Clayton Davis has spent most of his career overseas, helping build communities through various nonprofits after his time in the Peace Corps.
Nigeria, Romania, Mozambique and South Africa were all stops along the way, in the effort of violence prevention and health programs.
After time in nine countries, he’s in Jacksonville looking to help build the community he now calls home.
Davis is the new Jacksonville Community Council Inc. president and CEO, a role he started Monday. He takes over for Ben Warner, whose wife relocated to Italy for her job in the U.S. Navy.
“It seems like a perfect fit … it really is what I was looking to do,” Davis said Wednesday afternoon.
Davis, his wife, Ella Florica, and family took a leap of faith more than a year ago. Davis’ mother had moved to Jacksonville from Pennsylvania a decade ago but needed assistance. So, the family moved without jobs in hand.
Davis’ wife found an opportunity early, but he spent time learning the people and organizations in the local nonprofit world. He had met with Warner and, when he heard about his leaving, decided it would be an opportunity to pursue.
“I’ve spent 20 years trying to improve communities … now I can work to improve my own,” he said.
JCCI offers programs and studies that help people learn, engage and act in their community. One of their latest initiatives is JAX 2025, a community-developed platform creating a vision for what people want to see the city become.
Davis said it’s his dream to be around in 10 years and see how much progress is made.
“Having a vision like that with measurable indicators … that’s something that always has interested me,” he said. “
In the short-term, though, he still is learning and working with the organization’s board. Its fiscal year is coming to a close, which Davis said provides a nice transition opportunity. Outside of that, he said he would like JCCI to become more involved and bring more attention to the group’s recommendations on social issues.
David Meyer, board co-chair of the search committee, calls Davis “down-to-earth” and having a presence that will suit the organization well.
The search garnered 115 applicants, which was then narrowed to a dozen before three finalists were named.
The selection was made toward the end of June, he said, and Davis secured the position with a presentation that “echoed the brand of JCCI,” he said.
Davis said he came to Jacksonville hoping to find a position with an organization like JCCI. He wasn’t certain how it would work, but it has — all the community he wanted to call home.
Now, he said, it’s time to act.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” he said.
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