by David Chapman
Staff Writer
It’s been a year of transition for Charles “Skip” Cramer and the staff at Jacksonville Community Council Inc. — one of constant change and continued work.
“We’ve seen a significant shift in funding,” said Cramer, who serves as the executive director for the nonpartisan civic organization that aims to improve the quality of life in Northeast Florida. “We’ve had to definitely become more active in marketing our services, which has made it harder.”
Much like the organization he leads now, Cramer has also experienced much change and work throughout his career.
Cramer followed in the footsteps of his father and enlisted in the Navy and following his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., was stationed in Hawaii in 1966.
He always wanted to be a pilot, but couldn’t fly due to his eyesight, he said. Instead, Cramer became a flight officer and was deployed to Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Following his time there, he kept traveling — to the Naval War College in Rhode Island, to Nova Scotia, Canada as part of the U.S. Navy Personnel Exchange Program, back to Hawaii, to Jacksonville, to Washington, D.C., to Paris and back to Jacksonville — all in differing roles within the U.S. Navy.
“I’ve traveled all around,” he said. “It has always been just part of the job, but I do love to travel.”
In 1991, he settled in Jacksonville as commanding officer of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, what he calls “a crown jewel.”
It was during his early ‘90s tenure in Jacksonville he became involved in numerous charitable organizations and served on several boards, including the Northeast Florida Red Cross — an organization he’d later become executive director of in 1994.
“I’ve always felt strongly about taking part in the community,” said Cramer. “It’s always been a goal to become involved.”
After 10 years, though, he was ready to tackle a different project with a different perspective — something being in charge of JCCI offered him. He took the position in August 2004 and has enjoyed it ever since.
“I work with some of the smartest people around,” he said of the JCCI staff. “I’m usually very involved and hands-on with everything I do, but they’re experts at what they do. I’m humbled every day.”
Looking ahead, Cramer said JCCI and he have a 2009 calendar filled with study research and releases beginning in January and an overhaul into the way people look at JCCI findings.
This includes a brand new Web site with greater functionality and user-friendliness, said Cramer.
“We’re bringing JCCI into the 21st century,” he said.
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