Jacksonville, Fla. (April 30, 2024) The CareerSource Northeast Florida (CareerSource NEFL) Board of Directors has selected Cheryl A. Taylor as CEO of the region’s workforce development organization – who will assume her new position on July 1.
Taylor, who has served as CareerSource NEFL Senior Vice President of Operations for the past 10 years, was selected by the board to take on the role currently held by CEO Bruce Ferguson – who announced his retirement in January after 20 years in the position and 30 years with the organization.
Taylor becomes the first woman and the first African American to lead the organization since its inception.
“After an extensive three-month interview and selection process, our search committee headed by board member Elaine Johnson reached a unanimous decision in selecting Cheryl, who clearly stood out in a field of highly qualified and accomplished candidates,” said CareerSource NEFL Board Chair Kevin Doyle. “With more than 25 years of experience in workforce development, and her success in several leadership positions she’s held with us, Cheryl will ensure CareerSource NEFL continues to set the standard for workforce development agencies in Florida.”
Since 2014, Taylor has managed operations for CareerSource NEFL – one of Florida’s largest workforce systems consisting of eight career centers, more than 120 employees and a $18 million budget within a six-county region of Northeast Florida.
“I’m excited and honored to be selected by the board and look forward to continuing to build upon the great foundation and team Bruce assembled during his role as CEO,” Taylor said.
Taylor started her workforce development career in 1995 as an unemployment customer service representative for the Florida Department of Labor. In 1997, Taylor joined CareerSource NEFL as a program manager and was promoted to several leadership positions since that time – developing a thorough understanding of workforce development policies, practices and policy trends, along with programs including the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and welfare transition programs.
Taylor is also active in the community and serves on several boards and committees including the Mayor’s Youth at Work Steering Committee, the Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida and the Adult Reentry Employment Strategies (ARES) Executive Steering Committee. In addition, she participates on committees and panels discussing workforce policies and innovations across Florida. For the last 10 years, she has been an integral planning and organizational member of the annual Workforce Summit, held by Florida Workforce Development Association (FWDA).
Taylor and Ferguson are working together through June to ensure a seamless leadership transition.
CareerSource Northeast Florida is responsible for providing a trained workforce to the employers in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties. For more information on CareerSource NEFL’s services, visit careersourcenefl.com.
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Media Contact: Ron Whittington, 904.563.0402 (cell) rwhittington@careersourcenefl.com