United Way of Northeast Florida is thrilled to recognize some of our outstanding honorees for 2017’s Cocktails and Conversation event.

Moderator
Matt Flagler, Brightway Insurance and chair of Atlantic Circle

Honorees – 
Michelle Braun, United Way of Northeast Florida
Lawrence DuBow, Community Leader
Jim Flagg, Ulrich Research Services, Inc.
Dawn Lockhart, City of Jacksonville
Eric Mann, YMCA of Florida’s First Coast
Whitney McGuire, Rayonier Advanced Materials
Peter Racine, Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation
Marcus Rowe, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
George Scanlon, United Way Board of Trustees
Richard Sisisky, The Shircliff & Sisisky Company
Linda and David Stein, Community Leaders
Dwaine Stevens, Publix Super Markets
Christina Zorn, Mayo Clinic

Sponsored in part by:

 

 

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Michelle Braun

Michelle Braun is President and CEO of United Way of Northeast Florida. United Way’s goal is to mobilize people and resources to make lasting change in the areas of education, income and health. United Way serves a five-county area of northeast Florida and one in three people in the region. Michelle has been very involved with United Way in many capacities prior to becoming president, including serving as a member of the board of directors, community chair for United Way’s RealSense initiative and as the vice president of Resource Development where she led a record-setting campaign of $17.2 million.

Michelle joined United Way from Wells Fargo where she was the community development manager for Florida responsible for coordinating the bank’s resources and partners to ensure the bank served all of Florida’s diverse communities – especially low- and moderate-income individuals and families. She was previously Wachovia’s community relations executive for Florida before the merger with Wells Fargo.

Prior to her career at Wachovia, Braun worked for Bank of America as director of the Florida Foundation and as community development manager. She has also served in leadership positions at nonprofit agencies across the country. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business and philosophy from The University of Notre Dame and earned a master’s degree in nonprofit management from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Michelle is passionate about serving the community. She serves on the board of directors for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, the Jacksonville Children’s Commission and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). She is a member of United Way Worldwide’s National Professional Council and recently served as chair of the JCCI mental health inquiry.

Michelle is married to Paul, her artist husband and they have two children Quinn, 13, and Shea, 11.

 

Lawrence DuBow

Lawrence DuBow, known to his friends as “Laurie”, moved to Jacksonville in early 1956 after being honorably discharged from active duty in the United States Army. A 1953 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy, he was actively engaged for over forty years in the wholesale drug business and pharmaceutical sales and marketing industry. Recently he has been involved in various aspects of the pharmaceutical industry including serving as a consultant to Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. of New Delhi, India, from 2000 to 2016. He is currently Chairman of HMS Sales and Marketing and a member of the Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida.

Laurie is involved in many community non-profit agencies having served as a Board member of the Super Bowl XXXIX Host Committee; Board member of Habijax; and on the Board of Trustees of WJCT.

He is a member of the Advisory Council at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, and a former member of the UF Health Jacksonville Board of Directors. He is a founding member of the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida and a former Chairman of The Community Foundation of Northeast Florida. He served on the Jacksonville Housing Authority for eight years, the last year as Chairman. In 1999, Laurie an his wife Linda were Chairpersons of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of United Way of Northeast Florida. He is a former Secretary/Treasurer of the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation a former partner in the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ltd.

Laurie and his family, through the DuBow Family Foundation, continue to support and encourage charity and philanthropy in our community. He and his wife Linda have been married 57 years. They have two children, Susan and Michael (Helen), as well as three grandchildren, Sophie, Charlie and Shira.

 

Jim Flagg

Jim Flagg is vice president and co-owner of Ulrich Research. He is responsible for project design, data analysis, and the presentation of study findings.

Jim received a B.A. in History from the University of New Hampshire in 1973. He obtained an M.A. in History at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana) in 1975, and completed an M.B.A. in Quantitative Business Analysis from Indiana University in 1979. Jim began his career as a Marketing Research Analyst with Armstrong World Industries in 1980. He was Manager of Marketing Research at Indiana National Bank from 1982 to 1984, and was Director of Marketing Research at Barnett Banks, Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida from 1984 to 1994. Jim was President of his own consulting firm, Flagg Marketing Research, Inc. from 1995 to 1998, when he joined Ulrich Research Services, Inc.

Jim has completed hundreds of business and consumer marketing research projects in a wide variety of industries. He has moderated over 700 focus groups with consumers, business decision-makers, and company employees. In addition to primary research techniques, he has extensive experience with statistical data processing, commercial databases, and secondary sources. He is a frequent guest speaker in classrooms and at professional meetings.

 

Matt Flagler

Matt started his career with Brightway Insurance in 2008. Since that time, Matt has been instrumental in growing Brightway’s footprint, helping more than 80 franchise owners achieve their dreams of business ownership and reaching their potential.

Matt serves as the 2016-2017 chair of United Way of Northeast Florida’s Atlantic Circle, leading a group with over 600 young professional members throughout Northeast Florida. He is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Florida’s Connect Institute, a highly regarded professional development program for Florida’s up-and-coming young professionals, and a 2011 graduate of United Way of Northeast Florida’s Stein Fellowship. Matt also sits on the Finance Committee Board for the Jewish Community Alliance.

During his free time, Matt performs and teaches Improv comedy and has performed on the mainstages at Chicago’s IO theatre, Atlanta’s Black Box Theatre, as well as in Miami, Gainesville, Tampa, Sarasota, St. Augustine, and any other city that will have him! He is a proud “double Gator” with a BS in Marketing and a Masters in International business, both from the University of Florida. Matt is also an avid Jaguars fan.

 

Dawn Lockhart

Dawn Lockhart is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the City of Jacksonville, where she is responsible for developing a shared agenda between the private sector, philanthropy, nonprofits and government. Working across all sectors, Dawn develops strategic partnerships to facilitate innovative collaborations and program policy reforms resulting in better outcomes for all citizens. She previously served as president and chief executive officer of Family Foundations of Northeast Florida, Inc., a nonprofit corporation which provides financial and housing counseling, asset building, financial literacy education and advocacy services to families in northeast Florida.

Ms. Lockhart is currently a member of the boards of directors of the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the 1000 in 1000 Leadership Council.  She is former chair of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), board of trustees and United Way Agency Directors Association.  She is a member of the Community Wealth Building Initiative, City of Jacksonville, JaxChamber Board of Governors, the Jacksonville Women’s Network.

Ms. Lockhart received a BS in Social Work from Florida State University and attended Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute, Center for the Study of Voluntary Organization and Service, Professional Continuing Education Studies. She consults with local, regional and national foundations and nonprofits to advance their collective impact strategies and is a Community Coach with the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida. She received the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities National Partnership Award in 2014, the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ DollarWise Award in 2014, the NFCC Housing Client of the Year Award in 2013, the NFCC Making a Difference Member Award in 2009 and the Mayor’s Commission of the Status of Women in 2009.

 

Eric Mann

Since July 2011, Eric K. Mann has served as President and CEO of the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast in Jacksonville, Florida. During his Y career, Eric has held management positions at Ys across the country, including the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, YMCA of Greater Charlotte, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, YMCA of Asheville, Central Connecticut Coast YMCA and YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles.

Eric’s prior YMCA experience also included positions as Associate Executive Director at the Weingart Urban Center in Los Angeles; Senior Director at the New Haven Central YMCA in Connecticut and Youth Director at the Market Street YMCA in Asheville, North Carolina in 1981.

Eric obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation with a minor in Psychology from Mars Hill University, Mars Hill, North Carolina. He is chairman of the South African YMCA Coalition and served on the YMCA of the USA Board of Directors.

Eric serves on the boards of the Brooks Health System in Jacksonville, Baptist Medical Center – Downtown Jacksonville, JAX Chamber, Jacksonville Sports Council, Jacksonville Civic Council and THE PLAYERS Council/THE PLAYERS Championship/PGA Tour Headquarter – Ponte Vedra Beach. He is Treasurer of the United Way of Northeast Florida Agency Directors Association and on the Board of Advisors at Mars Hill University.

Eric is married to Branita Thompson Mann, and they have one daughter, Erica, who is a graduate of Hofstra University.

 

Whitney McGuire

Whitney McGuire is the current Associate General Counsel for Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (“RYAM”). She is a 1993 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology holding a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and received her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law in 2004.

Ms. McGuire worked as a process and production engineer in pharmaceuticals and fine chemical manufacturing for 9 years before attending law school. She was employed by Roche Pharmaceuticals in its pilot plant and launch manufacturing groups and by Henkel Surface Technologies, a division of Henkel, in its surface pretreatment group.

Ms. McGuire joined RYAM in August 2016. Until then, she had been a Shareholder with the firm of Smith Hulsey & Busey since October 2010 and was a member of the firm’s commercial litigation group. Ms. McGuire worked for the Jacksonville offices of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart from July 2008 until October 2010 and McGuireWoods from October 2006 until July 2008.

Before locating to the Jacksonville areas in July 2006, Ms. McGuire resided in northern California and worked for Downey Brand a regional law firm based in Sacramento, California.

Ms. McGuire serves on the Board of Directors for ARC of Nassau and attend St. John’s Presbyterian Church. She has a 13-year old daughter Mollie Belle who attends LaVilla School of the Arts.

 

Peter Racine

As senior vice president of the Jaguars Foundation – community impact, Peter Racine oversees grant making, community outreach and other charitable initiatives on behalf of the Khan family and the team.  The Foundation’s mission is to support the community primarily through five major program areas: 1) children, youth and families, 2) military and veterans, 3) women’s health and well-being, 4) youth football and the NFL Play 60 fitness and nutrition initiative, and 5) community and neighborhood revitalization.

Beginning his nonprofit career as a college volunteer at the Covenant House homeless and runaway youth shelter in New York City, Racine went on to help begin Covenant House shelters in Houston, Texas and Toronto, Canada.  From 1987 to 1992, he and his spouse Kelly established and operated Covenant House’s programs for street children in Honduras, Central America where he served as executive director.  Racine was featured on Dateline-NBC for his work with young glue addicts and in Time Magazine for work on behalf of minors exploited by prostitution rings.  Upon returning to the United States, Racine was hired as the first executive director of the Northeast Florida Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, where he served until joining the Jaguars Foundation in September of 2000.

Racine has been a partner in various national and international initiatives, including the Community Partnership for Protecting Children in partnership with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation; the Early Childhood Violence Prevention Project in partnership with the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of Florida and Jacksonville Children’s Commission; Outreach to Urban Street Children in partnership with the European Economic Community; the Sports Philanthropy Project in partnership with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; the JCCI JAX-2025 Community Visioning initiative, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)-Jacksonville’s EPIC neighborhood revitalization initiative in partnership with The Community Foundation, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and the City of Jacksonville; and the PROJECT 17 initiative to provide full-time Athletic Trainers in all 17 Duval County public high schools, in partnership with the NFL, Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program, Duval County Public Schools and other local partners.

In 2013, Racine won a Suncoast Regional EMMY® Award as executive co-producer of the “Jaguars Teen Talk…Game Plan for Success” television show, which was broadcast on all local independent stations, cable and network affiliates.  In 2016, he was recognized at the Jacksonville Innovators in Education Awards ceremony for his work on behalf of Mr. Khan and the Jaguars Foundation in support of our military transitioning to civilian life with their educational needs, specifically through the aviation program at Jacksonville University, as well as other comprehensive support services.

Racine received his B.A. at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and his M.T.S. at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He and his spouse Kelly reside in Jacksonville.

 

Marcus Rowe

Marcus is an Ivy League graduate of Dartmouth College, where he earned a B.A. in Economics. He has spent the better half of two decades working in the banking and finance industry which has helped him master the art of relationship building and he has effectively done so with many individuals, families and community partners since relocating to Jacksonville in 2007 to join the Wealth Management division of Merrill Lynch.

Currently Marcus is a Financial Advisor on the Current Sherman Group at Merrill Lynch and Resident Director of the St. Augustine Office. As an advisor, he drives client acquisition and business management for his team which advises affluent families all over the United States and currently manages more than $1 billion in financial assets. As a manager/leader he is responsible for leading his office to achieve business goals, driving individual performance and acquiring talent through hiring.

He has been an active member of various non-profits in the Jacksonville community, as well as with his alma mater. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for United Way of Northeast Florida and has been an active member of Atlantic Circle, he has been a Stein Fellow and a local volunteer for nearly 10 years. He also serves on the board of the Early Learning Coalition and leads their finance team. Marcus has a passion for education, which has led him to mentor several high school and middle school age students locally as well as lead alumni recruiting on behalf of his college admissions, where he has interviewed 125+ high school in an effort to champion higher learning and encourage overall life success.

Before relocating to Jacksonville in 2007, Marcus has lived in multiple cities in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Marcus and his wife Entrice currently reside near Atlantic Beach. They have four amazing children: Christopher (10), Courtney (8) and their twins Clayton and Chelsea (5).

 

George Scanlon

George Scanlon served as Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF) from October 2010 through December 2013. FNF, a Jacksonville, FL based Fortune 500 company with revenues of $8.6 billion and over 63,000 employees, is a leading provider of title insurance, technology and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. In addition, FNF owns or previously owned majority and minority equity investment stakes in a number of diverse entities in which Scanlon served as a board member, including American Blue Ribbon Holdings, LLC (restaurants), J. Alexander’s, LLC (restaurants), Remy International, Inc. (starter, alternator and hybrid motor manufacturer), Ceridian HCM, Inc. (human capital solutions), Comdata Inc. (payments processor), Stillwater Insurance (property and casualty) and Digital Insurance, Inc. (health care and benefits solutions).

Scanlon joined FNF as Chief Operating Officer in June 2010 from FIS (NYSE: FIS), where he served as Executive Vice President – Finance. Prior to the acquisition by Fidelity National Information Services of Metavante Corporation in October 2009, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for FIS. Previously, he served as the CFO for BFC Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: BFCF) and Levitt Corporation – both affiliated diversified holding companies with interests in banking and real estate based in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Additionally, Scanlon served as CFO for two venture capital-backed technology companies, as well as Senior Vice President at Ryder System, Inc.(NYSE: R) in Miami, where he held controller, corporate planning and development responsibilities. He began his career as a certified public accountant at Price Waterhouse in Chicago.

Scanlon received his BBA in accounting from the University of Notre Dame, and his MBA from the University of Miami. He currently serves on the board of Cyndx Holdco, LLC (financial technology).

In addition to his role as a private investor, consultant and active member of Irish Angels investment group, Scanlon is involved in several civic activities, including serving on the Boards of Trustees of Jacksonville University, including chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, and the United Way of Northeast Florida, where he also previously served as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. He has also previously served on the boards of Leadership Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Symphony, and as a member of the Gator Bowl Executive Committee. Scanlon has also been honored as a member of the 2011 Irish America Wall Street 50 and as Ultimate CFO by the Jacksonville Business Journal.

Scanlon is married with two children, and resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

 

Richard Sisisky

Richard Sisisky has been a prominent member of the business and civic community in Jacksonville for three decades. He has served in numerous leadership positions, including the boards of Stein Mart, Inc. where he is the lead director; Chair of Baptist Health Systems; The Bolles School; WJCT Public Broadcasting; United Way of Northeast Florida; Jewish Federation of Jacksonville (president); The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, and the Jewish Foundation of Jacksonville (president). He was the founding chair of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission as well as the Public Policy Institute of Jacksonville University. Mr. Sisisky was a 1999 Humanitarian Award Recipient of the National Conference for Community & Justice, was recognized as the 2015 Florida Hospital Association Trustee of the Year, and was named Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Florida First Coast Chapter at the 2016 National Philanthropy Day.

 

Linda and David Stein

Linda and David Stein have been members of the Tocqueville Society for 26 years. David has supported United Way of Northeast Florida for more than 50 years and is a former chair of this philanthropic group. For much of his career, David was Chairman and CEO of Southern Industrial Corporation, the original franchisor of 36 Burger King restaurants in three counties of Northeast Florida. He is a Jacksonville native who has spent a lifetime giving back to the community he loves and has enhanced the quality of life in Northeast Florida by financially supporting many educational initiatives. David has provided scholarship endowments at UNF, JU, and FSCJ; at the Jewish Community Alliance, which he led the effort to found and where he was its first president; and at the Greenwood School, where he spearheaded a capital campaign to provide a permanent home for this school that serves the educational needs of children with learning disabilities. David has served as an officer or board member for numerous local organizations such as United Way of Northeast Florida, JAX Chamber of Commerce, University Medical Center, UNF Foundation and WJCT Public Television.

Linda earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Jacksonville University and retired from Delta Airlines after a 21-year career. She has served as honorary co-chair of United Way’s Women in Local Leadership, as well as a member of the Success By 6 Council. Linda serves on numerous boards including Jacksonville University, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Jacksonville Humane Society, MOCA and the Mayo Clinic Leadership Council. She established the Linda Berry Stein Going Home Endowment Fund through the Baptist Health Foundation and also serves on their board. In addition, she has served with the Jewish Community Alliance and Jacksonville Jewish Federation allocation committees. Linda was a 2016 Eve Awards finalist where she was recognized for her community philanthropy and leadership in raising funds to replace the Jacksonville Humane Society’s shelter and education center that were destroyed by fire.

In 2006, Linda and David presented a check for $1 million to develop United Way of Northeast Florida’s Stein Fellowship for young professionals and to support United Way’s Helping Students Achieve focus area. The Stein Fellowship is now a premier multigenerational mentoring program designed to identify and shape the next generation of community leaders in Northeast Florida. With this gift, the Steins became United Way’s second million-dollar donor.

In 2016, Linda and David were honored as the Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year by The First Coast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In April 2017, David is being honored as a community leader by Leadership Jacksonville and is receiving the Gold Medallion for Lifetime Achievement by OneJax.

Linda and David are true stewards of our community who believe strongly in giving back and making a real difference in people’s lives.

 

Dwaine Stevens

Dwaine Stevens has been the spokesperson for Publix Super Markets for the Jacksonville division for over 20 years, in which he manages the philanthropic investments and is responsible for the media and community relations. His primary responsibilities are to be responsive and proactive with all media sources by portraying Publix in a positive light to its customers and the external community.

 

Christina Zorn

Christina Zorn, J.D., began her service as Vice Chair of Administration, Mayo Clinic, and CAO of Mayo Clinic in Florida in 2015. Ms. Zorn provides oversight for Human Resources, Information Technology, and Planning Services across Mayo Clinic’s national enterprise.

Ms. Zorn began her career at Mayo in 2002 as a legal counsel. In 2009, she was named Chair of the Florida Division of Mayo Clinic’s Legal Department. Ms. Zorn is the secretary of the Executive Operations Team of the Florida campus, and serves on the enterprise Management Team of Mayo Clinic.

Ms. Zorn earned her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin and received her Juris Doctor degree from Creighton University School of Law. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic, she practiced with the law firm Foley & Lardner, focusing on health care and transactional law.

Ms. Zorn is a member of the American Association of Corporate Counsel, the American Health Lawyers Association, and the Florida Hospital Association. She serves on the University of North Florida Dean’s Council and the Board of Trustees at the Bolles School. She, her husband and daughter live in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.