Don’t miss Up Close & Personal, the region’s premier event for women dedicated to making a difference! Hosted by Women United, United Way of Northeast Florida’s society for purpose-driven female leaders, this memorable evening celebrates the spirit of service and philanthropy.

You’ll start the evening networking, then engage in a thought-provoking panel discussion and intimate roundtable conversations with local women leaders who are driving meaningful change in Northeast Florida. Grab your friends and RSVP early – this signature event is always in high demand!

Thursday, May 14

6-8:30 p.m.

Hilton Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic

4745 Transformation Way

Jacksonville, FL 32224

Free for members, $30 for non-members

We’re excited to introduce the panelists for 2026:

 
Ashley Coen – creative business development consultant, wife of Jacksonville Jaguars head coach
Kelly Mannel – founder, chief global officer of eiGlobal
Marsha Oliver – senior vice president, community and public engagement of PGA TOUR
Linzee Ott – interim director of Jax Riverfront Alliance
Jessica Schacht – vice president of community engagement of Brooks Rehabilitation
Kelli Tice, MD – chief health improvement officer, vice president of medical affairs of GuideWell/Florida Blue
Dr. Robin Thomas, Ed.D. – curriculum and instruction, The Discovery School
Samantha Vance – executive director, Jacksonville Sports Foundation

Ashley Coen

Ashley Coen is the wife of Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and a devoted mother to two sons, Jackson, 4, and Callahan, 1. With more than a decade of experience in commercial advertising in Los Angeles, Ashley built a dynamic career as a director’s agent and postproduction executive producer, helping lead creative teams and shape campaigns for major brands.

Today, she channels that creative vision and strategic leadership into serving her community and supporting the Jaguars organization in impactful ways. When she is not chasing her little ones, you will find her chasing wins on the tennis court. Competitive by nature and purpose-driven at heart, Ashley is passionate about empowering women to grow boldly, lead confidently and step fully into their potential in business, at home and beyond.

Kelly Mannel

Kelly is the founder and chief global officer of eiGlobal. Using evidence-based techniques, real-world experience and decades of research, Kelly helps individuals and organizations achieve transformative growth.

As a Daniel Goleman Meta coach, she trains new coaches in Daniel Goleman’s industry-trusted emotional intelligence leadership development program. She shares her knowledge of world-renowned research to improve effectiveness and strengthen workplace relationships at all levels. Her work includes executive leadership development and helping organizations compete globally.

A trusted advisor to many C-suite leaders, Kelly is an executive coach with more than 30 years of global consulting experience. She has coached international teams, written for industry audiences and frequently speaks at events. She has contributed to the Forbes Coaches Council and delivers keynote presentations to business and other industry leaders. Kelly has also worked as a consultant and coach for many Fortune 100 companies across healthcare, finance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical research, aerospace engineering and government.

Through her affiliation with Korn Ferry (a global organizational consulting firm), Kelly delivers leadership and emotional intelligence assessments and provides customized solutions aligned with an organization’s vision, direction and growth goals.

Marsha Oliver

Marsha Oliver is senior vice president of community and public engagement for the PGA TOUR. In this capacity, she helps the TOUR identify and strengthen partnerships that increase awareness, engagement and charitable impact in diverse communities where it hosts events. She was tapped to steward the TOUR’s 10-year, $100 million commitment to support nonprofit organizations addressing disparities in underserved and underrepresented communities. Under her leadership, the TOUR and its tournaments exceeded the 10-year goal in three years and have generated nearly $175 million to date for nonprofit organizations.

When Marsha joined the TOUR in 2019, she brought 25 years of experience in public affairs, community relations, marketing and crisis communications across corporate, government and philanthropic organizations.

Throughout her career, Marsha has been a strong advocate for communities, serving on numerous boards and organizations. She is a trustee for Baptist Health Jacksonville and the Baptist Foundation; a member of the Jacksonville University Board of Trustees; chair of the Kids Hope Alliance board; and a member of the Eartha M.M. White Legacy Fund Advisory Board, Leadership Jacksonville, the Bold City Chapter of The Links Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Her professional and civic affiliations have earned her numerous awards, including being named a Sports Business Journal Game Changer in 2025, induction into the African American Golfer’s Hall of Fame in 2024, and recognition as one of the nation’s top 100 female leaders and a Woman of Influence by The Business Journals in 2023.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Marsha earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with honors from Florida A&M University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She has one adult son and lives in Northeast Florida.

Linzee Ott

Linzee Ott serves as interim director of the Jax Riverfront Alliance, where she is spearheading the foundational development of the nonprofit as it prepares to launch and steward a world-class system of riverfront parks and public spaces in downtown Jacksonville. As the Alliance’s first hire, Linzee is responsible for building its operational architecture from the ground up. The Alliance will function as a pioneering public-private partnership with the City of Jacksonville, ensuring the riverfront meets national standards of high-quality maintenance, programming and activation.

Linzee brings specialized expertise in urban revitalization advocacy and systems-building to this role, underscored by her recent tenure as CEO of the nonprofit Build Up Downtown (BUD), where she led efforts to facilitate smart development, historic preservation and the creation of great public spaces in downtown Jacksonville while keeping the community informed about project updates.

A proud Jacksonville native, Linzee has extensive public service and nonprofit experience. Before joining BUD, she spent nearly eight years as director of community impact for the Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office, where she was hired by State Attorney Melissa Nelson to pioneer an innovative position — the office’s first role dedicated solely to community outreach — with the aim of better connecting the office with the community, leveraging community resources and restoring the public’s trust in the office. Her legislative experience includes several roles in Tallahassee and an internship in Washington, D.C. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees from Florida State University.

Linzee is an emeritus director of the San Marco Preservation Society and the current chair of Jacksonville’s Downtown Development Review Board.

Jessica Schacht

Jessica Schacht (Shock-ed or SH-AH-K-T) serves as vice president of community engagement at Brooks Rehabilitation, where she works with low- or no-cost community programs to provide continuous rehabilitative services for all individuals with differing abilities. As a certified athletic trainer, she understands the importance of rehabilitative services and is pleased to be able to work with the community programs and services that Brooks provides to the communities surrounding Jacksonville, Daytona, Orlando, Gainesville, Ocala and Tampa.

Jessica’s responsibilities also include leading the Brooks Foundation and conducting the Community Health Needs assessment.

Prior to joining Brooks, Jessica was the senior director of development for UF Health Jacksonville and the University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville. During her tenure with UF Health, she realized her love of working with vulnerable populations and nonprofit organizations. She currently serves as a board member of WeCare Jacksonville and on committees serving the UF Health Jacksonville Turkey Trot for Brain Injury Awareness and A Night for Heroes Gala. Jessica is also a proud member of Leadership Florida’s Connect 10 class, Leadership Jacksonville Class of 2018 (dubbed “the most inquisitive and best class”) and the UNF Alumni Association.

Jessica holds dual degrees from the University of North Florida — a Master of Business Administration in international business and a Bachelor of Science in sports medicine and athletic training. She is passionate about ensuring water safety for all and continues to coach swimmers at The Bolles School. As a fun fact, Jessica worked in professional sports for 10 years. She had the pleasure of working with professional golf tournaments, creating tracking technology for marathons, and masterminding the scoring system for the CrossFit Games. Her favorite blessing is spending time with her family: Mark, Lilly and Kade.

Dr. Kelli Tice

Kelli Tice, MD, is a family physician with a background in public health who serves as GuideWell/Florida Blue’s vice president of medical affairs and chief health improvement officer. In this role, Kelli creates solutions that improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities for GuideWell/Florida Blue’s customers and communities. She also has responsibilities in public health surveillance and served as the clinical lead for GuideWell/Florida Blue’s COVID-19 response. In 2022, Kelli received GuideWell/Florida Blue’s Circle of Excellence Award for Community and Impact.

Before joining GuideWell/Florida Blue in 2018, she spent 17 years as a public health physician, serving in numerous leadership roles, including county health officer and state medical director for the Florida Department of Health. Throughout her career, Kelli has worked to address health disparities, including training physicians and medical students on incorporating evidence-based health outcomes improvement techniques into public and private clinical settings. She is a graduate of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Harvard Disparities Leadership Program.

Kelli is a member of several medical organizations, including the Florida Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Florida State Medical Association, Florida Medical Association and the National Medical Association. She also holds leadership roles in the Northeast Florida Medical Society (president), Jacksonville Transformation Coalition Health Workgroup (co-lead) and America’s Health Insurance Plans Health Equity Leadership Committee (chair). In addition, she serves on the Florida State Health Improvement Plan steering committee, the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative steering committee and as a board member of WeCareJax and the First Coast American Heart Association.

Kelli received her bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine. She is the mother of four young adults and enjoys reading and traveling.

Dr. Robin Thomas, Ed.D.

Dr. Roberta “Robin” Thomas, Ed.D., is a Montessori educator and curriculum leader with more than 25 years of experience in early childhood education. She serves as lead teacher and curriculum and instruction coordinator at The Discovery School in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, where she supports the development of children ages 3-6 through Montessori and PYP-IB inquiry-based approaches.

Robin believes that every child’s curiosity is the foundation of lasting learning. She is committed to whole child development, blending research-based Montessori practice with inquiry-driven instruction to create environments where children thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

Robin holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Florida. She also earned credentials from the American Montessori Society, the International Baccalaureate Program and the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Samantha Vance

Samantha Vance is the executive director of the Jacksonville Sports Foundation (JSF), overseeing sports tourism for Florida’s largest and most populous city. She leads JSF’s administrative, financial and strategic operations. Formed in early 2024, JSF coordinates efforts among Visit Jacksonville and the Beaches, the Duval County Tourist Development Council, the City of Jacksonville, and elite sports entities across Northeast Florida.

Sam brings extensive nonprofit leadership experience, having founded and stabilized multiple organizations and raised more than $17 million in funding. Her expertise in sustainability planning and organizational recovery supports long-term growth and economic impact in Northeast Florida. A recognized visionary, she has helped drive positive change in Jacksonville’s sports and community ecosystem.

A Las Vegas native, Sam spent 16 years in Tallahassee. There, she served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Board and a mayoral appointee to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She also founded Ladies Learning to Lead, a statewide organization that has served more than 6,000 girls with college-prep and job-readiness skills.

Please bookmark this page; more panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.