JU’s Dr. Donnie Horner appointed to Jacksonville Children’s Commission

Dr. Donnie Horner, JU’s chief government and community affairs officer, has been appointed  to the Jacksonville Children’s Commission board.

The members, who are selected by Mayor Alvin Brown and approved by the City Council,  serve four-year terms with the ability to be reappointed for a final four-year term.

The Children’s Commission’s board is made up of 11 voting members, one from each of the seven school districts and four at-large appointments.

Horner, who is also a management professor in the JU Davis College of Business, most recently served the City of Jacksonville as its first education commissioner, from July 2011 to July 2013. He will serve on the JCC board as the representative for School Board District 2.

“Once again it is an honor to serve with an organization whose mission is to advance the well-being of children,” he said. “JU President Tim Cost promotes community service as one of our core values, and I’m delighted to be able to serve as a JCC board member.”

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Horner received an M.S. in transportation systems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Stanford University. As an Army officer, he commanded units at the Platoon, Company and Battalion levels, including service during conflict in Panama and Bosnia.

Horner has taught at numerous colleges and universities, and at both West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy. In 2007 while at the Naval Academy, he designed and implemented a leadership academy and outreach program to St. Benedict’s Prep, an inner-city school in Newark, N.J., which received national acclaim as a model for underserved minority high school students.

Three new members were appointed to the JCC board, and one member was reappointed.

In addition to Horner, the new board members are Heather H. Carter, executive director and founder of the non-profit The CHANGE Project; and Dr. Davalu “Davy” Parrish, co-founder and former President/CEO of The Bridge of Northeast Florida Inc.

Cathie Pittman Shimp, an early childhood special educator with Duval County Public Schools and an FDOE-designated Master Teacher, was reappointed to the board.

For more information, contact Phillip Milano, JU Director of News and Publications, (904) 256-7042, pmilano@ju.edu,  or Debbie Delgado, (904) 630-3404, Delgado@coj.net.