This forum provided opportunities for the community in Duval to gather and discuss civic innovation, bipartisanship, and faith in leadership with candidates, elected officials, and business leaders. Matthew Chang, Jacksonville Beach local, was honored to introduce the community forum.
Matthew emphasized the importance of leaders being true to their values in their personal and professional lives. Matthew challenged the leaders to ask themselves, "What values does your leadership reflect?" In order to empower others, leaders need someone to look up to who has already gone before them. The community leaders on this panel are just that.
Christine Hoffman, Mayor of the City of Jacksonville Beach, gave a welcome to the community forum. Hoffman encourages civil discourse with a diversity of viewpoints in the community and highlights the Beach's unique nonpartisan races.
Nathan Fabrick served as the moderator for the panel of our local community leaders. We have included the community forum panel below if you were unable to watch live.
We've included more information on our community panelists below.
Nahshon Nicks, PhD- Featured Panelist & Non-profit CEO turned candidate
Nahshon Nicks is a servant leader, family man, pastor, small business owner, and motivational speaker working with our inner-city youth as a martial arts instructor, and mentor. Nahshon graduated as Senior Class President from Edward Waters College with his degree in Education. Masters in Leadership and Management and D. Div in Divinity. is a guest speaker for Duval County Public Schools. He is the CEO of the First Coast Leadership Foundation Inc. Dr. Nicks is the Founder/President of Team NITRO MMA LLC. His desire is to help make our communities safer with youth/teen career opportunities, small business success, economic growth, and development.
Jerry Holland- Featured Panelist & Elected Official
Jerry's background is in real estate. He is a general contractor, licensed real estate broker, and licensed appraiser. Jerry serves as the Duval County Property Appraiser. He has served as the Supervisor of Elections for over 10 years because "it was [his] mission to provide fair, accurate, and accessible elections with transparency and integrity to every legal voter." He has conducted more than 36 countywide and local elections. Many wanted him to run for mayor, but Hollands says that “my family wants me to go where God is leading me.”
Matthew Chang- Opening Speaker & Successful Business Leader
Matthew will be presenting the opening remarks. Matthew Chang is an innovative businessman, community leader, entrepreneur, husband, and father. Matthew founded Chang Industrial, a boutique engineering firm specializing in autonomous systems, in 2017. He has fostered a team of industry leaders to disrupt the manufacturing and distribution industry. Matthew currently serves the community on the board of advisors for Jacksonville University, as a student leader at the Church of Eleven22, and on the board for Lifework Leadership.
Bradley Fort- Featured Panelist & Successful Business Leader
Director Of Maintenance/Partner at Fort Family Investments- After graduation from Florida State University in 2000, Bradley began his career in real estate working for a family-owned, vertically integrated real estate development company. Fort Family Investments currently owns and manages over 2,400 multifamily units and 1 million square feet of commercial space in Jacksonville, FL. In addition to directing maintenance operations for the multi-family side of the FF portfolio, Bradley is a licensed Florida real estate broker for Perimeter Realty Inc., and the managing partner for Ponte Vedra Palm Valley Real Estate Company, LLC. Bradley and his wife, Anne-Marie, founded the housing initiative Roscoe Resort Communities, LLC., which seeks to help meet housing needs for women rescued from human trafficking. Bradley is a third-generation Jacksonville resident, and he and his wife currently live in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Angela Washington, ThD- Featured Panelist & Full-Time Minister
Angela is the Director of Resource Development for City Rescue Mission. She is a senior-level fundraising professional with years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Overseeing all fundraising, marketing, and social enterprise activities including the securing of major gifts, grants, planned gifts, capital gifts, events sponsorships, communication & branding awareness, and development of businesses.
Nathan Fabrick- Panel Moderator & Successful Business Leader
Commercial Real Estate Brokerage focus on site selection, expansion strategies, and contract negotiations. Diverse background in sales and business development - from executing expansion strategies for national retailers to working with a startup sports apparel brand to grow national distribution in over 250 retailers, brings a high degree of passion, enthusiasm, and diligence to projects. Strong insight into business operations and real estate enables a unique and rounded approach to meeting client needs and supporting acquisition efforts.
A big thank you to Steve Lyman and Allene Rachal for event photography and film.