Board and Management

April 14, 2020: Appointed by Mayor Lenny Curry for partial term ending 2/28/21.
Feb. 28, 2023: Reappointed by City Council president for full term ending 2/28/25.
President, The Regency Group
Chair, Board of Directors

Bobby Stein is President of The Regency Group, a family holding company. He has founded the successful investment and growth of many businesses in a wide variety of industry sectors including water, sewer and waste management, real estate, oil and gas, mortgage services, highway safety, technology, food services and healthcare. 
  

Bobby is a board member of Kerrco Inc. (Houston based oil and gas company), SDS (Pizza Hut franchisee), Acme (highway safety business), TL Canon (Applebee’s franchisee), and Welltality (healthcare solutions provider). He currently serves as Board Chairman of The Better Angels Society (Ken Burns foundation), and as Board Chairman of JEA. 

Past gubernatorial appointments include member of the President’s Intelligence Advisor Board; former Chairman of the Defense Business Board, and ex official member of the Defense Policy Board and the Defense Science Board. Bobby served as a member of the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors. 
  

Appointed on April 14, 2020
Executive Vice President & Regional President, Iberia Bank
Vice Chair, Board of Directors

Marty Lanahan currently serves as the Tampa Bay Market President for IBERIABANK.  She has been recently promoted to lead North Central & West Florida Region (Jacksonville to Naples).    Her extensive career in the banking industry spans 34 years.  She spent 19 years at Regions Bank, most recently serving as the Area President over the West Coast of Florida.  Prior to that, she was the Area President over North Florida and the City President for Jacksonville.  

Before joining Regions, Lanahan’s banking career began with The Atlantic Bank/First Union Bank after graduating from The University of South Carolina with a Finance Degree.  She has a diverse background within the financial services sector spanning Commercial/Corporate Banking, Small Business, Retail, Treasury, and Wealth Management.   

As an active member of the Tampa community, Ms. Lanahan is currently on the board of The Moffitt Cancer Center’s Medical Practice Group and The Tampa Museum of Art.  Ms. Lanahan is also a trustee of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund since 2013.   While residing in Jacksonville, Lanahan served on many boards including The JEA (Chair), United Way of North Florida, The Cultural Council of Jacksonville (Chair), and The Super Bowl Host Committee where she was responsible for 10,000 volunteers.  She also served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Commissioner on The Florida Transportation Commission (Chair). 

She has been recognized with numerous awards including One Jax Humanitarian of the Year, City of Jacksonville Spirit of Rosie Award and an Eve Award Winner for employment.  She has also been inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame.

Appointed on April 14, 2020
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Retired)
Secretary, Board of Directors

Joe DiSalvo has over 30 years as a strategic leader who built trust, initiative, innovation, integrity, core values, and accountability in organizations ranging from 850 to 65,000 personnel. His passion is leading and inspiring individuals and organizations to excel and impact positively on society. He is exceptionally experienced interacting with U.S. federal government agencies, congress, and international governments (14 years working abroad). Joe currently provides consulting services focused on leader development, strategic planning, team building, business development and crisis management. Joe is on the Board of Advisors for TCOM L.P. and Advanced Technology International, on the Board of Directors for Jacksonville Electric Authority, on the Riverside United Methodist Board of Trustees, and is a Distinguished Professor of Practice for Leadership at Carolina University.

Joe graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree, he has a Masters in Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. 

Joe’s military career culminated as the U.S. Southern Command’s Deputy Commanding General, as a Lieutenant General, from 2015-2018, where he was responsible for security cooperation with militaries from Central America, Caribbean, and South America. From 2013 to 2015 as a Major General, he commanded the U.S. 6 th Army where he was responsible for partnering, advising, and mentoring senior army leaders from Central America, Caribbean, and South America. From 2012 to 2013 Joe was Chief of Staff, U.S. Southern Command where he led nine directorates and oversaw a $1,062M budget. 

Joe was Deputy Commanding General of III U.S. Army Corps from 2010 to 2012 where he oversaw the tactical training, operations, and quality of life for 35,000 Soldiers and their families in Fort Hood, Texas. Additionally, as a Brigadier General, he was also the Corps Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2010 where he supervised eight directorates and managed a $500M budget. 

While assigned to the Pentagon, from 2008-2009 he was the senior advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Western Hemisphere security and Homeland Defense. As a Colonel, in 2006-2007 Joe was the lead Iraq campaign policy analyst for the Joint Staff. From 2003-2006 he commanded 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, which included two combat tours. 

Joe is married with three grown children. He is a military history enthusiast and enjoys all sports, especially road racing (running). 

Appointed on April 14, 2020
Executive Chairman & CEO, FRP Holdings, Inc.

Mr. Baker is currently Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FRP Holdings, Inc. (successor to Patriot Transportation Holding, Inc.), a real estate company located in Jacksonville, Florida. From February 2008 until October 2010, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Patriot. Before joining Patriot, Mr. Baker was President and Chief Executive Officer of Florida Rock Industries, Inc. 

Mr. Baker received a B.A. from Princeton University, and graduated with honors from the University of Florida School of Law. Mr. Baker is a director of Blue Water Industries Holdings, LLC and a senior advisor for Brinkmere Capital Partners, LLC, a private equity firm.  

Mr. Baker is a former member of the of the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo & Company, Jacksonville Port Authority, Progress Energy, Vulcan Materials and Hughes Supply. Mr. Baker maintains leadership roles in several community educational organizations including Tiger Academy, KIPP School Jacksonville, Edward Waters College and the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast.

Appointed on April 14, 2020
President & CEO, Edward Waters University

Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. assumed responsibility as the 30th President and CEO of Edward Waters University (EWU) in July 2018 post a unanimous vote by the university's Board of Trustees. Just 37 years old at the time of his appointment, Faison’s selection as EWU’s leader made him the youngest serving President & CEO of a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in America.  

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Faison’s career exploits include distinguished professional experiences as a higher education executive administrator, educator, and attorney. Before his Presidential appointment at EWU, Faison served as General Counsel & Vice President of External Affairs at Tuskegee University (TU) in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he maintained responsibility as the university’s chief legal officer and provided principal oversight for its legislative and governmental relations functions. Prior to his appointment at TU, he served as Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Affairs at Virginia Union University (VUU) in Richmond, VA, where he led the university in achieving historic increases in overall student enrollment and retention having founded the VUU College for African-American Men (VCAAM). Dr. Faison also previously served as Special Assistant to the President for Legal & Legislative Affairs, Community Affairs, and Economic Development at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, MS, where he later became University Chief of Staff before being named Vice President of Institutional Advancement & Executive Director of the MVSU Foundation. Faison’s philanthropic work at MVSU yielded nearly $25 million dollars in funding to the university towards new capital projects, infrastructural improvements, and campus renovations. As a scholar-educator, Faison has held professorial appointments at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in various academic disciplines including Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Business Administration. A licensed member of the State Bar of Georgia, Faison is also a former state prosecutor having prosecuted criminal felony drug cases in Georgia.

Faison graduated Magna Cum Laude from Albany State University (ASU) with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English where he was an ASU Presidential & Foundation Scholar, Dwight D. Eisenhower National Fellow (US-DOT), and an ASU Velma Fudge Grant University Honors Program & Merit Scholar Graduate. He attended the University of Georgia School of Law (UGA) where he earned his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and was a member of the UGA School of Law Executive Moot Court Board & UGA Law Moot Court team. Faison completed post-doctoral study as a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Educational Management (IEM) and was a Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI) Institute Fellow of the American Association of State Colleges & Universities (AASCU) & Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU). Additionally, Faison holds the Certification in Fundraising Management (CFRM) designation from The Fundraising School of Philanthropy at Indiana-University-Purdue-University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Faison is active in several professional, civic, and social organizations and has delivered over 50 presentations and lectures at conferences and professional meetings nationwide. He currently serves as a member of the Jacksonville Civic Council, the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, the DW Perkins Bar Association, and is a trustee member of the Jacksonville Chamber. He has received national recognition for his outstanding professional, community and civic achievements from The Business Journals Influencers: Rising Stars 100; the Jacksonville Business Journal (Top 40 Business Leaders Under 40); the National Bar Association (Top 40 Attorneys Under 40); The University of Georgia (Top 40 Alumnus Under 40) and Albany State University (Top 50 Alumnus Under 50).    

He is the son of Alderman Faison, Sr. and Dr. Jewel J. Faison, and brother to Dr. Morgan Zacheya- Jewel Faison. Faison has been blissfully married for 12 years to Mrs. Tyciee L. Faison, who is also a seasoned higher education administrator, educator, and ordained minister.

Appointed on August 22, 2023
Chief Human Resources Officer, VyStar Credit Union

Kawanza Humphrey serves as chief human resources officer for VyStar Credit Union. In her role she is responsible for leading the credit union’s human resources efforts, including diversity, equity and inclusion, talent acquisition, employee relations, benefits, compensation, organizational performance, and development.

Humphrey has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry. Most recently, she served as the senior vice president of corporate responsibility for the Eastern Region of KeyBank. Prior to joining KeyBank, upon completion of HSBC’s Executive Development Program, she held several positions, including retail management.

She is passionate about community and economic development. In addition to her professional experience, Humphrey has volunteered with several nonprofit organizations, including serving on the board of directors for the Sisters Hospital Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation’s Program Committee. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and The Links Inc. She has been named to Buffalo Business First’s Power 200 Women and has been recognized as a Woman of Influence, a 40-under-40 recipient and a Black Achiever in Industry.

Humphrey earned a bachelor’s degree in English/African American Studies from the University at Buffalo and a master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Change from Daemen University. She is a Phi Beta Kappa.

Appointed on September 28, 2021
President and CEO, Morales Construction Co. Inc.

Ricardo "Rick" Morales III leads operations at Morales Construction, a design/build general contracting company specializing in estate custom homes in Northeast Florida. He has more than 35 years of experience in all phases of construction, including financial management, field supervision, project management, estimating, project development and executive management.

Morales started his career as an estimator for Atlantic Constructors, a division of Patterson Enterprises, in 1985. In 1987, he joined Morales Construction Co., becoming president of the company in 1995. 

Morales is active in numerous business and charitable organizations. He was appointed to the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2001 and 2007, then reappointed by Gov. Rick Scott in 2013 and served as its chairman from 2013 to 2015. Morales is a board member, PAC chairman and previous board president of the Northeast Florida Builders Association and is a director and past chairman of the Presidents Council for the Florida Home Builders Association.

Morales is a graduate of The Bolles School in Jacksonville and Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he received a bachelor's degree in finance.

Jay Stowe was named JEA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in November 2020 and has served in the not-for-profit utility sector for more than 25 years. He has been focused on supporting a team of leaders to deliver on the mission of JEA of improving lives and building community – which he believes is critical to JEA’s ability to best serve its customers in the Northeast Florida region.

Before joining JEA, Mr. Stowe served municipal utilities in direct roles and as a consultant. He served in senior vice president roles over distributed energy resources and operations for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Prior to TVA, he spent more than a decade at Huntsville (Alabama) Utilities, where he served as vice president of operations and chief operating officer, before becoming president and CEO. He also served two municipal utilities in North Carolina and started his career as a consultant for Black & Veatch. Mr. Stowe serves as an American Public Power Association (APPA) representative on the national Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), as a board member and vice chair of The Energy Authority (TEA), and as a board member and vice chair of TEA Solutions. Mr. Stowe earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University.

JEA Chief Operating Officer Raynetta Curry Marshall leads all utility operations as well as the electric and water teams that provide reliable, affordable, and safe utility services to more than one million Northeast Florida residents.

With more than 35 years of experience in water resources and utility management, Marshall returned to JEA as COO in 2021. She served as general manager of the Underground Utilities & Public Infrastructure department in Tallahassee for two years. Prior to that, Marshall held several leadership roles in JEA’s water / wastewater department from 2011 to 2019. 

Marshall holds a master’s degree in environmental engineering and a bachelor's in civil engineering from Howard University. Marshall serves on the boards of the Florida Municipal Power Association and the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies and previously served as president of the Florida Water Environment Association and as chair of the Water Environment Federation Utility Management Committee. 

Sheila Pressley was named JEA's Chief Customer Officer in February 2021. Over her 18-year tenure at JEA, she has provided a wealth of operational and strategic leadership, including service on the extended leadership team and the Customer Experience Business Unit executive leadership team. She has also held leadership positions in Revenue Cycle, Customer Assistance Programs, Call Center Operations, Meter Reading, and Commercial Client Relationships departments and was the Communications and Change Manager for the Customer Care & Billing Project. Additionally she was among the team members who championed customer satisfaction initiatives that led to JEA’s 51-point improvement in the 2013 JD Power Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Ms. Pressley is heavily engaged in community and civic endeavors. She has served as a JAX Chamber Trustee and serves on the board of directors for several nonprofit agencies. She is a 2019 Leadership Jacksonville graduate and volunteers her time to support this longstanding leadership program. She is currently serving a second term as Chair of the Planning Committee for the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency (NFCAA), a nonprofit agency purposed to stabilize vulnerable households and empower families in Northeast Florida to achieve self-sufficiency through education, employment, and advocacy. She also serves on the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) board of directors, a nationwide organization that advocates for the energy needs of low-income households. She is a former board member of Community Heath Charities of Florida and a past mentor with Take Stock in Children.

David Emanuel was named JEA’s Chief Human Resource Officer in February 2021. He is responsible for the development and implementation of organizational re-design efforts, talent acquisition, succession planning, compensation plans, and team member engagement efforts critical to JEA’s efficiency and productivity.

As a human resources executive with over 30 years of experience in a variety of sectors, Mr. Emanuel strives to help others navigate personnel and organizational matters in a thoughtful, progressive and meaningful manner. He has worked globally, while learning the value of diversity of cultures. He firmly believes that while rules, policies, standards, and expectations can differ, respect for the individual cannot.

Prior to joining JEA, Mr. Emanuel served in a number of senior leadership roles, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer for APR Energy, a global organization responsible for designing, manufacturing, and operating emergency power sources to customers in 35 countries internationally. He also worked as Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources for CIT, where he was responsible for business process redesign of all human resources in the corporate functional, operations and administration areas across its global footprint. Additionally, Mr. Emanuel was Vice President of Global Human Resources for Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) Worldwide, where he was head of the global human resources sports and entertainment business, encompassing sports teams, entertainment, content management, product development, and facility management for over 35 major venues around the world.

Mr. Emanuel is the Chair of the Dean’s Council at the University of North Florida, Co-Chair of the Talent Advancement Network for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, and has been a speaker for the Minority Business Roundtable for over a decade. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Wittenberg University.

Ted Phillips joined JEA as its Chief Financial Officer in August 2021. In this role, his responsibilities include oversight of Financial Services, Financial Planning and Services, Treasury Services, Risk Management Services, Supply Chain, Corporate Security, Procurement, Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity, Facilities and Fleet Services and Technical Services. He brings with him a wealth of experience leading finance teams for public utilities. 

Prior to joining JEA, Mr. Phillips worked for 10 years with Huntsville (Ala.) Utilities, leading teams in Finance/Accounting, MIS, Technical Services, Purchasing, Stores & Warehouses, Fleet and Facilities. Previously, he spent 20 years in the public sector working for the cities of Shelby and Monroe, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and the State Auditor’s office in Missouri. 

Mr. Phillips received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Southeast Missouri State University. He has been an active member in the communities he has called home, having served on the boards of the United Way and The Schools Foundation in Huntsville, and in various United Way campaign leadership positions. He has also been a longtime pack leader for the Boy Scouts of America. 

Laura Dutton assumed the new role of JEA's Chief Strategy Officer in March 2021. In her role, she leads a team focused on developing and implementing JEA's broad strategic direction, as well as evaluating disruptive industry trends and ways to develop new product offerings and customer-centric service models. Her team includes Analytics, Board Services, Corporate Strategy, Economic Development and Real Estate, New Business, Distributed Resources, and Learning and Development. She also leads a cross-functional team focused on JEA’s Resiliency efforts.

Ms. Dutton has served the public power industry for more than 19 years, with over 17 years at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) with experience in strategy development, planning and analysis across several functions. She earned an accounting degree and a master's degree in business administration from the University of North Alabama. She also has served in a variety of community leadership roles including Leadership Chattanooga, the Combined Federal Campaign, and the Junior League of Chattanooga Board of Directors. Currently, she serves on the Supervisory Committee for the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union Board of Directors and is a Trustee for Jacksonville’s Museum of Science and History.

Laura Marshall Schepis was named JEA’s Chief External Affairs Officer in September 2021. She leads teams responsible for government relations, media relations, communications and environmental services. In her appointed role, she also serves as the designated interim chief compliance officer for JEA.

For over two decades, Ms. Schepis has focused on improving outcomes for energy utilities and the customers and communities they serve. In leadership positions at the American Public Power Association, the Edison Electric Institute, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, she directed advocacy, political, and communications campaigns on issues including energy efficiency, renewable resources, national security, telecommunications and climate change. 

Ms. Schepis received her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law and practiced civil and criminal law in Georgia before relocating to Washington, D.C. in 2000. She formerly chaired and now serves on the board of the National Energy Resources Organization. She also serves on the board of Downtown Vision, Inc. and the Greater Jacksonville Cultural Council. She and her family live in Jacksonville.