The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital announced May 16 that former Jacksonville City Council member Randy DeFoor and Clockwork Marketing President Maxine McBride are co-chairs of the 2024-25 Florida Forum Speaker Series, which is responsible for bringing a world-class speaker series to the First Coast.
DeFoor is an attorney and served on Council from 2019-23. A longtime member of The Women’s Board, DeFoor is the daughter of founding member Marian Poitevent.
McBride has been involved with The Women’s Board, the Florida Forum and the First Coast Design Show for many years, according to the release.
Kendra McCrary, president of The Women’s Board, said the speaker schedule will be announced soon.
The 2023-24 series featured Mike Krzyzewski, former coach of the Duke University men’s basketball team, Nov. 8, 2023; Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur and philanthropist, Jan. 17, 2024; and retired Adm. James Stavridis on Feb. 26, 2024.
The series raises awareness and money for Wolfson Children’s Hospital, which provides advanced pediatric health care.
The forum supports The Women’s Board’s commitment to raise $1.5 million for two new Kids Kare Mobile Intensive Care Units by the end of 2024. The mobile ICUs are part of Wolfson Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal and Pediatric Critical Care Transport fleet, which includes life-support equipment for the transportation of critically ill and injured infants and children.
Since 1992, the Florida Forum has hosted speakers from around the world. It has contributed more than $10 million to Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville.
The Florida Forum Speaker Series partners and sponsors include Wells Fargo, Landstar and Florida Blue.
Ellen Cavert established The Women’s Board in 1973. The volunteer board raises awareness and funds infrastructure, programming and services for Wolfson Children’s Hospital, which is the only dedicated children’s inpatient health care facility in the region.
Since its inception, The Women’s Board has raised more than $36 million in support of Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
The two annual fundraisers are the First Coast Design Show, formerly called the Art & Antiques Show, and the Florida Forum Speaker Series, which together raise almost $1 million a year for Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
Nonprofit Wolfson Children’s Hospital is a part of Baptist Health.
Wolfson Children’s is the only children’s hospital in Northeast Florida and serves as the pediatric referral center for North Florida, South Georgia and beyond.
The 281-bed hospital is staffed 24/7 by pediatric nurses and other health care professionals trained to work with children.