Benchmarks of Success: A look at major career developments in the area

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A look at major career developments in the area.

Sharon Brown joins UF Health Primary Care – Julington Creek

Sharon Brown, advanced practice registered nurse, has joined UF Health Primary Care — Julington Creek and is now seeing patients.

Brown accepts patients 18 months and older and is eager to provide high-quality, compassionate medical care to patients and families in the region. Brown joins primary care physician Tristan Imhof M.D., who currently cares for patients at the practice.

With more than three decades in clinical practice, Brown has gained extensive experience in treating chronic and acute illnesses. She is most interested in managing chronic diseases, women’s health, mental health, nutrition, immunizations, orthopaedics, dermatology and pharmacology. She is skilled at gathering thorough patient histories, performing physical exams, triaging more serious injuries and illnesses and interpreting the results of labs and imaging tests.

As an active-duty Army nurse for much of her career, Brown learned how to care for people from a wide variety of geographic and cultural backgrounds.

UF Health Primary Care — Julington Creek is accepting patients for primary care and preventive health services. The practice is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 904-819-1005 to schedule an appointment or go to StJohns.UFHealth.org/julingtoncreek to learn more.

Appointments made to Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has announced the appointment of Bemetra Simmons and Christy Budnick to the Jacksonville Branch board of directors. Simmons was appointed by the Board of Governors to a three-term ending Dec. 31, 2027. Budnick was appointed by the Atlanta board of directors to a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2027.

Simmons is president and chief executive officer of The Tampa Bay Partnership in Tampa. She is on the board directors of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and Leadership Florida. Simmons is a graduate of Wake Forest University.

Budnick is chair of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty in Northeast Florida. She is a graduate of the University of Lynchburg.

Additionally, Brian Wolfburg has been reappointed by the Atlanta board of directors to serve a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2027. Wolfburg is president and chief executive officer of VyStar Credit Union in Jacksonville, Florida, and a graduate of New York University.

Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens appoints three

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens has announced the appointment of three new members to its staff: Amy Pierce as chief development officer, Mary Mantey as the Doolittle Family Director of Gardens & Horticulture, and Brianna Sharpe as the Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole Associate Curator, a position named in honor of the Jacksonville native and internationally renowned educator, scholar and transformational leader.

Pierce’s extensive career in the development field spans more than two decades. Most recently, she held the position of vice president and assistant treasurer of the Southeastern Grocer Gives Foundation and senior manager of Community Engagement & Charitable Giving of Southeastern Grocers.

She has held leadership positions in Northeast Florida nonprofits and educational institutions including serving as the chief development officer of the Jacksonville Humane Society, the major gifts system officer at St. Vincent’s HealthCare and the director of development of the University of North Florida.

Mantey most recently served as landscape designer at the Elizabeth River Project in Norfolk, Virginia, where she designed and permitted residential and commercial living shorelines, riparian buffers and other conservation landscaping. Prior to that role, she was the curator of woody plants and horticulture manager at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and also house gardener at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia.

In her new role, Sharpe will work collaboratively with museum colleagues to promote, interpret and expand the Cummer Museum’s permanent collection that builds upon the museum’s vision of engaging all of the people who live, work in and visit Jacksonville. This new position was made possible by funding from a $650,000 grant the museum received in 2023 from the Leadership in Art Museums (LAM) initiative, a partnership between the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Pilot House Philanthropy and Alice L. Walton Foundation.

Hayes named Limelight Theatre’s board president

Limelight Theatre, St. Augustine’s premier community theatre, has announced that Jen Hayes has been elected as the new president of its board of directors. Hayes, a local Realtor, previously served as chair of the strategic planning committee, is a passionate supporter of the arts and theatre community and will lead the organization’s efforts to expand its reach, further its mission, and strengthen its contributions to the cultural landscape of St. Augustine.

Hayes brings a wealth of experience in corporate leadership, project management, community engagement and fundraising. Her vision for the future of Limelight Theatre focuses on fostering collaboration, increasing education and family programming, and providing a diverse array of productions that inspire, educate, and entertain the community.

UNF Army ROTC leader promoted to major

Capt. Christopher Ricciardi, commanding officer of the University of North Florida’s Army ROTC program, was promoted to the rank of major in the U.S. Army on Jan. 9. Officiating the promotion ceremony was U.S. Army Col. Jason Dumser, brigade commander for the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s Southeast Region, which is the highest point in the chain of command for UNF’s ROTC program.  

The UNF Army ROTC is on track to be amongst the top-performing ROTC programs in the nation. The program first opened in the 1980s and was re-established in 2009. More than 160 officers have been commissioned since 2009.

UNF’s ROTC program currently has 72 cadets enrolled from UNF, Jacksonville University and Florida State College at Jacksonville and five full-time military science faculty positions. The program issued more than $650,000 in scholarships/stipends to its cadets for the 2024-25 school year.

Additionally, 15 cadets are receiving state/federal tuition assistance in conjunction with service in the Florida Army National Guard and Army Reserves. The program will commission 22 officers into active-duty Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve roles as second lieutenants by May.  

— Compiled by Shaun Ryan