JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Laura Dutton, who is JEA’s chief strategy officer, was released from her position at the city-owned utility company, according to a statement News4JAX received Wednesday from JEA.
The statement talks about her leaving the company and then goes on to praise her efforts:
“Chief Strategy Officer Laura Dutton will be resigning from JEA, bringing her three-year tenure with the utility to a close. JEA CEO Jay Stowe praised Dutton’s efforts. “Laura worked very hard to build capacity and solve problems. We appreciate her dedication to our mission and values and wish her the best as she explores opportunities closer to her home. JEA’s leadership team will assume the responsibility to lead various elements of the Strategy division.”
Dutton, who lives in Tennessee, recently received a 23% raise, which is an additional $73,000 a year, at the same time JEA is considering a rate hike.
We are still waiting to receive details about Dutton’s severance package.
A JEA spokesperson said the remaining three JEA vice presidents who live outside of Jacksonville will continue to work according to the company’s “Work Where We Work Best” policy.
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She was one of the four people in charge who News4JAX learned doesn’t live in Jacksonville after the company opened a new $100 million corporate headquarters. But her situation isn’t unusual.
The VP of People and Culture Helen Materazzi lives in New Jersey, VP of Engineering and Construction Pedro Melendez lives in Stuart, Fla. and VP of Economic Development Paul Mitchell lives in Port Orange, Fla. JEA has seven chiefs, including the managing director and CEO, and 16 vice presidents.
JEA has over 2,200 employees, and the company said nearly half have the option to work remotely.
According to JEA, 88 employees live out of state. The majority of them are in Georgia and most commute, but there are about 26 others who live across the country in states like California, Colorado and New Jersey and have a hybrid/remote work arrangement. As for the employees who live in Georgia, 64 out of 67 commute to their JEA workplace, and three are hybrid/remote employees.
The VP of Communication Mark Stultz said, in part, that the employees are working remotely because “it helps recruit the best talent for those roles.”
News4JAX asked JEA CEO Jay Stowe about the executives who live out of state at a Tuesday utility board meeting.
“Our policy for JEA is that we try to hire the best people we can, and get the talent we can - so we have a handful of people that don’t live in the territory, but they make JEA better and Jacksonville better so we can keep on improving lives for the community,” he said.
JEA’s leadership team will assume Dutton’s responsibilities.