Local Folks: Kathryn D. McAvoy
Kathryn McAvoy has always had a love for the arts and helping others find their passion. Fifteen years ago, she had been driving her three daughters – Ava, Jessica and Kendall – all over the city to different art programs when she decided to combine those loves through the opening of The Performers Academy (TPA), […]
Local Folks: Sarah Kiesow
Sarah Kiesow had long been flirting with Jacksonville before finally deciding to buy her home in historic Murray Hill in 2019. Her father is from Jacksonville, she has family in the area, and she visited here as a child. Originally from Tampa Bay, Kiesow triple majored in Chinese, International Affairs and History at Florida State […]
Local Folks: Anna Valent
Helping her community and being of service is at Anna Valent’s core. She knew from a young age that being involved in something bigger than herself was what she was meant to do – and she does just that. Not only professionally as the incoming executive director of Dreams Come True, but through her volunteer […]
Local Folks: Nick Patterson
Nick Patterson was just eight years old when he made the big move from Scotland to Jacksonville with his mother and twin brother. He fell in love with Jacksonville and, despite a short stint away for college, has no intention of ever leaving again. “As I started getting older and deciding whether I wanted to […]
Local Folks: Alise Morales
Jacksonville is a proud military town, and it’s proud of the military families that call it home, even if just for a short while. Although Alise Morales may not be a local from Jacksonville, she’s a local “for now” and enjoying the five years she’s spent here so far. Her husband, Joe, is active-duty U.S. […]
Local Folks: Bryan Arnold
Bryan Arnold’s family tree has wide roots in Jacksonville, specifically the Ortega area. He is a Jacksonville native, and his father practiced law in the city for 54 years. “All my dad’s family grew up here,” he said. “If you run across any Arnold, I’m probably related to them.” A self-proclaimed “simple guy,” Arnold has […]
Local Folks: Josh Gellers
While Josh Gellers might claim his move to Jacksonville was just luck and timing, it took two years of applying to more than 78 jobs to finally beat out nearly 150 applicants for a job as an assistant professor in the political science department at the University of North Florida (UNF). “I’m very grateful, Gellers […]
Local Folks: Dr. Azi Yavari
Azi Yavari is the doctor behind the healthy teeth and happy smiles at Hendricks Dental Studio, a practice she bought from a retiring dentist in 2016. “I love my job!” she said, and she’s been at it for nearly 20 years. An immigrant from Iran, Yavari came to Jacksonville at age eight and stayed until […]
