THE DYNAMO | Jaimi Wacksman

Barely topping 5 feet tall, Jaimi Wacksman hardly looks intimidating. But there is a lot of personality and drive packed into that small package.

Wacksman’s resume includes organizing a stupefying number of public-service projects that would make a lesser person go crazy. Currently, the 32-year-old serves in leadership positions with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Sunset Rotary Club and the United Way, just to name a few.

Her specialty is planning large events. Wacksman admits her talent for getting people together goes back to her college days, when she would invite friends and co-workers over after work.

“At 3 o’clock in the morning, I would be cooking and entertaining,” she said.

It was her husband, Jim Wacksman, who suggested channeling her energies toward organizing big charitable events. At his suggestion, she served as chairwoman of the Night of Champions for Kids Incorporated in 2003, a night that honors Children’s Champions nominated by the public for being outstanding child advocates.

“One of the biggest compliments from that night was when (Brian Rowland, president of Rowland Publishing) came up to me and said, ‘You’ve brought this event up four notches.’ Wow. Coming from him, that was a big compliment.”

Wacksman also has served as chairwoman for numerous other events, including the annual Sunset Rotary Winefests I, II, III and IV, and Bids for Kids 2005, sponsored by Tallahassee 25. All this is in addition to working as communications director for NewspaperClips.com, the company her husband started in 1998 as a way to provide relevant news clips to businesses and organizations. The company has come a long way since then.

“We started in little Tallahassee, Florida, and we’ve expanded to 14 different states,” Wacksman said. “We’ve experienced tremendous growth, which has been great.”

Although she grew up in Naples, Fla., Wacksman claims Tallahassee as her home.

“I think it’s a beautiful place to live . . . and I find that the people are very warm and accepting,” she said. “I really love it.” – Tabitha Yang