From left, Michael Ward, Wayne Weaver and Preston Haskell participated in a panel at Leadership Jacksonville’s Lunch with Leaders program

Leadership Jacksonville, an organization that educates, connects and inspires youth and adult leaders in Northeast Florida, recently co-hosted Lunch with Leaders with the Harvard Business School Club of Jacksonville.

From left, Leadership Jacksonville past presidents, Espie Patrinely and Courtenay Wilson

The luncheon included Leadership Jacksonville adult program graduates, members of the Harvard Business School Club of Jacksonville and guests. The event, a first-time collaboration of the two groups, was held at the River Club.

The program’s keynote presentation featured a panel with Jacksonville business leaders discussing the importance of community investment to make a difference in people’s lives. The panelists included Gary Chartrand, executive chairman of Acosta; Preston Haskell, chairman of The Haskell Co.; Michael Ward, CEO of CSX Corp.; and Wayne Weaver, the former majority owner of Jacksonville Jaguars. Moderated by Karen Feagins of WJCT, the panelists discussed their philanthropic interests, their motivations for giving and the role of corporate philanthropy in each of their organizations.

From left, Cheryl Gonzalez and Clark Robertson are Leadership Jacksonville graduates of the Class of 2012

“We were very pleased to join the Harvard Business School Club of Jacksonville to present this program on the importance of philanthropic giving,” said Jill Langford Dame, chief executive officer of Leadership Jacksonville. “The luncheon provided a one-of-a-kind networking opportunity with a fascinating and educational program that will inspire leaders to build and strengthen their communities.”

From left, Dan Foley and Darryl Willie are members of the current class, Leadership Jacksonville 2016

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