President: Ken Hurley

Ken has enjoyed a wide variety of creative projects over the years since his “retirement.”  Ken has spoken before the First Coast Freethought Society many times. (There are videos!) His vision for FCFS is to build upon the warmth and friendly secular atmosphere that FCFS has enjoyed with an effort to grow membership and expand respectful community influence. You may learn more about Ken at his website: kenhurley88.com.

Vice President: Jeanette Emerson

Jeanette Emerson was born and raised in Florida and is  currently residing in Jacksonville. Her father, Bud Emerson, was a civil rights worker; she was raised to think, question and fight for human rights. She is a retired businesswoman with three daughters and two grandchildren. She enjoys her current position on the First Coast Freethought Society board, volunteering with nonprofit organizations and political campaigns and has recently joined Recovering from Religion as a support group co-leader.

She is committed to the continued success of the First Coast Freethought Society by supporting the goals of the FCFS in promoting science and reason over dogma, faith, and belief in the supernatural as well as opportunities to educate our local community on the importance of maintaining civil dialogue. Additionally, she is an advocate for improved public education, ensuring and safeguarding the separation of church and state.

Jeanette’s ongoing mission is to preserve the ideals that ensure freedom of thought. She lives the words of Eric Hoffer, “The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are free not to do.

Secretary: Madeline Sims

Madeline Sims has been a member of the First Coast Freethought Society since 2014. She has helped edit the FCFS’s monthly newsletter since 2018 and became the secretary on the board in January 2019. She re-designed the First Coast Freethought Society website in the summer of 2020 and continues updating the site as well as updating the social media accounts.

Madeline has been actively involved in several other non-profits in Jacksonville and in the state of Florida. She was board secretary at Buckman Bridge Unitarian Universalist Church (BBUUC) for two years and was PR Chair for the church for two years. For seven years, she has served on the board of directors of the Jax Bama Club, a local alumni chapter of the University of Alabama. She was president of the association for two years. She organized game watch parties during football season and helped the chapter raise money for their scholarship funds. She also created the club’s website and helped recruit and connect Alabama fans from across town. Madeline was also actively involved in the Florida Library Association, serving on their Conference Committee for four years, their PR Committee for two years and was the chair of the Volunteers Committee for their 2015 conference.

Madeline is currently the Library Technical Services Program Coordinator at FSCJ and enjoys the behind the scenes work of maintaining the library software, including the online catalog and the college’s digital archive. In her limited spare time, Madeline enjoys traveling with her husband Jeff, reading, and getting out at least once a day for her daily walk through the streets of Mandarin. Despite all of her many obligations, Madeline makes her service as Secretary for the First Coast Freethought Society a priority and looks forward to contributing more to the organization.

Treasurer: Steve Peek

Stephen Peek has agreed to run for his 12th consecutive term as treasurer for the First Coast Freethought Society. Originally from a Navy family, Steve has lived in the Jacksonville area since 1989. He worked in the merchant marine for 20 years and left as an unlimited master. He is a licensed electrician and is currently a construction superintendent. Steve is an assistant organizer for the Jacksonville Atheist Meetup group and the local coordinator for the Northeast Florida Coalition of Reason. Steve coordinated the very successful FCFS “godless billboard” project which came to fruition in March of 2010. He joined the board as an at-large member in 2008 and has served as Treasurer since 2011.

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Fred Hill

The son of a sailor and grandson of a Baptist preacher, Fred Hill has done some extensive traveling since first emerging into the world in Long Beach, California, in 1962.  Fred served a few years in the Navy, studied fine arts at San Jose State University, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from Jones College, and has been employed at the Duval County Courthouse since 2000. An omnivorous reader, he is particularly fascinated with natural and human history.  Fred gradually came to the conclusion that the preponderance of evidence indicates people created God rather than vice versa, and he declines to be cowed into thinking otherwise by threats of eternal damnation. Fred has served as parliamentarian several times and has served on the board since 2011. As editor and writer for the First Coast FreeThinker and board member-at-large, Fred promises to continue to help the FCFS promote a rational, humanistic outlook, free from superstitious dogma and dedicated to making the best of our lives in the here and now, the only reality we can be sure of.

David Schwam-Baird

Dr. David Schwam-Baird formerly served as Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, at the University of North Florida. Dr. Schwam-Baird taught courses on International Politics, with an emphasis on the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe. He also taught courses on Political Philosophy. David has lived in Jacksonville and taught at UNF since 1994. He has been a member of the First Coast Freethought Society since its earliest days, having served as president, vice president, and program chair in the past. He is happy to be active in FCFS again. He strongly believes that as freethinkers, defenders of free speech, and as science advocates, FCFS has an important role to play in Northeast Florida.

Dian Sheer

Dian moved to the First Coast from Connecticut a few years ago, early-retired, newly single and eager to begin her next chapter. Before relocating, she was a “tri-state” native: born in NJ, working in NYC and living in CT. She had a long career in the financial services sector (primarily banking and brokerage) in marketing, advertising, business strategy and consumer research. She retired from Citigroup NYC as a Senior VP and Director of Marketing Strategy and Competitive Intelligence, holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Psychology and has previously served on Boards for charitable organizations and HOAs.

Dian’s atheism and antipathy toward organized religion began in her early ‘teens (the unintended consequence of eight years of Catholic schooling, she claims), and have since grown into strong Humanist convictions. In a bit of culture shock after relocating, Dian was delighted to find a like-minded community of thoughtful, inquisitive and welcoming people at FCFS almost two years ago. As our newest Board member-at-large, she is focused on expanding the Humanist community through increased messaging and growing FCFS membership with targeted outreach efforts.

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