Debora Reid
Past Board President
Deborah Reid is a practicing attorney and lifelong painter. Her practice is focused on empowering artists. She’s passionate about sharing her legal knowledge with other creatives, and is the founder of Law illustrated. She lectures on copyright and the intersection of other areas of law at universities, cultural institutions and bar associations.
Deborah is the president of the board of Women Writing for (a) Change Jacksonville. She has participated in many of the writing circles and has found them to be a soulful vehicle to explore and process life’s many twists and turns. She has curated the art exhibits and helped to develop the creative roots of the Women Writing for (a) Change Jacksonville’s events and programming.
(photo by Tiffany Manning)
Mary Strickland
President
Mary Strickland has lived and worked in Jacksonville since 2015. Her professional career has spanned government, academia, corporate life and non-profits. Her most recent role was as President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida. A registered nurse with a degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth, Mary has held a variety of high-level positions, including Deputy Commissioner of Human Services for Governor Jon Corzine of New Jersey. She was also the Director of Health Care Policy for New Jersey Governor James McGreevey. She served as the head of Global Public Affairs for the Novartis Oncology as well as the director of U.S. Public Policy for Roche Pharmaceuticals. Mary also taught nursing administration at NYU in their graduate school of nursing.
Mary starting taking classes at Women Writing for a Change Jacksonville in 2018. After her first class, she said to herself, “I’ve found my people.” Mary has always been a devoted reader and feminist, so finding a place where women could openly share their voices felt like a small miracle. Mary is especially committed to the programming for incarcerated women and prior to the pandemic, she was a regular assistant to Jennifer Wolfe at the weekly circle at the Community Transition Center. Mary is currently using her nursing skills as a volunteer nurse at Volunteers in Medicine in Jacksonville as well as assisting other nonprofits in strategic planning. She joined the board in 2020.
(photo by Tiffany Manning)
Janessa Martin
Secretary
Janessa is a writer at heart and an educator by profession. Her passion for writing and language began as a young girl but her creativity (and confidence) laid dormant for decades. Her writing was reawakened through the writing circles and community she found at Women Writing for a Change, Jacksonville. Since taking classes, she has written a number of poems and creative nonfiction pieces. Her writing focuses primarily on her experiences as a mother, as an empath, and as a biracial woman. In her professional life as a curriculum designer, she also writes children’s books about social and emotional learning for young children.
Janessa studied liberal arts at Florida State University and education at Boston University. She currently serves on the board of Women Writing for (a) Change, Jacksonville and acts as an editor for their burgeoning anthology of women’s voices, (a) river rising.
She hopes that through her work with Women Writing for (a) Change, Jacksonville she can cultivate transformation at the human level; one connection at a time, one woman at a time, one word at a time. She is excited about the current expansion of the organization and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
(photo by Tiffany Manning)
Meg Rohal
Treasurer
Meg Rohal has been passing the candle around the writing circles of Women Writing for (a) Change since Jennifer took the plunge and started the Jacksonville affiliate. A retired educator, Meg was initially drawn to Jennifer’s journaling workshops. She was a participant in the very first writing circle ever for Jacksonville and has actively participated in and supported this organization ever since. As the organization grew and evolved into a non-profit, Meg became a member of its board of directors. Although Meg didn’t consider herself a writer when she began her journey, this community reinforced for her the value of words on paper. Using expressive writing to find her authentic voice has allowed Meg to realize that everyone is a writer. She hopes that her ongoing support of this ever-growing non-profit will allow more women to find their individual voice and together, find our collective voices to raise up women’s words in Northeast Florida. Meg has two adult children and an awesome grandson. She is certified in facilitating the workshop, The Journal to the Self. She loves to dance, watch birds, and volunteer for her church and other organizations throughout Jacksonville.
(photo by Tiffany Manning)
Chiqui Chua
Vice President
Chiqui Jabson Chua is a freelance writer and editor with close to 15 years of experience in writing and editing for print media and the academic community. She has worked as editor and writer for a business paper, contributing writer for a magazine, marketing and public relations consultant for a government agency, and copy editor for academic clients both here and abroad. She currently does volunteer PR work for a faith-based writers’ group as well as a local school in Jacksonville, and is a board member of the local chapter of the Catholic Writers Guild. Her journey back to reflective writing began in late 2019 when she joined a writing sampler at Women Writing for (a) Change. Since then, she has participated in writing circles every semester. Her experiences as a former immigrant and expat living in a multicultural environment are reflected in her writing.
(photo by Tiffany Manning)