Recent Spotlights

Alumni Spotlight: Kara Wade Tucker (’06)

Kara Wade Tucker ('06) has spent her career removing barriers for others as Jacksonville's Chief of Disabled Services, but long before that, she was a first-generation student at the University of North Florida, learning what it meant to serve a community.

When Kara arrived at The Nest, she was looking for an education close to home. What she found was a place that helped her discover who she wanted to become. Through her sociology studies, she developed a deeper understanding of advocacy, inclusion and the systems that shape people's lives. Just as importantly, she found mentors who saw potential in her before she fully saw it in herself.

Outside the classroom, Kara embraced campus life. She spent time with friends, got involved in organizations and enjoyed the natural beauty that continues to define the UNF experience.

While she always knew she wanted a career centered around helping others, Kara did not envision the exact path her life would take. Working with students with disabilities, serving on the City of Neptune Beach Government City Council and finding new ways to advocate for her community, each opportunity led to another. Along the way, she discovered that her personal experiences could become one of her greatest strengths. 

Living with cerebral palsy, Kara has experienced both barriers and opportunities firsthand. That perspective now comes to use in her current role, where she advocates for accessibility, inclusion and equal opportunity for people with disabilities. Whether improving ADA compliance, building community partnerships or creating programs like the Disability and Adaptive Recreation Expo, her goal is simple: make Jacksonville a place where everyone can thrive.

Kara credits much of her philosophy to lessons she learned at UNF. As a student, she believed leadership was tied to titles. Today, she understands it more as serving others, building relationships and helping people succeed.

That commitment to service is why, twenty years after graduating, Kara remains involved with UNF as a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. For her, creating positive change has never been about a single job title or accomplishment; it's about leaving every community she touches better than she found it.

(Written by Maranda Leone, published 8/25/26)