Tag Archives: Get to Know
Get to Know … Diane Machaby
By Angela Higginbotham
angela@floridanewsline.com
Florida native Diane Machaby grew up in Daytona Beach. She moved to the Jacksonville area in 1988 and in 2008, she made Nocatee her home. Machaby proudly spent her time as a stay at home mom before serving more than 20 years in the nonprofit field. Passionate about serving others and making the community better, Diane worked with the Keep Jax Beautiful Commission and Habitat for Humanity (Habijax). Later, she transferred to Habitat for Humanity in St. Augustine, where she served as executive director for more than a decade. In 2014, Machaby started work with Home Again St. Johns to help the homeless, primarily in St. Johns County.
Get to Know … Joani Maskell
By Angela Higginbotham
angela@floridanewsline.com
Originally from Long Island, N.Y., Joani Maskell first became an entrepreneur at only 11 years old when she began teaching swimming lessons. Maskell is a mother of two. She and her husband, Cliff, have enjoyed living in Mandarin for more than 30 years. After attending graduate school at the University of Florida, Maskell worked as a special education teacher for four years and a large portion of her career was spent with Delta Airlines.
Get to Know … Michelle Clark
By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Like many people, Michelle Clark and her husband Jim moved with their three sons to St. Johns County due to the excellent schools. Fast forward 15 years and Clark has been awarded a major honor by the St. Johns County School District and Florida Department of Education: Outstanding Adult Volunteer for the county and Region II Outstanding Adult Volunteer, making her one of the top five adult school volunteers in the state of Florida.
Get to Know … Briant Becote
By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Briant Becote is a busy man. In addition to being a husband and father, he is a naval aviator and small business owner. Originally from Rhode Island, he wanted to be a sound engineer, but he attended the University of Rhode Island to be near a girlfriend at the time. He ended up without the girlfriend but with master’s degrees in organizational psychology and computer science — since the school did not offer a degree in sound engineering.
Get to Know Rev. Kimberly Hyatt
By Angela Higginbotham
angela@floridanewsline.com
Originally from South Carolina, Reverend Kimberly Hyatt grew up on a beautiful farm surrounded by family. Hyatt earned her bachelor of science degree from Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. and went on to receive her masters in religion from Princeton University. After her completing her studies at Princeton Seminary, Hyatt moved to Jacksonville in 1996, where she served as pastor at South Jacksonville Presbyterian and Peace Presbyterian churches. Reverend Hyatt also served on the board of directors for both Hubbard House and Community Connections. Hyatt moved to Ponte Vedra in 2005. She and her wife, Jane, enjoy living in The Plantation.
