by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Changing the name of Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) isn’t as easy as ordering some new signs and letterhead.
Not only does the school have to get its request for a name change to Florida State College at Jacksonville approved by the State Legislature, but, if it gains approval, shortly after the ink dries there are issues of trademark, copyright and intellectual property that must be addressed in court.
These are some of the many responsibilities of the College’s Office of General Counsel, headed by Jeanne Miller who was hired in May 2006 to succeed retired General Counsel Steve Robbins.
“Whenever a leadership position is vacated, we look at expanding that role,” said Dr. Steven Wallace, president of FCCJ. “When we developed the profile for this position, we looked for expertise in three areas: we needed an extraordinarily skilled lawyer, someone with expertise in economic development and someone who was well experienced working with city government.”
Wallace saw a need for the general counsel’s scope of duties to increase to keep up with the growth the College was experiencing.
FCCJ launched a nationwide search for Robbins’ replacement, but they didn’t have to spend much on moving costs for their next hire.
“(Miller) fit the profile perfectly,” said Wallace. “ It was like we wrote the profile for her.”
Shortly after graduating from Florida State University College of Law in 1995, Miller joined Smith, Hulsey & Busey as an associate and worked on contracts and real estate law, which lead to her being the first in-house counsel for Regency Centers Corporation. She moved on to the City’s Office of General Counsel where she advised the City Council and helped draft legislation for the Council as chief of legislative affairs. Her last post for the City was with the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission as deputy and, later, interim director, where she helped attract businesses to Jacksonville.
“I am honored and blessed to be able to contribute to the growth of this community,” said Miller. “One of the main reasons I chose the law is because it is very dynamic. Through laws, we have opportunities in government to create the best possible place to live.”
Little has changed for Miller in that respect. She works with an institution that helps educate and train members of the community so they can make better lives for themselves, she said.
Miller continues to strive to make things better in whatever she does. Shortly after arriving at FCCJ, she realized that one person could not properly serve the college with all the legal requests that were coming to her office, so she added two attorneys to the office. Alison Henderson is senior counsel and is responsible for the College’s contracts, and Lisa Moore is director of policy and compliance.
“We are the smallest central services office for the college,” said Miller. “That means we have to maximize the skill sets of our employees so we can properly serve the college.”
The Office of General Counsel also employs an office manager/paralegal, Pat Smith.
Along with guiding the college through the renaming process, the Office of General Counsel assists with labor negotiations, land development, monitors compliance with federal and state regulations, provides legal counsel for the Florida Community College at Jacksonville Foundation, Inc., and develops and maintains the college’s policies and procedures.
Despite being a little drained from recent trips to Tallahassee to monitor the name change legislation that has been submitted to the State Legislature, Miller beamed about the opportunities the job has provided.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this, it’s a tremendous opportunity,” said Miller. “There’s no road map, but we have an excellent, very qualified team and an inspiring leader to help set up the infrastructure for greater things.”
There may be a lot of work attached to these opportunities, but, with the help of the latest technology, that doesn’t mean family time has to suffer. Laptop computers, cell phones and blackberries help Miller’s office address requests and finish work away from the office, and it lets her get out of the office and keep tabs on her daughter, Yali’s, progress with the piano as part of the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus and daughter, Sarah’s, progress as she prepares for her first Hunter Jumper horse competition.
“Yali has been teaching herself Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ on piano by ear,” said Miller. “And I used to ride horses growing up, so I can give Sarah a little help as she gets ready for her first competition.”
When it comes to time with her children, everything else finishes second for the single mom, but she acknowledges how her current career has improved that relationship.
“My work life enriches my life, so I feel my home life is richer because of that,” said Miller. “This is the right choice, the best choice for me at this point in my life.”
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