Charles Griggs
Director of Community Initiatives
City of Jacksonville - Office of Mayor Donna Deegan
Charles Griggs serves as the Director of Community Initiatives for the City of Jacksonville in the Office of Mayor Donna Deegan. Griggs is responsible for implementing Journey Forward, a community-based initiative focused on a comprehensive approach to building safer communities centered in prevention, intervention and well-being. Prior to this role, he served as the president of the Eighth & Whitner Group LLC, a media and government relations agency focused on the engagement of policy and program issues related to improving community outcomes. His communications industry knowledge spans more than 40 years and involves various winning campaigns, associations and clients throughout the South. Griggs was appointed by three different City of Jacksonville Mayors to serve on the Jacksonville Human Rights and Arts in Public Places Commissions and the Jacksonville Journey Oversight Committee. He also served on the boards of directors of the Jacksonville Housing Authority and WJCT Media. In 2015, he received the Mayor’s Lifetime Journey Award (8 years of service on the Jacksonville Journey Oversight Committee). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. a national mentoring organization, as Southeast District Representative. Griggs holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts from Florida International University and an Associate of Science Degree in Advertising and Design from the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale.