OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

President and CEO: Michael Howland

Mike Howland became President and CEO of Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center in September 2014, bringing a wealth of leadership experience to his new role.  He previously led the U.S. Small Business Administration in San Francisco, Independent Charities of America, Christian Service Charities and three related associations of national charities, The Arc of Greater Indianapolis (Noble of Indiana), and the Southeastern Council of Foundations.  He also served as Vice President for University Advancement and Chief Strategic Relations Officer at his Jacksonville University alma mater.  His long history with JU includes serving as President of the student body and the JU Alumni Association, and as Chair of the Trustee Nominating & Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Mike has led the expansion of JSHC programs and services, the strengthening of staff and Board and the relocation of the organization from one office to two professional and accessible clinical sites (1010 N. Davis Street and 14595 Philips Highway) and an administrative office in the Jessie Ball duPont Center.  JSHC has forged new partnerships with foundations, corporations and governmental entities that have enabled the organization a broader community reach, especially as it relates to helping preschool children.

Mike has chaired a plethora of national and local non-profit boards and campaigns.  He currently serves as President-Elect of Leadership Jacksonville and Governance Chair of the 5 Buckets Foundation.  In addition to his JU degree, Mike was the first person to graduate from St. Louis University with both Juris Doctor and Master of Arts – Public Administration degrees.  He is a Certified Association Executive.  Mike is the proud father of three children and grandfather of three.

Fun Fact:  Mike has played baseball at Oracle Park in San Francisco, the Oakland Coliseum and Wrigley Field.  He has attended Major League Baseball games in 42 stadiums, and been a member of the No Bats Baseball Club, which raises money for worthy causes while playing baseball, for 30 years.  However, he enjoys most watching Little League and softball games of Howland grandchildren.

Chief Operating Officer: Chandra Manning 

Chandra joined the JSHC team in 2019 and comes with recent experience as a Director of Operations in private practice audiology.  She contributes to the success of the practice at our clinics by working with the team of doctors, speech language pathologists and administrative staff to ensure the highest quality speech and hearing healthcare available in Jacksonville and an unparalleled patient experience.

Her background in communication, creative marketing, office management and project management offer a wide variety of skills that are useful to JSHC.

Fun Facts: Chandra was a Navy brat, having lived as far west as Hawaii and as far east as the Azores.  She’s enjoys travelling, having visited or lived in six countries.  She’s called Jacksonville home since 1996.  It is here that she met her husband and has been raising their two daughters.

Director of Development: Erika Hooper

Erika joined JSHC in January 2020, fulfilling a lifelong goal of working for a non-profit organization.  Prior to joining the JSHC Team, she gained wide-ranging experience as an executive assistant performing a multitude of administrative duties across various industries.

Erika began her career path at a fast-paced, urgent care medical facility where she performed all front and back office duties that involved patient interaction while obtaining a Medical Assistant Certification and an Associate of Arts degree from Florida State College at Jacksonville. Erika then graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Health Sciences and Business Management. After college, Erika followed her personal passion for the creative arts by working for a local photography studio and gained over a decade of experience as a Professional Photographer and Graphic Designer. Eventually, Erika went on to work as a regional sales coordinator and corporate customer service liaison for a nationwide provider of medical spa services. Erika also has experience as a Marketing Coordinator and Product Specialist in the financial technology field.

Fun Facts: Erika is a third generation Jacksonville native and graduate of First Coast High School. Erika and her wife Dee are the proud parents of one son and are happy new foster parents to their nephew and two granddaughters. Erika has past volunteer experience with the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society; she is excited to turn a life of volunteering into a career.

Erika Hooper

Controller: Lynne Woodall

Lynne Woodall joined JSHC in October 2011, after 23 years as Chief Financial Officer at the Boy’s Home in Jacksonville.

Lynne and husband, Jerry, have been married for 43 years. They have a daughter, Jennifer, a Registered Nurse.

Fun Facts: She enjoys reading, completing crossword puzzles, and Genealogy. She collects M & M candy dispensers. In the fall her mantra is a passionate, “Roll Tide!”

Billing Manager: April Newton

April has been with JSHC since 2008. She began her journey at JSHC in the front office and has since worked her way up in the organization to become the referral coordinator and now the billing manager. She has a passion for helping people and is proud that her work makes a difference in the lives of others.  April is a Jacksonville native, she attended Jacksonville University and is a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She is also the mother of a very precocious daughter.

Fun Facts: April is an avid reader and loves all things purple and her favorite phrase is “Roll Tide.” She also is the daughter of a knife maker.

April Newton
Ray Griffiths

Clinic Services Manager: Ray Griffiths 

Raymond Griffiths joined JSHC in April 2018 as Front Office Coordinator. He now serves as Clinic Services Manager, where he focuses on insurance credentialing, as well as processing referrals and authorizations. He is a Minnesota transplant, having graduated from Eden Prairie High School and attended the University of Minnesota and University of Phoenix.

Fun Facts: Ray enjoys visiting art museums, going to the movies, and volunteering at various events around Jacksonville.

Non-Profit Fellow: Niki McCrimon

Niki joined JSHC in August 2021. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Marketing.

Niki was born and raised in Jacksonville, where she began volunteering at an early age. She volunteered as a YoungLife leader throughout high school and college, where she mentored middle school girls. Niki is excited to begin her career in the non-profit world at JSHC and be a part of a life changing mission.

Fun Fact: Niki loves her dog Luna and never likes to be too far from the beach.

Grant Services Coordinator: Jennie Brady

Jennie was born and raised in Tampa, FL. She started college as an Architecture student then changed paths to get her B.A. in Deaf Studies from the College of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of South Florida. Moving to Jacksonville, and later, Yulee, FL in 2020, she worked in customer service until she joined the staff in 2021 as the Front Desk Coordinator. She believes in giving people the best service she can and aiding in the communication with her skills in American Sign Language.

Fun Fact: Jennie used to play violin in school. She is also looking into teaching ASL in the future, so she is more than happy to teach you some signs and grammar.

Executive Assistant: Eriel Rucker

Eriel joined JSHC in 2022 as CEO Michael Howland’s Executive Assistant. Prior to joining JSHC, Eriel worked as the Lead Problem Solver for Amazon, where she became skilled in data entry, task management and troubleshooting. Eriel is very excited to learn and grow in this new role all while being able to help others in her community.

Fun Facts: Eriel is a recent graduate of Parisian Spa Institute as a Licensed Full Specialist and loves all things beauty. When it comes to beauty Eriel’s mission is to make all her clients feel confident and beautiful unfiltered. She plans to one day open a Salon/Day Spa in the future.

Executive Assistant: Michelle Christie

Michelle is new to the JSHC team having joined in November 2022. Michelle has extensive experience as an office manager for a private audiology practice as well as being a Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist in the state of GA and FL. Michelle has most recently been a provider for hearing care services such as performing hearing evaluations and dispensing hearing aids for two major hearing aid manufacturers in Georgia and Florida. Michelle is looking forward to working with the JSHC team and continuing her passion for helping the community with their journey to better hearing!

Fun Fact: Michelle moved to Florida to live by the beach. She is originally from upstate NY in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains and enjoys running and hiking and spending time with her husband, Mike and son, Evan.

Front Desk Coordinator: Devin Tackett

Devin joined JSHC in June 2022 as Front Desk Coordinator. Devin previously worked at an eye doctor’s office for 4 years as their optical technician. She is currently working towards becoming a Speech Language Pathologist and is excited to learn more about the field. She is a Jacksonville native and received her bachelor’s degree from UNF.

Fun Fact: Devin loves to ski and tries to go every winter. She also loves spending time outside. She is a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and tries to go to as many games as possible!

Front Desk Coordinator: Ryan King

Ryan joined JSHC in August 2022 as Front Desk Coordinator. Prior to joining the JSHC team Ryan worked as a Cosmetologist for 11 years. In those years she worked her way up from stylist to salon owner. She brings many years experience of team leadership and problem solving. Ryan is a Jacksonville native who attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (DASOTA) as a vocal major.

Fun Fact: Before fully committing to the performing arts, she played soccer for 5 years. Current hobbies include taking her two dogs on trail walks around town and traveling any and everywhere she can.