About

Ashley Smith Juarez

Executive Director

Ashley Smith Juarez is Executive Director of the Chartrand Foundation, a family foundation launched in 2006 to support public education and early childhood initiatives. Ashley is a Jacksonville native who studied at Vanderbilt University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, earning a bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education. While receiving her degree, she was a substitute teacher and worked with English Language Learners in the Nashville School District. She then returned to Jacksonville to teach middle school social studies for The Bolles School, an independent K-12 school. Ashley taught for five years, coached both soccer and track, served as an advisor to the Student Honor Council and presented at conferences on technology integration in the classroom. Although Ashley was passionate about her role in the classroom, her convictions regarding opportunity for youth led her to work as a Student Advocate for the Duval County Take Stock in Children program facilitated by Communities in Schools of Jacksonville. In this role she worked with students and their families, guidance counselors, teachers, principals, community partners and volunteer mentors in 13 Duval County middle and high schools. In 2008, Ashley transitioned to The Chartrand Foundation to improve education at a systemic level. In addition, Ashley currently serves on the board of her own family’s foundation, the Emily Balz Smith Foundation founded in 1997, as well as the Board of Trustees at WJCT, the Take Stock in Children Leadership Council, the Family Support Services Board of Directors and the Women’s Giving Alliance Steering Committee. She also continues to work with students through volunteer tutoring and mentoring.

Valerie Grupp Arapis

Information Officer

Valerie Grupp Arapis is an Information Officer of The Chartrand Foundation, a family foundation launched in 2006 to support education and early childhood initiatives. She has recently made Jacksonville her home, after earning her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and master’s degree in Public Administration at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. While at Auburn, Valerie’s studies focused on election administration, as well as nonprofit management. In addition to earning her degrees from Auburn University, she has worked for Auburn in several roles. As a Distance Learning Coordinator within Auburn University’s Department of Political Science, she has developed distance learning courses and administered a distance learning political economy course. Valerie has worked as a research assistant in Auburn University’s Election Administration Program, a program focusing on strengthening the integrity of elections. She has also conducted research in Auburn’s Human Centered Computing Lab where she tested electronic ballot designs on Prime III, an innovative new multi-modal voting system. At last, her understanding of education as a primary step to improving individual’s lives and communities, led to Valerie’s move to Jacksonville to join The Chartrand Foundation.

Mickee Brown

Director of Operations

Meredith Chartrand Frisch

Director of Early Childhood Initiatives

Meredith Chartrand Frisch is the Director of Early Childhood Initiatives at The Chartrand Foundation, a foundation launched in 2006 to support public education and early childhood initiatives. A Jacksonville native, Meredith graduated from Florida State University in 2003, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Child Sciences. After graduation, she moved to New York City, where she taught art at a Montessori school. In 2006, Meredith moved back to Jacksonville to help to improve the lives of Jacksonville's children and work with her family in to establish The Chartrand Foundation. She currently serves on the boards of The Chartrand Foundation, Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, Congregation Ahavath Chesed, and The Jacksonville Jewish Foundation. Meredith is a member of the Women’s Giving Alliance. She also participates as a mentor through Communities in School's Take Stock in Children.