from staff
Clanzetta “Mickee” Brown keeps Jacksonville Community Council Inc. study participants on schedule and on task as a study planner. She’s just about finished with the community organization’s “Recession Recovery and Beyond” study, whose group has two more meetings before it’s ready for public presentation. Brown, a Jacksonville native, also runs her own business, Special Project Partners.
What do you do as a study planner at JCCI? Also, how many studies have you assisted?
I’ve worked as the study planner on six JCCI studies where my role was conducting research, facilitating and documenting the study process, managing volunteers and writing the study report. The study planner operates in the background to keep the process on track.
What’s the most challenging part of editing the comments of 20-50 people into a document they all agree on?
In this process, the planner has to be ready for some rejection and that’s OK because JCCI has a collaborative process. The product does not belong to me. All I ask is that the study committee accept, reject, or recommend better ideas, and it always works out.
You are part of an important legacy in Jacksonville. Talk about that.
My father, Clanzel Brown Sr., served as executive director of the Jacksonville Urban League from 1965 to 1982. He led the organization during major civil unrest. His primary objective was economic parity and to that end he was masterful in bringing together this community’s powerbrokers to effect that change.
What are your aspirations in Jacksonville?
As a small business owner, I am the embodiment of my father’s dream. The work I do for JCCI and others places me in the thick of conversations about the future of my hometown. I am a Jacksonville fan and I believe in this city’s potential.
What has surprised you most among any of the studies you’ve assisted?
I am surprised by how many new things we learn about Jacksonville. I am also inspired by the commitment of our speakers and the committee volunteers. I think we all walk away after six to nine months of studying very well-informed and better equipped to make a difference in our community.