Jodi came to Brevard County in 1995 to live closer to her mother. Her love for the community is driven by the beautiful coasts, the native landscapes, and the friends that she has come to love. Divorced in 1999, Jodi was still able, as a single mom, to maintain a home for her children in the Eau Gallie area of Melbourne and be an active parent volunteer at their schools.
Jodi followed her faith and took a role coordinating a statewide campaign to educate the public about patients being prosecuted for using cannabis under a doctor's care. Not only did the position allowed her to work from home while she cared for her children, but more importantly it also taught her how to speak out on controversial issues and to help those who felt like they had no voice. Since that first position in 1999, she has dedicated her career to helping people find their voice and protecting their First Amendment rights.
Jodi has become an accomplished public speaker, trainer and issues advocate. She has helped lead national public education programs on the efficacy of cannabis medicines and trained criminal justice professionals to speak internationally on the harms of drug prohibition. Locally, she has worked on issues advocating:
- Truth in Education
- Patients' Rights
- Protection of Children in Custody
- First Amendment Protections
- Rights Restoration for Ex-offenders
- Election Reform
Jodi married Dave McKinney, a long-time friend in 2003. Together they are exposing their two boys (16 and 12) to a life of political involvement and service by bringing them to meetings, volunteering on advocacy campaigns and participating in community services and clubs. They firmly believe in raising a generation (young and old) able to speak to power and be heard. You will often find their family volunteering at the boys' schools and participating in forums.
Included among her accolades and honors are the following items:
- 11th Circuit Court decision protecting the right to free speech in local permitting schemes;
- The 2000 Critical Resistance Award for her work on the Journey for Justice in FL and TX;
- Mention in the Who's Who of American Women.
- President of the South Brevard chapter of the Democratic Women's Club of Florida.
- State Democratic Women's Platform Chair in 2004. While in this position the current platform was written and adopted in the fall of 2005.
- State Political Education and Legislative Director for the Democratic Women's Club of Florida.
- In this position the goal has been to move public opinion to support equal rights for women and comprehensive sex education, and to oppose off-shore oil drilling and to oppose the use of FCAT as the sole factor in evaluating our school.
By focusing on the strengths of all individuals and empowering people to endow themselves with the skills they need, Jodi strives to be part of a genuine transformation in minds, hearts, communities and the world.
