Leading Lady: Getting to know Sheri Webber

Sheri Webber, center right, bottom row, surrounded by family.
Sheri Webber, center right, bottom row, surrounded by family.
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In October, Sheri Webber was hired as the first executive director for the San Marco Preservation Society (SMPS). With several community events now under her belt, Webber has settled into her new role and has had a chance to get to know a community she already knows so well through the lens of the preservation society. Resident News took this opportunity to give our readers the chance to get to know her as well:

Webber has had a fondness for history long before she took the helm of SMPS, having lived in a few historic homes over the years. She has strong ties with Douglas Anderson School of the Arts: she, her husband, Gary, and their four now-grown children are all Douglas Anderson alumni and Gary is now a member of the DA Foundation board.

In her free time, Webber continues work on the history of Jacksonville’s mayors that she’s been working on for a couple years now. She is an avid fantasy/sci-fi reader and has traveled to Uganda, where she developed a love of chai. She also has a “weird and extensive fascination with dinosaurs.”

With two milestone anniversaries approaching for both the San Marco community (100 years this year) and SMPS (50 years in 2026), here is a deeper dive at some of Webber’s thoughts on historic preservation in the San Marco community, and more:

How does it feel to be chosen as first executive director for SMPS?

Thank you for asking this question because I feel immensely grateful for the opportunity to fill an inaugural role of this kind. SMPS has a noble mission andI am thrilled to be a part of it.

What is your strongest/greatest asset that you bring to SMPS?

Perhaps this question is better directed to my board of directors president, but I do believe that my long tenure with the City of Jacksonville in various roles is an asset to this organization.

A significant part of what SMPS does to serve the community is linked to our city government, and in multiple ways: rezoning, renovations, economic development, council district 5, and its leadership, and activation of San Marco.

You came to SMPS from the Downtown Investment Authority. How do you plan to apply the insight you’ve gained from the work DIA is doing Downtown to the San Marco community?

My role at DIA involved, marketing, communications and promotion of downtown Jacksonville. San Marco is practically in downtown these days so I feel like my experience with the authority is a natural segway and extension into the promotion and renewal and preservation of the San Marco community which also includes the Southbank in most people’s minds.

What do you see as San Marco’s top three needs/biggest issues that you plan on addressing?

Leading the way during our Centennial year is high on our list, as well as embracing and involving new and returning SMPS membership.

Another important part of our mission is ongoing: careful stewardship of three amazing historic buildings. We’ll be doing routine maintenance and repairs as needed.

I would also like to see greater collaboration between established San Marco organizations and between other preservation-minded organizations across our city.

What is your favorite aspect of historic preservation – buildings, streetscapes, storefronts, homes?

I love getting lost in time, in the stories behind historic milestones, understanding the person behind an old portrait or deciphering the context surrounding documents drafted in by-gone eras. It’s practically time travel minus sci-fi!

Is there any historic structure or issue in the neighborhood that you consider to be in jeopardy that requires SMPS’s/the community’s attention?

SMPS spearheaded an historic property survey in 1990, largely privately owned parcels and buildings, and I’m happy to report that nearly all those buildings still stand and are in good order.

However, it is part of our mission to preserve, protect, and renew, which means we are always on the lookout for ways to assist a property in jeopardy, help navigate rezoning concerns or hurdles, or work with new property owners to safeguard the historicity of a structure. We also provide research support to homeowners.

Mayor Donna Deegan signed the Zoning Overlay Protection Bill last month. What does this added protection mean for development and preservation in San Marco?

The SMPS Board of Directors was pleased to see the legislation passed and I attended the signing. It was my pleasure and privilege to work with Mayor Deegan’s executive team prior to my time with the DIA and I have a deep appreciation for our mayor’s support of Jacksonville’s historic communities through protective measures like this.

The legislation struck a beautiful balance between protection and renewal. Less we forget the importance of the development community in the founding of San Marco, consider Telfair Stockton. If not for his vision for what was once brickyards and a clay pit, San Marco wouldn’t be what it is today and certainly would not have endured and prospered.

San Marco Preservation Society is always looking for new members or volunteers, particularly during this centennial anniversary year. Anyone interested can contact SMPS by visiting www.smpsjax.com or calling (904) 396.0081.

By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News

Tags: San Marco Preservation Society, Sheri Webber, SMPS


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