Junior Achievement of North Florida announced July 20 its 2026-27 board of directors leadership team, with Crystal Brown beginning a two-year term as chair of the board.
Brown succeeds Jeff Machols, who continues to advance JANFL’s Experiential Learning Center planned at Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Downtown campus and is leading the project’s capital campaign and the expansion of strategic partnerships.
“Junior Achievement is moving from vision to execution on one of the most ambitious initiatives in our organization’s history,” JANFL President Shannon Italia said in a news release.
“As we prepare for groundbreaking and the opportunities that lie ahead, Crystal brings the strategic leadership, innovation, and collaborative approach needed to help guide our next phase of growth.”
Brown said in the release Northeast Florida’s future “depends on preparing young people with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to succeed in an ever-changing economy.”
“The ELC represents an extraordinary investment in our students and our community, and I look forward to working alongside our outstanding Board, staff, volunteers, educators, and partners to bring this vision to life,” she said.
The FY 2027 JANFL executive committee:
• Chair Crystal Brown, chief growth and product officer at SS&C Technologies
• Vice Chair and ELC Campaign Chair Bryan Taylor, regional president at Pinnacle Financial Partners
• Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Bobby Price, CFO at First Coast Energy LLP
• Governance Committee Chair Carl Bailey
• Secretary Lauren DeAlexandris
• Immediate Past Chair Jeff Machols, head of sustainability at New York Life
• Past Chair Lisa O’Neill
• Past Chair Rob Sandlin
JANFL said the $15 million, 35,000-square-foot ELC will become the permanent home of JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, learning environments where students apply classroom knowledge in realistic business and personal finance simulations. When completed, the center is expected to serve more than 30,000 students annually, helping young people build financial capability, explore career pathways and develop the skills regional employers need.