Lex Hester Memorial Scholarship Review Committee
Welcome to the Lex Hester Memorial Scholarship Committee website. The Lex Hester Memorial Scholarship Committee is charged with awarding scholarships to deserving and qualified University of North Florida students seeking their Master of Public Administration. A permanent trust fund was established with the City of Jacksonville by the family of Lewis Alexander Lex Hester to provide a $1,500 scholarship to qualified candidates through a competitive process for the Spring and Fall term each year.
Legislative Authority
Sec. 111.825, Ordinance 2002-67-E, Executive Order 2018-03, Executive Order 2024-01.
Total Members
The Lex Hester Memorial Scholarship Committee includes 7 members: one representative from the public administration/political science community, one representative from the planning and urban studies community, one representative from the University of North Florida, three representatives with interest in public service, and one representative family member from the Lex Hester family or his or her designee.
Committee Duties
- Evaluating candidates
- Making recommendations to the Mayor for scholarship awards
- Submitting an annual report to the Mayor on committee activities
Meeting Schedule
Meetings are held twice a year, usually in February and August. Public meeting dates are posted on the Boards and Commissions Events Calendar.
View the Boards and Commissions Events Calendar
Committee Members
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Kara Tucker | Chair |
| Erin Abney | Vice Chair |
| Tracey Hester Flynn | Member |
| Frederick Sumter | Member |
| Chuck Gibson | Member |
| Dr. Georgette Dumont | Member |
| Todd Norman | Member |
Contact Staff
| Name | Position | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Javurek | Committee Staff | (904) 255-5582 | rjavurek@coj.net |
Scholarship Application Process
All applicants must complete the online scholarship application. The scholarship is only for tuition and fee expenses for the Master of Public Administration Program at the University of North Florida. There will be no reimbursement of residual funds.
The following criteria shall be used in evaluating candidates:
- Submission of a complete and timely application
- Current resident in Duval County
- Acceptance into, or current enrollment in, the Master of Public Administration Program at the University of North Florida
- A 3.0 GPA or higher as an undergraduate or as a current graduate student
- Official sealed transcript
- Essay response to written questions
- Essay on the life of Lewis Alexander Lex Hester, including his overall contributions to public administration, how his values impacted his work, and how his vision of consolidated government was important in the past, present, and future
Applications are currently being accepted through April 10, 2026.
Apply for the Lex Hester Memorial Scholarship
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