About the President Search
After 22 years at The Community Foundation, President Nina Waters has announced she will retire from her position by September 1, 2023. The September 2022 announcement from Board Chair Judge Brian J. Davis and Nina’s message to the community are below. The Board of Trustees has selected Kittleman and Associates to conduct the search for the next president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. Kittleman is a sixty year old national search firm based in Chicago, and exclusively serves nonprofit organizations, with a strong track record of successfully placing community foundation leaders. All inquiries about the position should be directed to Kittleman.
Messages from Leadership
Judge Brian J. Davis
Chair, Board of Trustees
September, 2022
Dear Friends:
The Community Foundation’s treasured president, Nina Waters, has officially informed our Board of Trustees of her decision to retire by September 1, 2023. Nina just celebrated her 21st year at The Community Foundation, and while we are saddened by the thought of her departure, we know she richly deserves the rest and relaxation that will come with retirement.
Nina joined The Community Foundation just two weeks before September 11, 2001. Out of those dark days, she rose as a leader and community pillar whose presence is requested at nearly every major conversation in our community. In partnership with donors, trustees and the team she has built, Nina has ensured that The Community Foundation is and will continue to be an anchor philanthropic institution in Northeast Florida. Thanks to her accomplishments over the past two decades, The Community Foundation is remarkably well positioned for the future.
My fellow Board members and I began discussions about succession planning as we formulated our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. When Nina informed us of her planned retirement, we immediately formed a search committee of the Board, and the committee has retained a national search firm with deep experience placing community foundation executives in high profile positions.
We expect the search firm to begin advertising this position at the beginning of 2023, with the goal of having a new president in place no later than August 30, 2023. We will be providing updates to the search process at the appropriate times on this webpage, www.jaxcf.org/PresidentSearch.
In the meantime, please join my fellow Board members and the staff in wishing Nina well as she enters this next chapter in her life.
Nina Waters
President, The Community Foundation
September, 2022
As my father grew older, he would often say “The days are long, but the years are short.” That is what is going through my mind as sit down to write this note to all of you—the supporters and stakeholders of your community foundation. In my first few years, as I was expertly mentored and coached by my predecessor Andy Bell, it felt like it was taking forever to learn all that I needed to know to lead this foundation. And here I am, 21 years later, ready to pass the baton to a new leader—and the years have flown by.
What has been so incredibly clear to me throughout my time at The Community Foundation is that any success that we achieve is the result of the generosity of our fundholders, the tireless work of our nonprofit partners and the unwavering commitment to our mission to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community by our Staff and Trustees. It has never been me – it has always been WE. And WE are thankful to all of you for trusting us to be your partner in philanthropy.
I look forward to the long days ahead as there is still much more work to do together. And, because the years are short, I also look forward to my retirement in 2023 and having more time with my husband, children and grandchildren who are growing up before my eyes.
With deep gratitude,
