Member Highlights

CONGRATULATIONS TO GWENDOLYN SAFFO

2023 NAACP Community Service Award Recipient

Gwendolyn Delores Saffo epitomizes a community servant. She works tirelessly in the areas of social action through social justice advocacy, voter empowerment through active membership with policy focused organizations, and community education and service through engaging with health-related initiatives. Ms. Saffo has always been highly visible and active in the community serving as a leader and participant in community organizations. She served as the Chapter President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Gainesville
Alumnae Chapter from 2001-2005 and 2007-2011, and in many other capacities, on a state and regional level of the sorority. She is the immediate past chair of the Political Awareness and Involvement (Social Action) committee. Her tasks included promoting leadership, advocacy, and empowerment to effect social change and public policy in the community. Ms. Saffo has led her local chapter in making sure all voices are heard by attending school board, city, and county commission meetings and facilitating and organizing workshops such as "You and Law Enforcement," "Restoration of Voting Rights," and many other workshops. She is the co-founder of the Collaboratively Woke Initiative, a partnership between the Gainesville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. This partnership has led to many successful collaborations, including, Get Out the Vote, Leadership Academy, “Peace in Action – A Gun Violence Prevention Resource Fair,” and Townhall meetings on Community Race Relations. She is also the co-founder of "Friends with Vision," a grassroots initiative to use social media to bring about awareness of critical local, state, and national elections, voter involvement, voter rights, and voter suppression. She also serves as the lead person for the Mount Carmel Baptist
Church Social Action Awareness ministry. 

Ms. Saffo is the former Vice-President of the Alachua County Education Foundation and a current take stock mentor. She is the current Vice President of the Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of Alachua County (LWVAC), the Chair of LWVAC’s Gun Violence Prevention Committee and a member of LWVAC’s Voter Services Committee. Through her volunteer work with LWVAC’s, where she focuses on local issues, and establishing diverse
community partnerships. Ms. Saffo has served as a Big Sister with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and a Guardian ad Litem. She is a graduate of Focus on Leadership and Leadership Gainesville X. Ms. Saffo is also an active member of the Visionaires, Inc., the National Council of Negro Women, the National Alumni Association of Shaw University (Financial Secretary), the Florida Sunshine Alumni Chapter of Shaw University (President), the American
Association for Access, Equity & Diversity, and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. She also advocates for the elimination of health disparities for people of color through her work with as a Cancer Research &Intervention Advocate & Research Associate.

 
In addition to her volunteer efforts, Ms. Saffo is an accomplished professional with many years of experience. She possesses a broad base of knowledge that spans over thirty-five years in equal opportunity, equity, and social justice. In her professional career, Ms. Saffo has worked in Human Resources and Equal Opportunity. She began as an intern with the City of Gainesville Office of Equal Opportunity and progressed to the Affirmative Action Manager & Chief Investigator. She was also responsible for the office's outreach programs, including the Dismantling Racism Initiative. She led and facilitated workshops, diversity study circles, town hall meetings, and various other discussions and events focusing on race relations in the community. Ms. Saffo also served as the Interim Equal Opportunity Director twice during her tenure with the organization.

She is a skilled mediator, qualified arbitrator, investigator, diversity trainer, community organizer, human resources professional, and collective bargaining negotiator with excellent problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. She has served as the campaign manager and volunteer organizer for three successful judicial races.

Ms. Saffo has been awarded with the following accolades in recent years: 2023 Mercerdese Clark Trailblazer Award for Social Action (Delta Days at the Florida State Capitol Conference) and the 2022 Violette N. Anderson Award (presented by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc – Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter). Ms. Saffo's motto is, "If you put God first, you don't have to worry about what follows," She takes pride in being a servant leader.