by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
June will prove to be one busy month for Heather Surface.
Today marks her last day as chief of communications at the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
Starting Friday, Surface will spend the next three weeks serving as Mayor John Delaney’s press secretary while Sharon Ashton attends a three-week seminar for senior executives in local and state governments at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Boston.
When July 1 rolls around — and Ashton returns to City Hall — Surface will move from her temporary position as Delaney’s liaison to the media and start her third job in less than a month, joining the Super Bowl Host Committee.
But change is nothing new to Surface, who hopped from coast to coast, and even France, while in college.
“I transferred seven times and still graduated from college in four years,” she said, proudly.
After starting at the University of Alabama and spending time at West Valley College outside of San Francisco and a year at the Sorbonne in Paris, Surface graduated from the University of North Florida in 1991. Shortly after graduation, Surface took the LSAT in preparation for what she thought would be a legal career. However, rather than opt for law school and its inevitable expense, Surface chose to work in the legal field, a decision that proved to be as much of a self-examination as anything.
“I decided that before I was going to spend the time and money going to law school I would work for a law firm,” said Surface, who worked for a year and a half before she realized the wisdom of that decision. “I realized the legal field was not for me, but it was definitely a good learning experience. I think I would have enjoyed the education, but not the practice.”
Surface then went to work as a freelance consultant for the local production industry, serving as a location manager for everything from national television commercials to motion pictures. Her work didn’t go unnoticed and Surface landed a job with the Film & Television Commission, a division of the City’s Economic Development Division.
In 1996, the Film & Television Commission was absorbed by the newly-formed Jacksonville Economic Development Commission headed by Mike Weinstein. Two years later, Surface went to work under Shelly Marino in the JEDC’s communications division where she handled public relations. The promotion enabled Surface to learn and handle every aspect of the JEDC.
“My scope was much broader,” said Surface, daughter-in-law of Jacksonville attorney Frank Surface. “The job allowed me to learn about the different economic tools of the JEDC.”
About that same time, there was a serious push by city leaders to host a Super Bowl. The initiative worked, and through the efforts of people like Wayne Weaver, Tom Petway and Peter Rummell, Jacksonville was awarded the 2005 Super Bowl. Weinstein, who was executive director of the JEDC at the time, also played a role and Surface got to experience first hand the entire process, from bid compilation to hearing the good news.
Since then, Surface has been promoted to senior communications manager and late last year, when Marino left for the Host Committee, was named the JEDC’s chief of communications. But that job ends today and tomorrow Surface will join Delaney’s executive staff, a position she sees as another stage in a quickly escalating career.
“I’m looking at it as a challenging opportunity for me to work with Mayor Delaney and his executive staff,” said Surface, who was approached in May by Delaney’s chief of staff Audrey Moran about the three-week stint as press secretary.
For Surface, who was already planning on joining the Host Committee in July, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“Honestly, I have so much respect for Mayor Delaney and Audrey Moran. They are terrific people and just brilliant. I was flattered they offered me the opportunity,” said Surface. “Any opportunity to learn a new skill and broaden myself professionally is an opportunity I would welcome.”
Come July, Surface will shift her focus from speaking for Delaney and the City to promoting the entire First Coast as it prepares for the 2005 Super Bowl. She’ll work closely with Mike Kelly, who will join the Host Committee — replacing Weinstein, who is stepping down July 1 to run for mayor — as president and COO. Together, they will spend a lot of time and energy convincing Northeast Florida residents that the game is as much a community effort as it is a party for rich out-of-towners.
“My main objective is to make sure the Super Bowl happens with the community and not to the community,” said Surface. “The Super Bowl should be a good experience for everyone. At the end of the day, when the last touchdown has been scored, I’d like for the people of Jacksonville to have a terrific experience. It’s been incredible to see the interest in the game from people in Jacksonville. We have Harvard Business School grads who want to work with us, volunteering, doing anything.”
With an exciting, diverse month ahead, Surface figures to stay very active. She’ll go from Jacksonville’s economic engine to its political epicenter to the entity responsible for hosting the biggest thing to happen around here since a little fire got out of control 101 years ago. All within three weeks. But, first, she has to say goodbye.
“It will be bittersweet, I guess,” said Surface of leaving the JEDC. “I’ve worked with the staff here a long time and all of them are friends. I’m sure our paths will cross as I move from the mayor’s office to the Super Bowl Host Committee. It will be sad to leave the day-to-day contact with each one.”