Local Folks: Noah Ray
Noah Ray, MPA, FAEM serves as the Emergency Preparedness Supervisor at Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. He has been with them since 2016. To unwind, the self-taught Ray plays bass guitar. During his high school days at Stanton College Prep, he played in the jazz band. These days, he jams with friends. “It’s how I […]
Local Folks: Bil Reed
Bil Reed is a semi-retired construction worker and logistics expert. He’s been living on the edge of Ortega since 2005. He’s been living on the edge of adventure for a whole lot longer. He’s ridden a motorcycle to every state except Hawaii. Reed’s been riding for nearly six decades. He started in his early teens […]
Local Folks: Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson is a third-generation Jacksonville native who’s holding onto a dream and working hard to fulfill it. “My goal is to eventually live in Five Points,” she said. Johnson is a full-time occupational therapy assistant at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, formerly Orange Park Medical Center. She began working there last year after having […]
Local Folks: Numa Saisselin
Since 2012, Mr. Numa Saisselin has been president of downtown’s historic Florida Theatre, a non-profit organization and one of the most attended theatres in the world. “Our business is better than it’s ever been,” he said. Numa and his wife, Laurie, moved from New Jersey to Avondale 10 years ago specifically for his position at […]
Local Folks: The Burnham Family
Jen and Brandi Burnham are the owners of Lush Leaves, a San Marco plant nursery. They opened their Hendricks Avenue doors in 2019. In addition to selling organically grown houseplants there, they offer workshops and classes, host discussions at local garden clubs, and plan vendor events that promote other businesses within the community. “Our outside […]
Local Folks: Khoranhalai J. Washington
Khoranhalai J. Washington’s first name is Hawaiian, though she is a native of Durham, North Carolina and still has 144 cousins there. Six years ago, she married a Navy man from Tallahassee, Florida, Dean Washington. For four years, the Washingtons lived on the NAS JAX base near Ortega, while Dean was stationed there. “We would […]
Local Folks: Emily Bellock
Emily Bellock is a native of Connecticut who moved down to the Jacksonville area for a job with the PGA Tour. She lived at The Beaches, at first, before moving to Riverside about a decade ago. Over the years, she has held a variety of titles within the PGA organization. Today, Emily is the director […]
Local Folks: Linzee Ott
Community Engagement Coordinator at Office of the State Attorney, 4th Judicial Circuit. That’s the somewhat mysterious title held by San Marco’s very own Linzee Ott. She is often asked, “What the heck does that mean?” It’s a position that was custom made for her. She calls it “a God thing” the way the story unfolded. […]
