OUR PEOPLE
MEET OUR CEO
CEO Leon Baxton leads the charge at Communities in Schools of Jacksonville. Leon’s journey with our organization spans almost all the organization’s 35 years of existence. He is truly the living embodiment of our commitment to local students who are at risk of dropping out.
Leon began with CIS in 1991 as a site coordinator at Northwestern Middle School, where he saw firsthand the challenges our students face. By 1995, his dedication and leadership qualities propelled Leon to become our chief operating officer. He was named CEO in 2019. Leon’s leadership reflects his dedication to our cause. Learn more about his personal background and what inspires him to do all he does for Duval County students.
"Students are the real heroes in the work CIS does. Our team provides the tools to help them take control of their lives, but it's up to them to take those next steps."
- Leon Baxton, CEO of Communities In Schools of Jacksonville
OUR LEADERSHIP
Leon Baxton
Chief Executive Officer
Jerome Baltazar
Chief Financial Officer
Erin Mangan
Chief Development Officer
Twilla Washington
Director, Case Management
Bryan Jones
Director, Afterschool
Sharneka Rollins
Director, Literacy
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Abena Horton
Chair; SVP, Senior Employment Counsel, Fidelity National Financial
Matt Kruse
Vice Chair; VP, Head of Compliance Program Change Delivery, Worldpay
Nancy Dreicer
Secretary; Retired
Jesse Forst
Treasurer; SVP of Transportation Infrastructure Leader, RS&H
Josh Woolsey
Immediate Past Chair; Attorney, Woolsey Morcom
Leon Baxton
Chief Executive Officer, Communities In Schools of Jacksonville
Arthur Adams, Jr.
Vice President of Sales and Customer Engagement, CSX
Tracy Arthur
Associate General Counsel, Rayonier
Honorable Martha Barrett
Retired, Bank of America
Honorable Donna Deegan
Mayor, City of Jacksonville
Megan Denk
Executive Director, THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health at Wolfson Children's Hospital
Honorable Eleni Derke
Duval County Court Judge
Linda Edwards
Retired, Duval County Public Schools
Dr. Christopher Bernier
Superintendent, Duval County Public Schools
Janel LeGard
Architect, Senior Design Manager, Haskell
Athena Mann
Retired, JEA
Robert Martin
Retired General Manager, Florida Times-Union
Sonny Martin
Retired Certified Public Accountant, GunnChamberlain, P.L.
Jack Mitchell
Retired, AT&T
State Attorney, The Office of the State Attorney for the 4th Judicial District
Jay Plotkin
Assistant State Attorney, Office of the State Attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit
Dr. Ed Pratt-Dannals
Retired, DCPS Superintendent
Rudy Rivera
Chief International Counsel, Fidelity National Financial
Honorable Anthony Salem
Duval Circuit Court Judge
Ken Sanders
VP, Global Distribution and Logistics, Tapestry
Michael Stewart
Director of External Affairs, Jacksonville Aviation Authority
Honorable T.K. Waters
Sheriff, City of Jacksonville
Jerron Wheeler
Staff Attorney, Florida Health Justice Project
Taeshima White
SVP, Fidelity Investments