TEDxJacksonville has partnered with the Museum Of Contemporary Art Jacksonville to host “Women Kicking Ass” on August 25th. This is the second Salon we’ve dedicated to this topic; the first WKA Salon, which we presented last July, was such a tremendous success and generated such wonderful audience participation that we knew additional perspectives and stories would be welcome. This Salon will expand upon the first, focusing on the participants’ perspectives on pathways to leadership, lessons learned, and what they’re doing to help the next generation of women succeed. The program will include an evening of curated TED talks highlighting how the roles and accomplishments of women are shaping and improving our community. This will be followed by a discussion between our panelists and an audience Q&A. We regret that this event is sold out. Our Discussion Leaders for the evening will include:

• Jennifer Chapman, Fidelity Investments
• Michelle Cook, Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office
• Angie Nixon, Entrepreneur, Moxie Girl
• Nicole Thomas, Baptist Health

Our panel will be moderated by Sabeen Perwaiz, Executive Producer of TEDxJacksonville. Admission includes one complimentary beverage. WHEN: Thursday, August 25, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM WHERE: Museum Of Contemporary Art Jacksonville – 333 North Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 – View Map

Discussion Leaders:

Jennifer Chapman: Fidelity Investments. Jennifer Chapman serves as the Director of Public Affairs for Fidelity Investments in Florida.  In her role, she is charged with managing all external facing activities, including government and community relations, for the Boston-based company and its 1,200 employees in the state.  Prior to joining Fidelity in 2007, Jennifer worked in regional economic development with the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Cornerstone Regional Economic Development Partnership, now the JAX Chamber and JAX USA Partnership respectively. ¶ Jennifer has lived in Jacksonville for 18 years, relocating from South Florida after completing her MBA at Nova Southeastern University and her undergraduate degree in Marketing at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.   She is an alumnus of both Leadership Jacksonville and Leadership Florida and serves as the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors for the Early Learning Coalition of Duval.  ¶ She is a serial entrepreneur, co-founding Mystical Basket, LLC, an internet startup company, and running a successful multi-state Rodan + Fields business.  She is very excited about a new passion project called #MeetJax, a micro-networking pilot where she connects interesting people for a cup of coffee.  Most importantly, she and husband Josh are the proud and busy parents of three little boys.

Michelle Cook: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Michelle began her career with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 1992 as a Patrol Officer. She was promoted to Police Sergeant in 1999 and to Police Lieutenant in 2003.   While serving as a Lieutenant Michelle facilitated the development of the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Preparedness Unit. In 2007 she became a member State’s Emergency Management team. ¶ Director Cook took command of the Intelligence Unit in late 2006 as a Lieutenant where she managed the Unit’s active participation in multiple essential security operations. In October 2009 Director Cook was promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief and served as the Director of the Northeast Florida Criminal Justice Training and Education Center. ¶ In the Fall of 2011, Michelle was transferred to the Department of Patrol and Enforcement where she oversaw 150 officers and civilians in the Downtown/Springfield area.   In January 2013, Michelle was transferred to the Narcotics/Vice Unit where she commanded our undercover Narcotics and Vice Detectives. In July 2013, Michelle was promoted to Chief of Professional Standards.  Director Cook was transferred to Patrol East in January 2014 and served as the Chief of Patrol East where she commanded 3 patrol zones and 500 personnel. She also served as one of three Incident Commanders during SWAT / Negotiator call-outs.   In July 2015 Director Cook was promoted to her current position in Personnel and Professional Standards.

Angie Nixon: Entrepreneur, Moxie Girl.Angie Nixon, a native of Jacksonville, FL and graduate of the University of Florida is a self-professed aggregator of people. Over the last five years, Angie has served as a community organizer for several social justice organizations across the state of Florida. Angie has a passion for politics and people which is apparent having majored in political science and just recently returning home after working six months as the National African American Outreach Deputy Operations Director for the Bernie Sanders Campaign.¶ Angie turned her passion for helping people into a business, first founding The Paisley Partners with a former friend and now the The Moxie Group, a consulting company that is rooted in community advocacy and the advancement of underrepresented and underserved communities. Most recently, Angie teamed up with her daughter on a passion project that enabled her daughter to win over $16,000 at the One Spark Crowdfunding Festival, for penning a book about self-love and literacy called “The Adventures of Moxie McGriff” formerly Moxie Girl. Angie has enabled Natalie to become a household name across the country through her book sales, book tours and appearances on television.¶ Angie has plans on expanding their business brand to include educational products and a cartoon series with an African American protagonist. Angie hopes to create a legacy with her daughter that focuses on Girl Power and increasing the self-esteem amongst girls and women, especially those of color.

Nicole Thomas: Baptist Health. Nicole Thomas, FACHE, is Senior Vice President of Specialty Services at Baptist Health in Jacksonville Fla., and Hospital President of Baptist Medical Center South (effective September 2016). The first female to be named a hospital president in Baptist Health’s 60-year history, Thomas currently has primary executive responsibility for Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, a partnership between Baptist Health and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, designed to transform oncology care in Jacksonville and the Southeastern United States. She also oversees the ongoing development of the Baptist Neurological Institute, which provides sub-specialty care in Neurology and Neurosurgery including the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center and the Minimally Invasive Spine Center. ¶ A Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Thomas joined Baptist Health in 2011 as Vice President of Operations and Specialty Services. Prior to that, she served as Assistant Vice President of Physician Operations for St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System in Houston, and as an operations administrator at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. ¶ Thomas earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds a bachelor’s degree in public health administration from Dillard University in New Orleans. ¶ She is active in our community, most recently serving as the Chair of Women in Local Leadership for the United Way of Northeast Florida. She is a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board of the Northeast Florida Area Command and the Jacksonville Women’s Network. A 2013 graduate of Leadership Jacksonville, Thomas was named a Woman of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal in 2014, and received a Women in Business Award in 2015 from the Jacksonville Women’s Network. She also volunteers as a teacher in the children’s ministry at Bethel Baptist Institutional Church.