Meet the Project Boots Participants

In late 2022, five Jacksonville natives who are the first participants in the Project Boots homeownership program are anticipated to break ground on their new home in the Historic Eastside neighborhood upon successful completion of the program.

LISC Jacksonville is proud to feature these five Project Boots participants and share a bit of information about them:

Erin Battle, Teacher

Erin Battle is a native of the Historic Eastside. She spent a lot of her youth at her grandmother’s house on Franklin Street, and her family all attended Matthew Gilbert Middle School (and former High School). Moving back to the Eastside is deeply personal for her and she is thrilled to be part of the Eastside revitalization movement.

Ms. Battle is a media specialist and certified exceptional student education teacher at Tiger Academy Elementary YMCA Charter School in Northwest Jacksonville, which her 8-year-old son attends. She also volunteers at his school, as well as the Jacksonville Children’s Choir, and is an avid tennis player.

Gayandrial Ivy Henderson, Landscape Architect 

Gayandrial Ivy Henderson, known as Ivy, is a landscape designer with the City of Jacksonville (COJ). She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida in 2019 and moved back to Jacksonville to start her career as a Parks Planner and Designer for COJ.

Although she did not reside there, Ms. Henderson has always been a part of the Eastside community and her love for this neighborhood grew in her adulthood, and she found a passion in serving this community through her many talents as a designer.

She looks froward to moving into the Historic Eastside where she can begin to set roots and hopes to one day show generations after her that the Eastside Neighborhood has great potential and “can be everything one imagined if we do our parts as Eastside stewards, residents, and allies.”

Dr. Rudy F. Jamison, Ed.D., Professor  

Dr. Rudy F. Jamison Jr. is the Director of the Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of North Florida (UNF). He earned his bachelor’s in biology from Florida A&M University, his master’s in Educational Leadership from UNF, and his doctorate in Educational Leadership with a focus on career mobility, developmental relationships, and identity.

Dr. Jamison is a native of ‘Outeast’ Jacksonville, FL and had the honor of growing up in the same home that his mother and all of her siblings were raised in. He believes in the rich history and legacy of the Outeast community and is committed to its revitalization. “Moving back Outeast for me is the ultimate investment in turning marginalized neighborhoods around; intentionally attending to the institutions that make neighborhoods safe and desirable (i.e., education, housing, community wellness, economic vitality and sustainability).” Dr. Jamison hopes that initiative like Project Boots serve as demonstrative evidence that those who are closest to the issues are best situated and capable of creating sustainable solutions for those issues.  

Dr. Kiersten S. Pough, Pharmacist

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Dr. Pough is a pharmacist at CVS Pharmacy. In 2007, Dr. Pough graduated from Paxon School for Advanced Studies and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Florida A&M University in 2015, after which she returned to Jacksonville. In her free time, she enjoys pilates, hot yoga, gardening, and spending time with her two-year-old son.  Dr. Pough aspires to own a home and take part in the revitalization of the Historic Eastside.

Bruce Moye and Carlena Williams-Moye, Community Advocates and Volunteers

Bruce Moye and his wife Carlena Williams-Moye were born and raised in the Historic Eastside neighborhood before Ms. Williams-Moye moved to the northside with her family when she was young. Both welcome the opportunity to return “Out East” to help rebuild the community by living by example.

Mr. Moye is the president of the Eastside Brotherhood, a private club founded in Historic Eastside in 1981 that remains a staple of the community. He is very active in the community and has hosted multiple events, including the MLK Parade, Juneteenth at the Melanin Market, and back-to-school drives. He is also active in preserving the Historic Eastside’s history and legacy. Ms. Williams-Moye, who has been in the mortgage industry for over 25 years, is also an active volunteer in the Eastside community and is a positive role model to many who live and work there.