by Corey Oliver
Staff Writer
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Jacksonville has a new executive director who considers her move to Jacksonville a homecoming of sorts.
Debbie Verges, who came to Jacksonville from Las Vegas says, “it felt like home from the moment I arrived.”
Verges is a New Orleans native who earned a bachelor’s degree at Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in recreational administration from the University of Indiana.
“I was born and raised in the South and I really like Jacksonville,” said Verges. “Everything is familiar, the water, the green, and of course, college football.”
Verges was a “Golden Girl” [the dancers for the Tigers halftime show] at LSU, which may explain her passion for college football.
She began working as soon as she arrived in town, though she was living in the Hampton Inn, which is a short walk from her Riverplace Boulevard office. She wasn’t able to move into her new home until almost a month after she arrived.
The hotel stay didn’t bother Verges, who admits that the first couple of weeks on the job required a lot of hours at the office and the location made things convenient. She did manage to get a room with a view other than that of her office, which she could see from the hotel.
“Seeing the office from the hotel would have been a little too much, even for me,” said Verges.
Verges started with the Boys and Girls Clubs after answering a newspaper ad.
“It is not the way that a career usually starts but I knew it was the right fit for me the moment I started,” said Verges. “My dad was not so sure about my decision and wished I would reconsider. He was worried that I would starve to death.”
Her father is an architect and had concerns about his daughter’s choice — at least early in her career.
“I still call him every time that I get a raise and the last time we spoke he said that he would have to start borrowing money from me,” she said.
Her first position took her to Dallas where she worked on the program side before heading to Waco, Tex. where she was named operations director. She has been on the move ever since, from Waco to Lafayette, La. to Bradenton and then Las Vegas.
After arriving in Las Vegas, she doubled the budget, raising it from $2.6 million to $5.2 million.
“ I learned a great deal in Las Vegas and will be able to use that knowledge here,” she said.
The budget for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Jacksonville is roughly the same as the one Verges inherited in Las Vegas.
“The primary function of the executive director is to work closely with the board of directors in order to raise funds and to allocate those funds where there is the greatest need,” said Verges. “We try the level the playing field for those who are disadvantaged by learning what it is like to play on a team and to learn the consequences of their actions. It is a far better thing to learn when a child is eight, nine, or 10 years of age rather than when they’re adults and the consequences are more dramatic.”
Verges credits the success of the organization to the staff.
“The strongest part of our organization is our staff who actually run the programs,” said Verges. “They have to be able to interact with young people in order for us to be effective. They really make the difference. I loved the time that I spent on the program side and It has been invaluable to me in understanding the whole process”
Verges acknowledges the need for balance in her life and is looking forward to enjoying her new home and everything that Jacksonville has to offer.
“You can go from one success to the next and never really slow down enough to enjoy them and life is to short for that,” she said.