The JAX Chamber announced Angela Timberlake will become its first vice president of Elevate Women, a position created to address gender gaps in Jacksonville business leadership.
The position was announced in December. It is part of an initiative between the Jacksonville Women’s Leadership Coalition and JAX Chamber, a news release said. The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida is underwriting the position for its first three years.
Timberlake will develop strategies to increase the number of women in C-suite roles, corporate boards and in political office in Northeast Florida. She starts this month.
Her title is derived from Elevate Northeast Florida, a five-year strategic plan for regional economic development. One of the goals of the plan is to attract and retain top talent. The plan sees a lack of women in executive positions as an economic development issue.
A Jacksonville Women’s Leadership Coalition-funded study titled “The Status of Women in Northeast Florida: Strengthening the Pipeline for Women’s Advancement to Leadership,” examined issues that hinder women from attaining leadership roles and equal pay. It recommended the position be created.
Timberlake will compare metrics in the study from 2017-19 each year to track the progress of specific goals. She will lead women’s initiatives based on policy recommendations from the study and “create action items and programs to advance the role of women in business and government.”
“When we look at having the best possible talent pool for companies who are investing and growing in our community, we must ensure that everyone has access to the mentoring, training and opportunity,” Debbie Buckland, past chair of JAX Chamber and overall chair of the research project, said in a release. “As a business community, we can and will do better.”
Buckland is market president for BB&T Bank, now Truist Bank.
Timberlake most recently worked as founder and chief empowerment officer of Brilliant Leadership Group, an executive coaching and talent consulting firm.
She also worked in sales and marketing at Acosta, leaving the company as vice president of talent development and effectiveness, where she supervised talent development and retention strategies.
She graduated from Florida State University and lives in Jacksonville Beach with her husband and twin sons.
“Angela is uniquely positioned to pursue the goals identified by the Jacksonville Women’s Leadership Coalition, such as instituting family-friendly policies, improving access to opportunities for both mentorship and sponsorship, and expanding programs that provide education and training for women,” JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace said in the release.
“We will all benefit from putting greater emphasis on cultivating emerging female leaders and connecting them to leadership roles throughout our community.”