JUNO BEACH, Fla. — Sophia Eccleston's is widely recognized for her devotion to community. She traces it back to the home in Jamaica where her grandmother raised 10 children with an open door and an open heart. 

"My grandmother's motto was, 'success isn't measured by what you have but by the impact you leave,'" said Eccleston, senior director of origination at NextEra Energy Resources. "That was instilled in me from a very early age." 

That early lesson would guide Eccleston from her childhood in Jamaica through military service in the United States Army, then to international contract work in some of the world's most challenging environments and ultimately to an energy career where she continues her mission of service. 

Growing up in a household led by her grandmother and mother, Eccleston learned the power of community before she even had the words to explain it. Her grandmother, widowed in her early 40s, supported the family by selling produce from their land at the local market. But even with limited resources, generosity defined their home. 

"My grandmother always cooked with the intention that someone was going to stop by," Eccleston recalled. "If you showed up at her house, there was always going to be food. She would never say, 'we don't have enough.'" 

After leaving Jamaica for Boston, Eccleston felt called to give back to her adopted country. At age 23, she walked into a military recruiter's office with a simple declaration: "I want to join the Army." 

Eccleston soon discovered that military life aligned perfectly with the values she'd learned at home.  

"Growing up in Jamaica, I had the right values for military service. It's a team. It's a family. You take care of each other," she explained. 

In an Army logistics role, Eccleston learned additional skills that would prove invaluable throughout her career—stress management, direct communication and the ability to work with diverse teams under pressure.  

"In the Army, you are literally putting your life in other people’s hands. You have no choice but to trust," she said. 

After completing her military service, Eccleston leveraged her logistics experience into contract work supporting military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan from bases in Djibouti and Dubai. Her work included negotiating significant contracts and managing complex supply chains to ensure military personnel had everything they needed. 

"Having that experience helped me in my current role," said Eccleston, whose expertise in contract negotiation made her a natural fit when she joined NextEra Energy in 2011. 

Starting in the integrated supply chain, she then became the lead developer on FPL's first three grid scale solar energy centers in Florida before spending six years in external affairs where she managed FPL’s emergency operations center team across the state. Her current role in origination puts her relationship-building skills at the center of the company’s growth strategy. 

"My job is about building relationships. I'm in the solutions business," she explained. "My customers have energy needs, and I am here to offer solutions to those needs." 

Throughout her life, community service has remained constant. Currently serving on the boards of Baptist Health and the Healthcare District of Palm Beach County, as an executive committee member for CareerSource Florida and as immediate past chair of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, just to name a few, Eccleston has brought the same mission-focused approach from her military days to community service. 

Her work as former chair of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County was particularly meaningful.  

"For me, no one who served in the military should come home and not have a place to live," she said firmly. 

The appointment to high-profile state boards, including calls from the Governor's office for the CareerSource Florida board and the Florida Suffrage Commission, reflects her leadership. But for Eccleston, it's about continuing the legacy of service modeled by her grandmother and mother. 

"It's about stepping outside your comfort zone and doing things most people wouldn't do," she said. 

The family epitomizes a generational commitment to service. Eccleston reminisces about when what started as a family celebration of life for her 96-year-old grandmother became a community event attended by more than 200 people. When she died three years later, the church was packed inside and out. 

"Everyone talked about how much she helped them," Eccleston said. "I never saw her stress. She was just so giving. She would give you the shirt off her back." 

Eccleston’s sister continued the legacy, starting a foundation in their grandmother's name to fund student scholarships and feed the hungry. And when Eccleston's own mother suffered a stroke during a Jamaica vacation last summer, the calls that flooded in revealed a similar pattern of selfless generosity.  

For Eccleston, working at NextEra Energy Resources represents more than a career—it's another avenue for the service that has defined her life.  

"NextEra is great because they encourage you to engage with your community," she said. "This is a huge part of the NextEra brand. It's who we are." 

As she continues negotiating energy deals that will power communities across the country, Eccleston carries forward the lesson learned in that generous household in Jamaica: success is measured not by what you accumulate, but by the impact you leave. 

It's a legacy that would make her grandmother proud.