My last four years

In the summer of 2011, I finished up my Master of Public Administration from the University of North Florida and was looking for a job in the nonprofit or government sector. In a surprising bit of serendipity, a new Democratic mayor, Alvin Brown, had been elected to office and was looking to staff his administration. I had been very active on social media and the blogosphere covering the 2011 mayor's race, and reached out to a couple of contacts I had made. I got a call to serve and accepted it gladly.

Me at work, calling somebody. Photo credit Tonya M. Austin (TMA1)

Four years later, I look back at my time here at City Hall and I am truly grateful. I have learned many lessons and had so many great experiences serving the people of this great city, and I don't regret a second of it.

What have I done in the last four years? Here are a few highlights.

I've had the honor to serve as Webmaster, managing the web content for the largest city in Florida. During that time, our website was recognized as the most transparent municipal website in the state, and contributed to what I consider a magnificent re-design of www.coj.net.

I've built up and managed the city's web presence as social media manager. One of my proudest accomplishments is taking the city's Twitter account (@CityofJax) from 700 followers in Sept. 2011 to more than 26,000 followers today. That same account was voted by readers of Folio Weekly as the "Best Local Twitter Account" in 2014.

I've played a part in crafting and presenting a positive message across a variety of platforms and mediums to communicate important information to the citizens of Jacksonville. Through social media, the City website, media relations, event planning, video production, speechwriting and more, I have helped reach the eyes and ears of tens of thousands of people.

I'm a member of a great team of wonderful and dedicated individuals that are diverse in backgrounds, but united in our love for this city. Especially in the Public Affairs Office, I have built many strong relationships with my friends and co-workers, who are truly like a family to me. And I've had many great mentors like David DeCamp, Aleizha Batson and Chris Hand, all of whom have been very supportive of me these past few years.

I've learned many valuable skills, earned quite a few grey hairs, and gained some great experience, and that's what this job was about. I took this job fresh out of grad school with no government experience. Working in communications gave me a comprehensive view of the intricacies and nuance of municipal operations that you can't get anywhere else.

Finally, I heard loud and clear my calling for public service. While things can often be thankless and stressful, at the end of the day I knew I was making a positive impact in people's lives. To me that means so much more than a paycheck.

I don't know what my future holds, but I want to continue to serve. That may be in the nonprofit sector or in government, but the important part is to make a meaningful difference. For now, I'm going to take time to think and contemplate the future and the possibilities it holds.

I am truly grateful for the valuable experience I've had here at the St. James building, and for the opportunity to serve an inspiring mayor and my own hometown. I know now that I am well prepared for whatever comes my way next.