Amy Jewell will serve as the new Chief Executive Officer for the Jack & Jill Center in Fort Lauderdale. With over 20 years of expertise in nonprofit leadership, community engagement and diverse business experience, Jewell brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role with a deep commitment to serving the community and establishing strong, enduring organizations.
“I’m incredibly honored to join the Jack & Jill Center team and contribute to its mission of empowering children and families,” Jewell says. “The Center’s commitment to early childhood education and community support aligns with my values and experience. I look forward to working with the dedicated staff, board and volunteers to build upon the already inspiring legacy and continue to expand its impact into the future.”
Since 1942, the Jack & Jill Center has been dedicated to empowering children and families. It provides innovative education, supportive programming, and community engagement to support children from high-need working families through early childhood education, elementary education, and family-strengthening programs. Over the past 80 years, Jack & Jill Center has served more than 26,000 children and families in South Florida.
Jewell’s most recent role was as the senior vice president of operations for the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, where she was responsible for overseeing 11 facilities and a team of nine members. She led efforts to boost membership, program enrollment, and community partnerships and devised a capital investment strategy. Prior to this, Jewell served as the CEO of Ashore Consulting, LLC, where she facilitated public-private partnerships and worked to address community needs. She has also held leadership positions at various other organizations, including the City of Mount Dora, Central Florida YMCA, the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, KS, the Joplin Family YMCA, and Cho-Col-Ate Creations.
As the CEO, Jewell will oversee the organization’s leadership, management, and strategic direction. Her main objective is to ensure the organization fulfills its mission while maintaining efficient and effective operations. Jewell will also execute the Center’s programs within the annual budget and in line with the policies established by the board of directors. Her responsibilities encompass offering strategic direction, backing Board governance and committee activities, creating and executing operational and fundraising strategies, overseeing and mentoring the management team, engaging with the community and events associated with early childhood and elementary education, advocating for early childhood and elementary education and establishing a sustainable economic model.
“We are confident that Amy’s proven leadership skills, collaborative approach and overall vision will propel Jack & Jill Center to new levels,” Board President of Jack & Jill Center Scott MacLaren says. “Her experience in the nonprofit sector, coupled with her passion for the well-being of others, makes her the ideal candidate to guide the Center into its next chapter.”
In 2021, the Madelaine Halmos Academy, an expansion of the Jack & Jill Center’s Early Education Center, unveiled its new state-of-the-art elementary school building at its 1315 West Broward Blvd. campus in Fort Lauderdale. This transformative project caters to students from high-need working families in kindergarten through fifth grade and aims to prepare them for successful careers and life. The academy is recognized as one of the highest-performing schools in Broward County. The new building has allowed the Madelaine Halmos Academy to significantly expand its offerings by providing a private school that incorporates research-based best practices, offering a safe, academically sound, and socially supportive environment for students. Additionally, NAEYC-Accredited Early Education, serving children from six weeks through VPK-4, is available on campus.
