2025 Arts Awards Winners
Art Educator
DON ZENTZ
Don Zentz recently retired after forty-one years of service to students through music education. His illustrious career centered on band directing at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels along with arts administration. Don and his wife, Laurie, moved to Jacksonville in 1987 when he accepted the Director of Bands position at Wolfson Senior High School. He went on to teach at the University of North Florida, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, The Bolles School, and the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. For the past ten years, a remarkable amount of national acclaim has come to the Douglas Anderson jazz program under Don’s leadership. Through symphonic bands, jazz bands, marching bands and courses in music theory, music appreciation, jazz history, jazz improvisation, and music education techniques, an estimated thirteen thousand students have experienced Don’s teaching expertise and passion for music over four decades. He is the recipient of the 2003 Edwin Ford Teaching Award at The Bolles School and the 1996 Outstanding Professor Award at UNF.
Don is an honor graduate of Valdosta State University where he has been recognized as an outstanding alumnus. He enjoys tremendous demand as a clinician, adjudicator, and performer in both traditional and jazz idioms. For over twenty years he was a per service saxophonist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and a mainstay with the St. Johns River City Band. Since the early 1990’s, Don can often be found in the pit orchestra of the traveling shows that come through Jacksonville, most recently MJ-The Musical and The Tina Turner Musical. He was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame in 2022. Don’s professional notability extends well beyond the First Coast region. He has directed All-State Jazz Bands in Ohio, Maine, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. National awards include the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year (JEN/Berklee), the National Jazz Festival Jazz Educator Award, DownBeat’s Jazz Education Achievement Award, thirty years as a Keilwerth Saxophones Performing Artist, and his selection two years ago to the Board of Directors of The Midwest Clinic, considered to be the most prestigious band conference in the world.
Art of Giving
Renee Favo
Renee Favo has a BA in Communications and Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa. She and her husband Mike have supported the arts and culture in six states over the past 38 years, including Jacksonville, Florida for the past 19. She is a former board member of the Jacksonville Dance Theatre, past Director of Music at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Jacksonville Beach, and current board member of the GFWC Jacksonville Beaches Woman’s Club, also working with the Community Giving Committee. She served on the 2025 ExZOOberation Steering Committee and is a cantor and choir member at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Jacksonville. Renee’s parents set a wonderful example of giving, and she is proud to see her own adult children continuing that legacy.
Art Innovator
BRIAN NIECE
As founder and Artistic Director of Lumen Repertory Theatre of Greater Jacksonville, Brian is bringing challenging theatrical productions not otherwise available in Jacksonville. Lumen Rep is the only fully professional, nonprofit, Actors’ Equity-affiliated theatre company in Jacksonville—with a clear and compelling mission: to invest in emerging talent while fairly compensating established artists. In just over two seasons, Lumen Rep has produced four original works, including collaborations with nationally renowned playwright Michael Jacobs. Through this work, Brian has reimagined what regional theatre can be: a local catalyst for professional excellence, civic discourse, and artistic innovation. His model champions sustainable artistic labor while creating new cultural offerings that enrich and elevate the Jacksonville community.
Brian’s collaborative spirit extends well beyond Lumen Rep. He continues to build bridges across Jacksonville’s arts ecosystem—partnering with educational institutions like FSCJ, Jacksonville University, and UNF, working with the City of Atlantic Beach on cultural initiatives, and developing interdisciplinary projects with local filmmakers and dance companies such as Emily Cargill & Dancers. His commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration creates fertile ground for new ideas that transcend traditional artistic boundaries, ensuring that innovation is both community-rooted and culturally expansive.
Brian’s personal achievements as a writer, director, and artistic leader are inextricably linked to his vision of creating opportunity for others. By founding Lumen Repertory Theatre, he established a platform where professional theatre artists can build careers, develop new work, and contribute to the region’s cultural fabric in meaningful ways. The works he produces don’t simply entertain—they reflect, challenge, and inspire. Whether holding a mirror to society or shattering it entirely in pursuit of justice and truth, Brian’s leadership ensures that theatre in Jacksonville is more than an art form—it is a movement grounded in community, equity, and transformation.
Community Impact
KEMAL GASPER
As Vice President of Community Engagement at VyStar Credit Union, Kemal has seamlessly integrated corporate responsibility with cultural enrichment, forging partnerships that uplift communities and celebrate creativity. As a leader in corporate philanthropy, Kemal manages VyStar’s North Florida nonprofit sponsorship portfolio and volunteerism initiatives enterprise wide, aligning community investments with impactful cultural and nonprofit partnerships.
A longtime steward of the arts, Kemal served nearly a decade on the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville Board of Directors. His leadership extended to the Cultural Service Grant Panel, where he helped allocate millions in funding to local cultural nonprofits. He also played a pivotal role on the KingSoutel CRA Advisory Board, championing the “Legends” public art installation that brought vibrant cultural expression to The Legends Center in Northwest Jacksonville. Kemal currently serves on the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Television, Motion Picture & Commercial Production.
Kemal is also a sought-after emcee, fundraiser and guest speaker for high-profile cultural events. He has served as a key leader and engaging presence at the Cathedral Arts Project Performing Arts Showcase, READ USA’s Peace in the Pages Luncheon, WJCT’s Teach Conference, MLK Breakfast Tomorrow’s Leaders Essay Contest, JASMYN’s Coming Out Day Breakfast and Leadership Jacksonville’s 2025 Celebration. His media presence across outlets such as News4JAX, First Coast Living and WJCT further amplifies the work of local nonprofits, arts and cultural institutions.
Deeply committed to leadership development and civic engagement, Kemal is a proud graduate of The Leadership Jacksonville Class of 2019 and currently serves on its board of directors. He is also a graduate of Leadership Florida’s Connect Class X and was selected for the Mike Hightower Emerging Leaders Fellowship Class III, where he now serves as Chair Elect. Most recently, Kemal was selected for the inaugural cohort of JAX Chamber’s Influence JAX, a program designed to cultivate the next generation of influential civic and business leaders in Northeast Florida.
Robert Arleigh White Award For Advocacy
JOHN A. LUMPKIN II
John A. Lumpkin II is a producer, arranger, and artist. He obtains a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Florida under the direction of Danny Gottlieb and a Master’s degree from Florida State University under the leadership of Leon Anderson. In 2009 he was also a part of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute and Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program, John grew up in the pentecostal church and still plans to exercise his gifts there as well as in other national venues. However, he says “The church is the root of my zeal for music and forever shall be”.
While carrying his talents between Japan and Switzerland, he has also internationally been a part of the Jazz at Lincoln Centers Artist in Residency Program. In 2017 Wynton Marsalis combined with the Dr. Phillips Fine Arts Center in Orlando, FL to create the Dr. Phillips Jazz Orchestra of which John was a part.
Along with his passion for the church, he is also a part of Beyond Music. Beyond Music is an online platform where artists from around the world can create music. The co-founder Tina Turner is a part of the Ambassadors for this movement and the artistic directors have been Larry Klien, Manu Katche, Michael League, and Bill Laurance.
Throughout his career, John has shared the stage with greats such as Sean Jones, Delfeayo Marsalis, Wycliff Gordon, Marcus Roberts, Arturo Sandoval, Curtis Fuller, Marcus Printup, Houston Person, Rufus Reid, Vanessa Rubin, James Moody, Nathan Davis, and David Baker. From serving on staff at the University of North Florida and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, he is also the founder of the Jazz Discovery Series, The John Lumpkin Institute, and The Covenant which extends to the community based in Jacksonville, FL. His level of expectancy drives him to see many other things emerging from his gift of music to the world.
Small Business of the Year
BLUE JAY LISTENING ROOM
Blue Jay Listening Room is a beautifully sacred, intimate music venue with a carefully curated environment allowing you the space to listen, expand your musical knowledge and share in an experience you will never forget. It gives you an opportunity to take a deep breath, connect and feel inspired. Blue Jay Listening Room encourages community and togetherness through the gift of live music.
“As a musician, I know the heart, soul and time that artists put into writing their own songs. I know what a special thing it is to be able to bare your heart and soul and share those stories with people who actually want to hear them. For some, Selling out a stadium is one side of the dream, but having an intimate, quiet room full of intent listeners who sincerely care what you have to say is something so magical it’s impossible to put into words.” – Cara Murphy, Owner-Operator
CORPORATE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
LEADERSHIP JACKSONVILLE
Leadership Jacksonville was formed in 1976 as a vehicle to stimulate the growth of leadership in our community. Under the guidance of the late Frederick H. Schultz, the organization’s first President, Leadership Jacksonville was formed with the interest and financial support of the Junior League of Jacksonville, JAX Chamber and the Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. (JCCI)
Each class participated in an Arts and Culture Day focused on understanding the influence of arts and culture on economic development and in leadership. Participants engage with artists and speakers at various cultural institutions throughout the day.
Helen Lane Founders Award
This award, named after one of the original founders of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, honors an individual dedicated to ensuring that arts and culture are woven into the fabric of everyday life in the community.
Dr. Milt Russos
Dr. Milt Russos’s path to cultural leadership began in the most humble and unexpected way. When he arrived in Jacksonville in 1966, he came as a young, single man to teach American history at the brand-new Florida Junior College. Armed with bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Florida (and later earning his doctorate from Nova University), “I always had an interest in theatre, but I knew I would never be a performer,” he reflects. He certainly didn’t intend to enter the world of theater when he moved to Jacksonville. But opportunity beckoned when college leaders asked him to launch a new activities program for students at what was then called the Civic Auditorium on Water Street. Dr Russos was initially charged with enhancing the cultural climate for students by providing cultural and entertainment programming with only a $10,000 budget. From this modest beginning—booking small musical acts with a tiny budget—something extraordinary began to unfold that would eventually grow to a $10-15 million annual operation.
Russos’s advocacy extends far beyond programming. He served on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee for the renovation of the Civic Auditorium to the new Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, helping to shape Jacksonville’s premier cultural venue. As a founding member of the Florida Professional Presenters Consortium and former president of the statewide Florida College System Activities Association (for which he received the Hall of Fame Award), he has advocated for cultural programming throughout the state. His distinguished recognition as a Lifetime member of the Broadway League and Tony Award voter for over 30 years positions him as a respected voice in the national theater community. The Northeast Florida Regional Council recognized his impact with their “Quality of Life” Award, acknowledging how his work has fundamentally enhanced the region’s cultural landscape.
CATALYST RECOGNITION:
DIANE BRUNET-GARCíA
Diane Brunet is a nationally recognized leader in advertising, community engagement, and arts advocacy, with over two decades of experience in strategic communications. She is the co-founder of Brunet-García, a Jacksonville-based advertising and marketing communications firm with a national footprint, including offices in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Under Diane’s leadership, the agency became a trusted voice in cross-cultural marketing, serving clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Embraer, the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, WJCT, CDC, HHS, Haskell, Florida Blue and the Mayo Clinic, among many others.
As a (multicultural or marketing) strategist and polished media spokesperson, Diane led award-winning campaigns such as Florida DOT’s “Click It or Ticket” for the state’s nearly 6 million Hispanics. She is widely respected for her ability to reach diverse communities through compelling, culturally attuned messaging.
In 2023, after 20 years at the helm, Diane sold and retired from Brunet-García, closing a remarkable chapter of creative innovation and community impact. Her career has been decorated with hundreds of accolades, including ADDY, Telly, and Emmy Awards, as well as the Silver Medal Award from the American Advertising Federation for lifetime achievement.
Beyond business, Diane has demonstrated a profound commitment to civic life. Her service includes board leadership with the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation, the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, where she also served as Board Chair. She has contributed to initiatives such as the Jacksonville Journey and the Cultural Service Grants Panel, further shaping the region’s cultural and civic identity.
Diane is also the Founder and Director of STAGE Fund, a grassroots initiative focused on paying theatre artists in Northeast Florida a living wage. Through periodic grants to independent producers and artistic organizations, the STAGE Fund reflects her deep belief in equity and sustainability in the arts.
A proud alumna of LaGrange College, where she studied Theatre Arts on a scholarship, Diane was recently honored as a Distinguished Alumni. She is a member of the Jacksonville Women’s Network, International Association of Business Communicators, Women in Film, and is known for her tireless efforts to advance affordable housing, education, and cultural access.