(From left) Front row: Teresa Miles, Mary Strickland, Nekita Nesmith, Tracy Williams. Back row: Ryan Wannemacher, John Sawyer, Mary Jackson, J.F. Bryan (co-chair), Mark Dawkins, Jerry Mallot (co-chair), Bill Putnam, Jake Gordon, Chris Hartnett, Ken Babby, Clayton Davis, Bruce Fafard, Chris Hughes. Not pictured: Sharon Hart

Leadership Jacksonville, an organization that educates, connects and inspires diverse leaders to build and strengthen their communities, recently hosted its annual two-day New Leadership Summit at The Lodge and Club in Ponte Vedra Beach. The 2016 Summit welcomed 16 new community leaders.

The New Leadership Summit provides a unique opportunity for Northeast Florida CEOs and senior level executives who are new, or relatively new, to the community. Participants learn about the region’s assets, issues, institutions and leadership from some of the area’s key corporate, civic, social and educational leaders.

Participants of the New Leadership Summit enjoyed meeting and developing relationships with a variety of top executives, community leaders and political officials in addition to fellow class members. The program included presentations about the area’s history, politics, economy, educational system, nonprofit sector, and cultural and leisure offerings. The 2016 New Leadership Summit participants included:

• Ken Babby, Owner, Jacksonville Suns
• Clayton Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer, JCCI, Inc.
• Mark Dawkins, Dean, Coggin College of Business, University of North Florida
• Bruce Fafard, Chief Executive Officer, 121 Financial Credit Union
• Jake Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, Downtown Vision, Inc.
• Sharon Hart, Senior Vice President/Chief Information Officer, Stein Mart
• Chris Hartnett, Executive Vice President-Employee Benefits, Harden
• Chris Hughes, Superintendent, Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, National Park Service
• Mary Jackson, Commander, Navy Region Southeast, U.S. Navy
• Teresa Miles, Executive Director, Women’s Center of Jacksonville
• Nekita Nesmith, Senior Vice President/Chief Development Officer, YMCA of Florida’s First Coast
• Bill Putnam, Medical Director, Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center
• John Sawyer, President, St. Johns Investment Management Company
• Mary Strickland, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida
• Ryan Wannemacher, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, JEA
• Tracy Williams, Chief Operating Officer, Acute Care, St. Vincent’s HealthCare

To learn more about Leadership Jacksonville and its programs, visit www.leadershipjax.org or call (904) 396-6263.