do from 9-5? 

From 9-5, I split my time between being the Chief Financial Officer and the JAX2025 Volunteer Coordinator. After 5, my focus is JCCI Forward, our leadership development program.  In the past 15 years I have held many positions for a variety of JCCI programs. And as with all positions with JCCI, I am focused on the volunteer experience, logistics and supporting the work of the committees.

JCCI:  What do you do outside of work?  

I have had to focus my “loves” in an effort to find more balance but I will always get out of bed at 6am in the cold for theatre, mental health and young people.  Currently, I serve in an officer position on the board of Mental Health of America of Jacksonville. I’ve just finished directing the International Theatre Fest at Theatre Jacksonville and a staged reading of A Lesson Before Dying as part of the WJCT Big Read.  I have planned annual special events like the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund December Holiday Party and Empowerment Resources’ Journey into Womenhood Scholarship Banquet for many years.

JCCI:  How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

I moved to Jacksonville on October 31, 1997 and my first day at JCCI was November 12. I briefly went to work for Leadership Jacksonville and a PGA/Ryder Cup contractor but never quite stopped working at JCCI. Ultimately, I was convinced that JCCI was where I belonged.   I was an inaugural member of JCCI Forward but I was not the staff person. That came in 2001. JAX2025 is the newest role for me and I learn something new every day, either about people or the community we live in.

JCCI:  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

The tech booth at Theatre Jacksonville.  It’s a 4’x 9’  black booth that looms over the audience in the building in San Marco.  Theatre has long been my “comfort food” of activities. Going too long without it makes me unwell.  Sitting up there watching the amazing talent and strength of stories that are shared in this community rejuvenates my soul and spirit. Not everyone can see its beauty or healing properties but those who do are my kin. 

JCCI:  What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?

Without question, mental health.  For all.  Everyone. I feel strongly about preventive versus intervention healthcare but in this case I’d settle for more focused intervention.  It seems that although tragedies nationwide have brought more attention to mental health issues, locally it’s a very difficult subject to broach and work on. Funding is tougher because the stigma of being associated with mental health concerns seems to steer people clear.  Yet, I remember when the city was up in arms over the murder rate taking 100+lives per year.  People were willing to show up, speak out and put money in to solve the problem. The suicide rate that year, what I feel to be a highly preventable mortality, took 200+ lives. The rate has been that way for too long and it goes on without notice.

JCCI:  Why is JCCI important to you and Jacksonville?

Action, plain and simple. Everyone can have a say but ‘a say’ is just that. Opinions are like brains, everyone has one. But if you go beyond: Use that brain to learn, get involved and engage in action and see it through…well, that what it is all about.

JAX2025 Ten Targets Series: Environment

What specific strategies would YOU like to see implemented in regards to the Environment Target? To put your voice in the discussion, join the next JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th.

The next JAX2025 meeting discussing strategy implementation will take place Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Parking and entrance is free, with coffee provided. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

JAX2025 Ten Targets Series: Arts & Entertainment

What specific strategies would YOU like to see implemented in regards to the Arts & Entertainment Target? To put your voice in the discussion, join the next JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th.

The next JAX2025 meeting discussing strategy implementation will take place Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Parking and entrance is free, with coffee provided. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

The first three JAX2025 meetings have provided citizens a chance to voice their opinions on what they wish to see in Jacksonville’s future. Taking a look at the “vision statements” for the year 2025.

Thousands have gathered at the Prime Osborne Convention Center over the past three months to participate in envisioning a future for Jacksonville. These visioneers met in January to decide which priorities the initiative would focus on over the last twelve years.

From that event, Ten Targets were elected (in no particular order):

Arts & Entertainment, Clean & Green, Diversity, Downtown & Neighborhoods, Economy,
Education, Governance, Health, People, and Transportation.

At the second meeting in February, visioneers convened again to create draft vision statements for each Target. Then, the third and most recent meeting in March provided visioneers a chance to decide which metrics to select and track in order to ensure that the vision for each Target was on track to come to fruition.

At the March meeting, visioneers were able to hear the finalized vision statements for each of JAX2025’s Ten Targets. They are, again in no particular order of importance, as follows:

In 2025, Jacksonville’s creative community fuels a vibrant Arts and Entertainment scene.

Art and culture is integrated into the fabric of Jacksonville, with creativity and innovation contributing to the economic vitality of our city. Jacksonville teems with artists and active audiences alike, with an abundance of options to experience and participate in the arts community. Jacksonville is known as a destination for international arts festivals, major sporting events, and world-class entertainment.

In 2025, Jacksonville is a Clean and Green city.

Jacksonville is a national leader in sustainability, stewardship, preservation and conservation by integrating environmental ethics in our everyday life. Our naturally lush environment is preserved, as the St. Johns River and its tributaries, the ocean and beaches, and Jacksonville’s green spaces are accessible, interconnected, and interwoven into the fabric of our community.

In 2025, Jacksonville is renowned as a Diverse and inclusive community.

Jacksonville welcomes all residents and visitors with dignity and respect.  Ours is a diverse community in many dimensions that carefully protects the rights of all its citizens, regardless of gender, gender identity, faith, race, ethnicity, age, disability, national origin, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.

In 2025, Jacksonville’s distinctive Neighborhoods flourish, along with our Urban Heart.

Jacksonville’s rich array of distinctive neighborhoods, each with its own historic character and irresistible experiences, are livable, walkable, and safe. They converge in the city’s dynamic central neighborhood, Downtown, which is a business powerhouse fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and our community’s 24-hour epicenter of first-class arts, culture, sports, and unique shopping opportunities.

In 2025, Jacksonville’s vibrant Economy is a global magnet for new business.

Government and civic leadership actively promote the growth of diversified industry that keeps our cost of living low and quality of life high.  We work together to reduce poverty and promote financially secure families and individuals in stable and affordable housing. Our quality of life, business environment, and innovative, well-educated workforce foster an economically resilient community.

In 2025, Jacksonville prioritizes excellence in Education at every age.

Jacksonville challenges, prepares, and actively engages learners at every stage in life. We are a community of teachers who infuse learning and a sense of discovery in everyday activities within Jacksonville. Our schools and libraries are a hub, connecting caregivers with community resources so that the whole child thrives, competes in the global economy, and contributes fully here at home.

In 2025, Jacksonville thrives due to exemplary Governance.

Well-informed citizens actively engage to solve problems together with outstanding elected officials. Jacksonville’s diverse representative leadership is accessible, fiscally responsible, and accountable for delivering public services in a cost-efficient manner.  Our transparent, ethical public policy reinforces effective financial investment in common goods.

In 2025, Jacksonville is among the Healthiest communities in the country.

Our region’s health research and delivery industry catalyzes the economy and provides high quality and accessible healthcare to all, emphasizing prevention and wellness. Jacksonville residents have affordable care, including mental health, vision, and dental, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, with access to healthy food, safe housing, and neighborhoods built for active lifestyles.

In 2025, Jacksonville is a place where People matter.

Front-porch friendliness and kindness inspire our service and philanthropy, as people are Jacksonville’s highest priority. We promote well-being among all citizens through all stages of life, connecting people to resources to ensure everyone has the opportunity to have their needs met, from earliest childhood through the dignity of aging. We retain the best of our small-town past in a metropolitan population.

In 2025, Jacksonville is a regional hub of smooth Transportation.

Our region is a recognized leader in our commitment to unrestricted movement, utilizing smart technology and connectivity to move people and cargo safely and efficiently. Sustainable multi-modal mass transit reliably connects the region’s unique neighborhoods, suburbs, downtown and the beaches, and is part of a network of transportation options including walking, biking, driving, and riding.

The final JAX2025 meeting will take place on Saturday, April 27th, where visioneers both old and new will convene again; this time to decide what strategies to implement for each of the Ten Targets. Following the final meeting, the official JAX2025 Vision will be released to the city in May at a celebratory event downtown. Then the vision statements will be put into action by implementing the chosen strategies and tracking the selected indicators over the next twelve years. Everyone across the city is encouraged to be engaged to ensure that we reach our shared vision together.

The next JAX2025 community visioning event will take place on Saturday, April 27th from 9-11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Center. Doors open at 8:30, with free parking and refreshments. For more information and to register for the meeting, please visit www.JAX2025.org.

With its largest group in attendance yet, the JAX2025 community visioning event held on Tuesday, March 18th brought visioneers together to discuss measurements of change. Taking a look at scenes from that meeting.

Excitement was building at the Prime Osborn Convention Center last Tuesday. The third JAX2025 community visioning event had a new feeling to it, as both previous events had taken place on a Saturday morning. This event was a Tuesday evening- visioneers were coming from work and from school, still dressed in their uniforms, wearing their work badges and school backpacks. It might’ve been expected that they were tired, but instead, they were enthused.

“I’m ready!” one visioneer told us as he walked in the door. “Let’s do this.”

As the group flooded in, they chose where to sit based on which of the ten Targets they wanted to discuss first.

“I’m ready to talk about mental health care,” another visioneer said as she arrived. “Where should I go?”

Mayor Alvin Brown sits down with visioneers to listen to their ideas for the city's future.

Visioneers immediately began making connections. As people sat down at their chosen tables, conversations started and business cards were exchanged. The room was buzzing with energy by the time JCCI President & CEO Ben Warner took to the podium to explain how the evening’s discussions would be structured.

“Lasting, real community change begins with a Vision,” Warner told the visioneers. “On February 2, we took the priorities set at the January meeting to create strong statements of Vision to guide us in our aspirations for what we want Jacksonville to become.”

“A Vision without measures of accountability is just a dream. Today we will take the Vision Targets and add to JAX2025 ways we want to measure progress. That will provide the knowledge we need to move forward.”

Warner challenged the Visioneers to discuss what measurements to track in order to know where Jacksonville stood in relation to the vision JAX2025 would lay out.  “We will need to continually evaluate our results to see where we need to focus further efforts,” Warner continued.  “You will see regular reports highlighting progress and targeting areas of concern through the year 2025 as we continue to move toward our vision.  Because the goal of JAX2025 is not just to Imagine It, but also to Reach It.”

President & CEO of JCCI, Ben Warner.

Each of the tables under the ten Targets had sheets available for the visioneers, asking them “What do we need to know?” and “How might we measure it?” Additionally, the sheets had printed on the back which measurements had been used in the past in relation to that specific Target.

Then, the conversations took over. The most interesting aspect of the meeting, as with all JAX2025 meetings, was the incredible diversity at each table. People sat together from different backgrounds, genders, races, age groups, businesses, interests, and agendas. Looking around the room, it was clear that the event was facilitating conversations between Jacksonville citizens who might never have met each other and exchanged ideas otherwise.

Of course it wasn’t perfectly smooth sailing. When the topic is as serious as the future of your city, emotions are bound to be involved. One of the first things visioneers had identified about Jacksonville is the love its citizens have for the city. Everyone involved in the discussion had their own specific ideas on how to improve the city, and while not all those ideas matched, each visioneer wished to see the initiative succeed. Through the structure of the conversations and the help of the JAX2025 facilitator volunteers, each table remained incredibly civil and productive- working through disagreements and honoring every opinion. If you had to choose one word to describe the environment of that Tuesday, it would be consensus.

Visioneers engaged in discussions.

After a short break, visioneers moved to a table under a new Target in order to cross-pollinate ideas and have a chance to work on a different area of focus. Finally, at near the end of the event, visioneers were called upon for one final task.

“Now that you have been working on the details of the Vision Plan, I’d like you to take a mental step back and think about what’s most important for Jacksonville,” Warner asked the crowd. “If you had to describe with power and clarity what kind of city we’re trying to create, what would it be? In two or three words, describe the desired identity for Jacksonville – what is (or should be) our heart and soul? What are we striving to become? This is not a marketing slogan but an internal statement of power and purpose – if you had to describe the city we want to be, what kind of city is Jacksonville? A brainpower city, a city of connections, a friendly city, a laid-back beach city, a sustainable city – where’s our core motivator?”

Visioneers then went to work transcribing their words for the city. The results of the meeting are being entered and tabulated by the JAX2025 team, in order to find consensus and help finalize the Vision Plan for Jacksonville’s future.

These visioneers show their ideas on a future identity for Jacksonville.

We spoke with Mayor Brown, an active visioneer and Honorary Chair of JAX2025 during the event. “I think that JAX2025 is important because it gives us the ability as a community to engage and empower from the bottom up,” the Mayor told us. “It also gives us the chance to have a shared vision, and reminds us as a city that we are all in this together.”

From the Mayor himself, to the school board members in attendance, to the young professionals who showed up, to the teenagers that got involved, it is true: we are all in this together. This is our future planning for our city, and the time to start making that happen is now.

The entire community is invited to the next and final JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th from 9-11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn. Doors open at 8:30, with free parking and coffee. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

Name: Carolyn McClanahan

Role with JCCI:  Happy to be a resource to JCCI on all things about health care reform & Guest for March 2013 Mystery Guest Lunch

JCCI:  What do you do from 9-5?

CM:  My primary job is as a financial life planner helping people who need help aligning their finances and their life so they can be on a happy path. My second job is educating physicians and financial planners around the country on the content of the Affordable Care Act.

JCCI:  What do you do outside of work?

CM:  My life outside of “real” work consists of writing for Forbes on health care reform and end of life planning, volunteering as a physician at Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless and We Care, exercising to mitigate how much time I spend sitting on my rear-end, and spending precious time with my wonderful husband and cats. My brain loves to think about the possibilities for making the world a better place.

JCCI:  How & when did you get involved with JCCI, JAX2025 or JCCI Forward?

CM:  I have kept up with the great work of JCCI for years. I was invited to share the vision of health care reform so JCCI can help Jacksonville realize it’s incredible potential in the realm of health care.

JCCI:  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville? 

CM:  KYV Farm – I have been a member of their community supported agriculture group since exception. Locally grown food is a key to personal and environmental health for our city. We should all eat local as much as possible.

JCCI:  What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?

CM:  It gets attention but not the resources – we truly need a pedestrian and bike friendly city if we are going to realize our vision of a healthy city.

JCCI:  Why is JCCI important to you and Jacksonville? 

CM:  Politicians and administrations come and go. JCCI does a great job providing clear ideas and direction for our city on a consistent basis.