JEA is restructuring its leadership team and has named four of the people who will help lead the city-owned utility starting next month.
The new structure will reduce the number of people who report directly to JEA’s new CEO Jay Stowe from 11 to seven.
Nine former members of the leadership team were fired last year following the failed attempt to sell the utility.
Jody L. Brooks has been named the new Chief Administrative Officer, where she will oversee audit services, corporate records retention, critical infrastructure protection and electric system compliance and ethics. She will work with the city’s Office of General Counsel to oversee the utility’s legal activities.
Brooks was selected to be JEA’s first Chief Legal Officer in 2016. Prior to that, she served as an attorney with Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel.
David Emanuel will take over as Chief Human Resources Officer, where he’s served on an interim basis since November, 2020.
Emanuel is the founder and president of Develop Empowerment, LLC, a firm that provides human resources consulting services. Throughout his career, Emanuel has been an HR executive for big name companies like AEG and Citigroup.
Sheila Pressley will continue in her role as Chief Customer Officer, where she’s served since November. Pressley will oversee end-to-end customer service as well as internal and external communications.
Pressley has worked for JEA for 18 years in various roles within the customer group. Outside of JEA, Pressley serves as a JAX Chamber Trustee and in various leadership roles on nonprofit agencies such as Leadership Jacksonville, the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency and the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition.
Laura Dutton has been named to the new role of Chief Strategy Officer. She will lead a team focused on corporate strategy and support. Dutton comes to JEA with more than 17 years of experience working on strategy development, planning and analysis in the public power industry. Most recently she served as Director of Talent Planning at the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Brooks, Emanuel and Pressley will officially assume their new positions on a permanent basis starting on March 1, 2021. Dutton will start on March 8. Each will earn a salary of $275,000.
According to JEA, search firms will be hired to help fill the remaining Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief External Affairs Officer roles. The utility said the goal is to have a fully staffed leadership team by July 31, 2021.
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
