Media Release

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - Betty M. Baker, Alachua County Administrative Services Director, is pleased to announce the selection of Jacqueline Chung as the Equal Opportunity Manager for the County.  She began the position Monday, May 17, 2010.

According to Randall H. Reid, County Manager, Ms. Chung brings to the position a wealth of experience in equal opportunity, diversity and accessibility for persons with disabilities.  “Ms. Chung was recommended by Betty Baker, Administrative Services Director as the candidate of choice and I support her recommendation.” 

Selection of Ms. Chung came after a national search and a rigorous competitive interview process that included a panel of community leaders and a panel of employee representatives.  According to Baker, A former Equal Employment Opportunity Director in another city, “Jackie understands the delicate balance a person in this position needs to achieve equity and fairness for employees, while at the same time investigating her peers and colleagues to determine if any violations of equal opportunity laws have occurred.”

Ms. Chung began her career with Alachua County in September 1998, as an Equal Opportunity Program Specialist. She was promoted to Equal Opportunity Supervisor in 2002, and has served as Interim Equal Opportunity Manager since November 2008, following the retirement of Ida Rawls. She is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) and is a Certified Public Manager.

Ms. Chung has a family background in public service. Her father is a retired minister and educator, and she spent the early years of her marriage as a military spouse during her husband’s career in the Air Force. Their older son Nicholas is currently on active duty in the Air Force. She says, “It was through my experience as a military family that I began to truly appreciate the value of diversity. We were able to form friendships in new communities with people of varied backgrounds, by focusing on what we had in common - the military - and not on our many differences.”  She continued saying, “ I am committed to the mission and goals of the Board of County Commissioners Equal Opportunity policies  and I will advocate for the fair and equitable treatment of all individuals.

For more information, contact Jackie Chung at 352-374-5275.