Content
7/1/1995-6/30/1999
7/1/1999-6/30/2003
Alberta Hipps was born in Jacksonville, Florida and grew up in the rural Picketville/Dinsmore area where her family owned a small fuel oil company. After graduating from Paxon Senior High School, she married Frank Hipps and moved to the farm property that has been in the Hipps family for three generations. There they raised their two children, Darby and Lara and were active in 4-H and other community and church activities. While the children were growing up, Alberta went back to school while working full time. She graduated with Honors from FCCJ, where she was named 'Student Nurse of the Year'. After working as a staff nurse in Wolfson Hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and while working at the Cystic Fibrosis Center, Alberta went on to the University of North Florida for a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing. She began working at St. Vincent's Medical Center in 1980 where she set up a Pulmonary Rehabilitation program and served as Assistant Director of Education and the Administrative Director of the Heart and Lung Institute. In 1984, St. Vincent's Medical Center nominated Alberta to be a member of Jacksonville University's first Executive MBA class. She graduated from Jacksonville University in 1986 with a Master's of Business Administration. After receiving her MBA, Alberta took on more administrative duties at St. Vincent's as Director of Medical Staff Support Services.
Alberta successfully ran for Jacksonville City Council in 1995 and represented District 13 which covers the southwest section of Jacksonville (Duval County), including Cecil Field Commerce Center and Cecil Air Field. She served as President of the Council for the 2000-2001 year. In 2001 she served as a member of the Governor's Growth Management Task Force. She was a member of the Board of Regents of Leadership Florida and the Board of Governors of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. She served as a member of the Florida Association of Counties Board of Directors and was a member of the Westside Business Leaders Association and regularly attended the West Area Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Citizens Planning Advisory committee.
Alberta was always active in her community, serving on the American Lung Association Board, both local and state, the Riverside/Avondale Preservation Board and Tree Hill Preserve. She was a past Chair of the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women, an alumna of Leadership Jacksonville, Class of 1993 and 1999 class of Leadership Florida, and Board of Leadership Florida. She served on the Board of the Gateway Girl Scout Council, Inc. and was a member of the Republican Women's Club.
Honors included Student Nurse of the Year in her FCCJ nursing class, Outstanding Community Service Award from the Zonta Club of Jacksonville and the Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) Award from the YWCA of Jacksonville. She was awarded the 1997 Business Leader of the Year Award by the Westside Business Leaders Association and the 1998 Canopy Award in the government category by Greenscape for her landscape and environmental work. In June, 1998 she was awarded the Charles D. Webb Award. Each year this award is given by the outgoing Council President to the Council member he or she feels contributed most to the furthering of good government in Jacksonville. In November, 2001 she received an award for outstanding service to agriculture.