Paula DeBoles-Johnson to Serve as Chair, Erin VanSickle as Vice-Chair
TALLAHASSEE - The Tallahassee/Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CSWG) is thrilled to announce the election of its 2016-17 leadership team. The Commission unanimously elected Paula DeBoles-Johnson to serve as its 2016-2017 Chair and Erin VanSickle to serve as its 2016-17 Vice-Chair.
Paula DeBoles-Johnson
is a graduate of Florida A& M University where she earned both her Bachelors degree in Political Science and Master's Degree in Public Administration. She is a Program Manager with Volunteer Florida, managing AmeriCorps programs across the state. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Capital City Youth Development Corporation, a local nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of youth through education and training. She and her husband David are extremely proud parents of two daughters - Zemoria and Zenani.
Since her appointment to the CSWG in 2015, Deboles-Johnson has spearheaded the "YearOfTheGirl" initiative, which highlights a different girl each month to showcase the talent, diversity, goals, and dreams of Tallahassee/Leon County's girls. She also lead the planning and implementation of the recent #YearOfTheGirl Summit hosted at City Hall earlier this month.
"I am both excited and humbled to have been selected as incoming chair by this dynamic group of women," said DeBoles-Johnson. "All women and girls in our community should be valued, affirmed and heard and with continued support of our partners at both the City and County, the Commission will ensure that this happens."
Incoming Vice-Chair Erin VanSickle serves as Director of External Affairs for Volunteer Florida. With over a decade of experience in public affairs and communications, she has served in the public sector and private sector, advising legislative, political, issue advocacy, energy, and trade association stakeholders. VanSickle is a member of Connect Florida Class VI and serves on the Board of Directors. She is a member of the Board of Directors for The Village Square and a Trustee for the Awesome Foundation in Tallahassee.
DeBoles-Johnson and VanSickle will begin their leadership terms on October 1, 2016.
The CSWG is grateful for the tremendous service of outgoing Chair Sha'Ron James and Vice Chair Dr. Jeanne O'Kon.
About the Tallahassee/Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
In April of 2011, The Leon County Board of County Commissioners established the Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls as a citizen's advisory committee. In March of 2013, the City of Tallahassee proudly joined Leon County and created the new Tallahassee/Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. By establishing and supporting CSWG, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County have taken a strong stand in support of women and girls in our community. The primary purposes of the CSWG are to promote awareness of issues pertaining to women and girls in Tallahassee and Leon County and to serve in an advisory role, providing input to the City and County Commissions as needed. To learn more, visit this link http://tallahasseeleoncswg.com/