Jason Spencer (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida)
Jason Spencer stands on the far right on the Nasdaq floor as BBBSNELF celebrates 120 years by ringing the stock exchange’s opening bell last November.
Jason Spencer’s path to board service began organically in 2010 with a chance introduction at a JAX Chamber luncheon.
“I had just moved to Jacksonville and was going to events,” Spencer, a Riverside resident, recalled. “I was at a JAX Chamber luncheon, and the featured speaker was Robert Hill, who was the CEO of Acosta at the time. I went up to him afterwards, told him I also went to Furman, and was new to town. He took me under his wing, and we would meet for coffee and for lunch. He became a mentor to me.”
That mentorship would come full circle. Hill was involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida, and Spencer already understood the power of mentoring firsthand.
“I actually participated in the high school version of Big Brothers Big Sisters growing up in North Carolina and served as a mentor to an elementary school student,” he said.
Through Warren Grymes, then-CEO of the local organization, Spencer found his place, meeting quarterly with Grymes for two years, during which time he shared how much mentoring meant to him and how meaningful it was to see that impact can come from anyone.
“I loved to see how anyone has the ability to impact a young person’s life, whether they are a CEO, a high school student, or someone just getting started in their own careers,” Spencer said. “Everyone can help improve a child’s self-esteem and be a friend.”
By 2013, serving on the Board felt like a natural next step.
Now 12 years into his service on the local governing Board – two three-year terms with a year rotating off in between – Spencer also contributes nationally.
“I’m an ex officio member on the National Leadership Council, which is 10 board members and 10 CEOs setting the standards of practice for the entire federation of Big Brothers Big Sisters across America,” he explained.
For Spencer, governance is where vision meets impact, with strong leadership paving the way for change – not just for the community the Board serves, but also for board members themselves, who are transformed by their commitment to service.
“I’ve seen corporate leaders who express uncertainty at the ability to lead the Board come out of their shells, being mission-driven and give so much more than they ever thought possible,” Spencer said. “You can see the growth in people as well as the growth of the impact of the organization.”
The most difficult season came when Grymes’ health began to decline. Grymes had led the organization for 13 years until he died in 2017, leveraging government grants to serve 1,800 youth annually. Under current CEO Sara Alford, who has now dedicated 18 years to the mission, the organization has built a more sustainable funding model, incorporating corporate support, and now serves approximately 1,000 youth each year.
“I was the Board Vice Chair during the transition with Sara as interim CEO, and she quickly proved to be the right person for the job full time,” he said. “I then served as Board Chair for two years as she stepped into the CEO role. Together, we laid the foundation for future growth and ensured we had the right people in place, on the Board and on staff, to get there.”
Spencer, now a senior vice president with Regions Bank, points to the Beyond School Walls program, which partners with 14 corporations to have mentors meet with high school students to expose them to different career possibilities, as a shining example of local impact.
“While the mentor has the opportunity to lift the potential of youth, the mentees are more likely to go to college and obtain higher-paying jobs,” he said.
Kate Campbell (Catholic Charities Jacksonville)
Catholic Charities Jacksonville Board member Kate Campbell with Regional Director Eileen Seuter and Bishop Erik Pohlmeier at the organization’s annual meeting.
For St. Nicholas resident Kate Campbell, service has always been close to home. A Jacksonville native, she grew up in a family that regularly gave back. As her corporate career with Florida Blue grew, so did her board involvement, until she stepped back to focus on her young children. When a colleague invited her to consider serving on the Catholic Charities Jacksonville Board of Advisors, the timing felt right.
“Florida Blue has been a longtime supporter of Catholic Charities because of the shared missions of addressing food insecurity and helping those in need,” she said. “I prayed about the invitation and quickly said yes.”
Two years later, Campbell is preparing to step into the role of chair-elect this July.
“There’s so much work to be done. Anything you can contribute is needed,” she said. “As a board, it’s great to see how everyone’s ideas come together and the power of strategic thinking from different perspectives. I’ve learned from some amazing leaders and been able to grow myself.”
Board service also carries a weighty responsibility as members make decisions that impact the community as a whole, from the families the organization serves to the staff doing the work. In today’s shifting political and economic climate, those decisions are not easy.
“Particularly in the current economic environment, we’ve had to make some tough decisions, laying off staff and stopping programs as the grants go away,” said Campbell. “These are wonderful people doing servant work, but you look at the budget, and to keep the doors open, you have to make these decisions. And it’s hard to keep good people in place when the climate is shifting.”
Even amid change, the mission adapts to meet local needs as the organization has had to pivot and land on its feet to continue serving its community.
“While refugee and immigration services have closed up, we’ve been able to open a new food pantry in Arlington and expand Camp I Am Special’s programs,” Campbell said, a reminder that when one door closes, another can open in service to the community.
Board service is a commitment that requires time, energy and heart – often balancing alongside full-time jobs and family life – but Campbell said the reward far outweighs the hardships.
“Consistency and the willingness of people to step up are so important,” Campbell said. “The organization counts on the support. When you see the value the organization is providing through services to the community, it’s hard not to say ‘yes.’”
In our Resident neighborhoods, that simple “yes” – offered at a luncheon, through a colleague, or in prayer – continues to ripple outward in ways both seen and unseen. It strengthens the missions of nonprofits, shapes the futures of young people and reinforces the idea that meaningful leadership doesn’t require a grand stage. It simply asks us to begin where we are, serve with intention and trust that even the smallest step forward can create lasting change.