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Almost 220 representatives from 90 leading Northeast Florida companies, nonprofits and agencies visited the Â鶹´«Ã½ campus today for the fourth annual Â鶹´«Ã½ Employer Summit. Organized by Â鶹´«Ã½ Career Services, the summit serves as the University's signature event to kick off the recruiting season and strengthen industry partnerships across Northeast Florida. 

The half-day summit brought together top employer partners from throughout the Jacksonville area, which is home to four Fortune 500 companies and a globally competitive business ecosystem. Jacksonville is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and has been named one of the hottest job markets in the country. 

“This year’s record-breaking registration reflects the strong demand for Â鶹´«Ã½ talent and underscores the trust our employer partners place in the University as a key source for workforce development and future leadership,” said Scott Curry, senior director of Career Services. 

The summit’s impressive lineup of attending employers represented a wide range of industries, including healthcare, engineering, finance, transportation and logistics. A few notable participants included Fidelity Investments, Mayo Clinic, JEA, Florida Blue, CSX, Mercedez-Benz and the Peace Corps. 

The summit began with a networking breakfast and opening remarks from Florida State Senator Clay Yarborough, Â鶹´«Ã½ vice president of Strategy & Innovation Dr. Paul Eason and Â鶹´«Ã½ CIO Dr. Brian Verkamp. From there, attendees participated in a series of breakout panels and workshops led by industry leaders and University staff. 

In “Elevate Your Internship Efforts with Â鶹´«Ã½,” Erin Richman, Â鶹´«Ã½ assistant vice president of Student Success, moderated a panel with Acosta Group, Pivot CPAs and Dun & Bradstreet on building stronger internship programs.  

Michael Cagle, senior director of talent acquisition at Acosta Group, led the “Developing & Retaining Early Talent” session, featuring insights from CIS Companies, Corporate Traffic Logistics, Baptist Health and FIS.  

The “Degrees of Opportunity: From Arts to Analytics” workshop moderated by associate dean of the Silverfield College of Education & Human Services Dr. Jennifer Kane, explored diverse hiring pathways with Fidelity Investments, Beeline and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.  

Employers also joined a planning session for the 2025-26 recruiting season with associate director of Career Services Lauren Linster and learned about regional talent resources from marketing director Murphy Gray of JAXUSA Partnerships. 

The sessions gave employers the chance to share best practices, explore Â鶹´«Ã½’s evolving talent pipeline and discuss strategies to engage early-career professionals. 

“We attend the Â鶹´«Ã½ Employer Summit every year to stay connected with the University, keep up with any changes in recruiting and continue building our talent pipeline,” said Sheryl Tschimpke, insurance partner at Pivot CPA and a Â鶹´«Ã½ alum (‘98). “Â鶹´«Ã½ is a primary recruiting school for us, our entire pipeline is built from interns up, and we’ve had great success hiring students who want to grow their careers locally. The University’s strong accounting program, on-campus environment and emphasis on both technical and soft skill development really prepare students to succeed.” 

With record-breaking registration and growing interest from regional employers, Â鶹´«Ã½ remains focused on helping employers discover, recruit and retain talented students who are ready to contribute to the workforce from day one.