Jamie Merrill is the President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, steering one of the largest Boys & Girls Clubs organizations in the nation. Under her leadership, more than 12,000 youth are served annually across 41 Clubs in six counties. A strategic and transformational leader, Jamie brings with her more than 18 years of executive experience serving in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. Prior to assuming this role, she spent 17 years as a state and national expert in the senior living and healthcare industries. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer at Sonata Senior Living and previously held the position of Senior Vice President of Operations at Brookdale Senior Living, where she managed the operations of 72 senior living communities across Florida.
Jamie is an active contributor to her community, serving on several local and national boards. She currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Nemour’s Children’s Health Ginsberg Institute. Her achievements have been recognized by being named one of the 2024 Top 50 Women Leaders of Florida, the prestigious 2022 McKnight’s Woman of Distinction award, as well as many sought after speaking engagements. She has devoted her career to helping and serving others, as evidenced by her ability to formulate and mentor high-performing teams as well as developing and leading highly functional leadership development courses.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with K12 Digest, Jamie shared her professional trajectory, insights on the inspiration behind establishing Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, the secret sauce behind her success, future plans, pearls of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
What was the inspiration behind establishing Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida? What is its mission and vision?
Our mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring adults. We believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and we are thankful to be part of that village for the families that we serve. We believe that all young people have great futures when given the opportunity, and thus we focus on opening their eyes to the world while supporting the families that are caring for them each day and bridging the opportunity gaps that exist.
What are the challenges in the current field of education, and how and what can we do to improve?
There are many challenges right now as it relates to education. Absenteeism, lack of educators, low literacy scores and comprehension, mental health, social media and technology to name just a few. To improve, we need to meet children where they are at. Recognizing that the world is not what it once was, let’s help children learn the way that is best for them individually, including creative expression through the arts as well as involving joyful literacy programs into everything they do, including sports and activities. We need to normalize mental health and ensure that all students are being seen, identifying at an early-stage areas that may need further support before becoming bigger issues. We also need to know, and be well versed in, the technology and social media that is pressing on our younger generations so we can help them make better decisions as they learn to use it effectively.
Can you speak about the importance of female leadership in the field of education, and how your own experience as a woman in this field has influenced your leadership style?
People from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, gender and influence should have a seat at the table as diversity is beautiful. Individual thought processes brought together to create change is better affected when everyone has had unique journeys, females included. I have learned through the years to lean into my strengths as a woman, thought processes and empathy. Attempting to “blend in” means not being true to myself and thus not driving the results that are needed, so I lean into the discomfort that will affect change. There is nothing more fulfilling than shaping the lives of future generations, that is worth the discomfort.
You were recently recognized as one of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Florida for 2024. Our readers would love to know the secret sauce behind your success.
The secret behind my success lies in embracing failure as a steppingstone. While many focus solely on reaching their next career milestone, I’ve learned that the journey itself, the ups, downs, and unexpected detours-is where true growth happens. Being coachable is essential. It means actively seeking feedback, learning from mistakes, and understanding the ‘why’ behind decisions. By mastering the ‘why & why not,’ I’ve gained valuable insights that have shaped my leadership style. Through this, I have learned the importance of creating the comfortable space for others to “fail successfully”, an environment where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth. When we allow team members to learn from missteps, they become more resilient, innovative, and motivated to follow our lead. So, my secret sauce? Embrace the journey, stay coachable, and foster a culture of learning through failure. That’s how I’ve paved my path to success.”
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
I have had the pleasure of many great mentors through my journey; however, my parents have been the ones to really shape me, cheering me on each step of the way and coaching me with the truths I needed to hear. From an early age, I learned the value of hard work and dedication. Fixing mistakes and owning up to them. One resounding piece of advice from my father, “hire people smarter than you”. He would say, “don’t get stuck focused on yourself or think you should be the best, focus on hiring people that have skill sets you don’t and support them the way they need to be supported. That will lead your team to success.”
What’s a leadership lesson that you’ve learnt that’s unique to being a female leader?
Something I have learned many times through my journey is: be yourself and be proud of it! Too often, women try to be someone else, behaving in a way that is not true to themselves. At times this can mean being too outspoken to get noticed, while other times sitting quietly even with something to say. I have learned this will only get you far enough, and people never really get the opportunity to get to know the real you, exhausting! As a woman, I have had all these experiences, on both sides. What I have learned is that I have the benefit of balancing compassion with thoughtful decisions, and it allows me to see things differently than others – I dive into that instead of away from it. Earning your place through being an example to others and the results that you get is far more rewarding. People will naturally want to follow your lead when you create safe spaces for them to be uniquely themselves, pushing them to succeed further.
What is your secret to striking a work-life balance?
Work-life balance can be very challenging when you have a demanding job, however you will never be as successful as you can be if you don’t balance your life. We make time for what is important to us, that is true. As a leader, you are always on stage, whether you want to be or not. People are watching how you respond, how you lead, how you balance, and they will, at a minimum, mimic that, if not intensify it. If you are off-balance, eventually you will exhaust the people around you that are trying to follow your example. A small game changer for me in balancing work and life, working off ONE calendar. That means my personal appointments, family obligations and professional calendar are consolidated into ONE. This allows me to see everything from a more objective, global view and ensure I am not missing my personal obligations or professional ones. It allows me to view my next day, week and month cohesively, adjusting along the way.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
I get true enjoyment in serving youth and watching each year as they become better versions of themselves. I look forward to continuing, while serving even more in the ways the next generations need. That includes new innovations, new programming, new technologies and new mentoring techniques. Exciting times are ahead as industry, society, and children evolve with us by their sides.
What advice would you like to give young women out there who are interested in pursuing careers in your industry?
Embrace the journey, stay coachable, and foster a culture of learning for yourself and others. Find joy in what you do each day and fill your cup as much as you pour out of your cup to others – this will help you strike the balance that will allow you to keep pushing to what is needed.