Marcelle Lovett is the dean of continuing education at the University of North Florida and incoming president of the Meninak Club.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
She is responsible for the continuing education program, which encompasses over 300 continuing education courses and over 13,000 students. The courses are primarily non-credit continuing educational courses and career development programs. “We are very diverse in this office in terms of who we serve and what types of programs we offer.”
HOW DOES SHE FEEL ABOUT BEING THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT?
“I don’t think of things in terms of gender. Meninak stands for ‘Men in Action’ and I was in the first wave of women who were admitted about 10 years ago. I don’t know that women in business think any different than men in business. Maybe people perceive that we are, but we are all doing the same thing. Most of the woman in Meninak are career women, not that they don’t have families, but the men have families, too.”
WHY DID SHE JOIN MENINAK?
“I was recruited by a couple of members that I knew, that knew me. I think at that time the club, after much discussion and some dissension back then, decided to admit women. After that they started recruiting appropriate woman to the club and I was fortunate enough to be contacted.”
WHY DID MENINAK APPEAL TO YOU?
“My passion is, of course, education and that is Meninak’s mission — service to youth. They support education very strongly. We believe that the future is in how we deal with our young people and what type of upbringing they have and the kind of advantages they have. The mission is the main thing that attracted me to Meninak. Second is the diversity of the members. There are many professions represented in Meninak. It’s a great network of colleagues and friends. I think that is how you do business, you cultivate those relationships. It’s just part of what you do as a business person.”
UPCOMING GOALS AS PRESIDENT?
“One of our primary goals is to increase membership from 260 to 285. Another goal related to membership is to increase the young executive [under 40] membership. We have a few people in the category, but we want more. Every year we lose members because people leave or transfer so we always want to have a net positive gain. In order to have 25 new members, we need to recruit 35 or 40 because we are going to lose some. With increased membership comes more involvement and more revenue for the scholarship program. Everything is really tied to membership. Another goal, is to establish a website for the club. That is one of my personal goals and the club is very supportive of that. Another goal is to always have interesting dynamic programs, we want to educate members too about what is going on in town.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TED PAPPAS (immediate PAST MENINAK PRESIDENT)?
“I think he’s great. Ted is, number one, a great architect and number two, a true supporter of Jacksonville. He loves Jacksonville and wants to preserve it and make it more beautiful. He has a vision and a plan for downtown development. He is very passionate about his profession. He is a good person with good values and a good solid citizen. I’ve seen and worked with nine presidents of Meninak and everyone has been different and each one has brought different gifts to the club.”
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BE AS PRESIDENT?
“I’m going to be me. That’s the only person I know how to be and I’m not going to try to be somebody I’m not or try to emulate or imitate someone else. I hope that the executive committee nominated me because they thought I had something to contribute that was uniquely mine whether that means my personality or my style. I’m very honored to follow someone like Ted Pappas and all the others before him.”
WHY DID YOU ACCEPT THE PRESIDENCY?
“I think it’s a leadership challenge and I like leadership challenges. I didn’t even think about the gender issue until someone reminded me of it and said, ‘Won’t you be the first woman?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I think I will.’”
HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN WITH UNF?
Almost 20 years. She started as director of off-campus credit programs and when the position for dean became available in 1985, she applied and got the job.
BEFORE UNF
She was a teacher and an administrator in the Duval County School system for 13 years. She started teaching at Sandalwood High School in 1971, the year it opened. Over the years she held various administrative positions, including assistant principal and vice principal. The next step was to be a principal. “I wanted to be a principal and I would have been one had I not come to UNF. It’s an incredibly demanding occupation. It requires an incredibly demanding set of skills.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHERS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD?
“Be an expert in your profession and never stop learning. Learning really does never end. Work between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. is not everything. There is a whole other world out there and you need to stay connected and get involved in organizations. Don’t be afraid to take a leadership role.”
CIVIC/PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
She is involved in Volunteer Jacksonville and the Chamber of Commerce and served on the board of Educational Community Credit Union. She was the Meninak Club secretary in 1997.
COLLEGE
She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctorate in educational administration from UNF.
BIRTHPLACE
Kansas City, Mo.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
In 1971, because her husband was stationed in Mayport.
FAMILY
She has been married to Ervin for 22 years. She has four dogs, Bandit, Smokee, Dweezil and Peewee. She also has four stepchildren and four grandchildren.
HOBBIES
She loves to read murder mysteries, true crime and homicide stories. She also loves lawyer books and lists John Grisham as one of her favorite authors. She and her husband enjoy visiting their house in North Carolina.
FAVORITES
Her favorite book is “Gone With the Wind,” by Margaret Mitchell. “The Green Mile” tops her movie list. When watching television, it’s The Animal Channel, Court TV and Home and Garden Television. When dining out, she enjoys Outback Steakhouse.
—by Michele Newbern Gillis