Left to Right: Jake Gordon, Debbie Buckland, Numa Saisselin
The Downtown Achievement Award recognizes an individual or organization for a significant body of work that reinforces Downtown as the premier center for arts, dining, retail, entertainment, business and/or urban living in Northeast Florida. This year’s recipient is one of the great and humble advocates for Downtown Jacksonville. She continually proves her love and dedication for the heart of our city through her work. Congratulations, Debbie Buckland, on the Downtown Achievement Award!
In addition to serving as Market President for Truist–formerly–BB&T in Downtown, Debbie is a shining leader in the business community. She currently serves as the Chair of JAX Chamber, is an active board member of First Coast YMCA and has served as Chair of Downtown Vision from 2013-2016, where she helped launch the #DTJax Gala to raise funds for placemaking efforts in Downtown.
Debbie has a long history of making an impact and has a much-needed passion for our community. She is a past chair of Jacksonville Women’s Business Center and American Cancer Society, and a member of Wolfson Children’s Hospital Women’s Board, Jacksonville Women’s Network and Women’s Giving Alliance.
We are far from the first to honor Debbie for her commitment to the community. She was:
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- Named Woman of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal in 2006
- Is a 2009 Graduate of Leadership Jacksonville
- The Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women named her as one of Jacksonville’s Women Making a Difference in 2011
- Honored as a Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of Gateway Council in 2016.
With this background, it’s not surprising one of Debbie’s initiatives as the Jax Chamber Chair is the Women’s Leadership Coalition. Their goal is to increase the number of women in C-level – or high ranking executive titles – positions in Jacksonville.
In addition, Debbie led the launch of JAX Chamber’s Live Downtown Jax campaign, which highlights Downtown’s residential growth and aims to attract prospective residents and developers. With nearly 6,000 residents today, the goal is to keep momentum high and exceed 10,000 residents Downtown.
Thank you, Debbie, for your continued devotion to our community and for making Downtown Jacksonville a better place for all who live, work & play here.