by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
Scott Sanborn has been watching for a job opportunity with Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. for more than four years. Now, Sanborn can watch his opportunity unfold from his new desk at JCCI.
Sanborn, who started his new job Monday, is the new communications director for JCCI. He replaces Jennifer Parsons, who held the position for several years before moving to South Florida to pursue other opportunities.
As the new voice for the organization, Sanborn said being hired by JCCI is a dream come true. The four-and-a-half-year Jacksonville resident said he became interested in the organization by reading articles inspired by JCCI commissioned studies in local newspapers.
“I am an avid newspaper reader,” he said, “so I have noticed (JCCI’s) studies as they have been released. I have been interested reading about (JCCI) and seeing what it is that they have done from year to year.”
Sanborn has worked in various facets of the communications profession for more than 20 years. His career has taken him all along the East Coast, from Washington, D.C. to Pennsylvania to Jacksonville. Before being hired at JCCI, Sanborn was a writer for Nemours in Jacksonville.
Shortly after moving to Jacksonville and finishing a thesis for his master’s degree, Sanborn said he started researching local non-profit organizations for future employment. Though there were no openings with JCCI during his initial search, he never took his eye off the opportunity.
“With my background, when the communications manager job came up I jumped at the chance to apply,” he said.
Sanborn said the reason he has been enthralled with JCCI’s work for so long is because they take an extra step with their research.
“I have worked with a lot of organizations in the past where we have produced a study that had some pretty significant findings and recommendations and then it seemed that the study went into a drawer and gathered a layer of dust,” he said.
“What especially attracts me to JCCI is the fact that they work to implement the recommendations that they have made though their citizen studies. JCCI brings citizens together to study problems but also, and more importantly, to try to solve them.”
Besides Sanborn’s own zeal and excitement about his new position, JCCI’s executive director, Charles “Skip” Cramer, said he is equally pleased with the new hire.
“Scott brings a unique combination of skill and expertise at the national and state levels as well as extensive writing, editorial and layout experience as a communicator,” said Cramer. “It was unusual to find that combination of writing, graphics, media and publication skills in one person. We had an extensive list of candidates and Scott stood out.”
Cramer said Sanborn’s preexisting interest in the organization was “pure serendipity.”
“He has been a student of the JCCI process and he is very familiar with our products,” said Cramer. “We are delighted to have him on board and are looking forward to a very long and productive relationship with Scott at JCCI.”
As communications director, Sanborn will be focused on media relations, producing JCCI publications and working with the content updates for the organization’s website.
And that is all fine with Sanborn, who has waited attentively for years for his current position at JCCI.
“I am excited. It is obvious in the conversations I have had with the staff so far that there are a lot of exceptional people here that are all striving for the same goal, which is to work to make the Jacksonville community a better community,” he said. “I am really looking forward to the opportunities over the next several years.”