Cerita Jackson Battles

Charmette Cerita Battles has been a member of The Charmettes, Incorporated since 1996. She started as a member of the St. Johns Putnam Flagler Chapter and was one of the original members of the First Coast Chapter which started in 2007. Charmette Battles started her journey as a member of Charmettes as the daughter of Charmette Barbara Jackson and is considered a legacy member. Her mom continues to serve as the Vice President of the First Coast Chapter of the Charmettes, Incorporated. Charmette Battles has served in various capacities within the local chapter and in 2022 accepted the role as National Chaplain for the Charmettes, Incorporated; a role that she currently upholds in addition to that of local president of the First Coast Chapter.

Cerita's Background

Over the last 35 years, Charmette Battles has worked in the financial industry, with 27 years specifically dedicated to mortgage. Today, she is the Managing Director, Head of Community and Affordable Lending for JPMorgan Chase. In that executive role, she is responsible for developing and driving the execution of business strategies to help address historic barriers to homeownership among minorities and low-to-moderate income borrowers and communities. Charmette Battles is affiliated with several corporate and advisory boards within the mortgage industry and has been recognized by the State of Florida's Diversity Council as one of the Most Powerful and Influential Women in the state of Florida and most recently recognized in 2023 as one of HousingWire'a Vanguards; Women We Admire's Top 5o Women Leaders in Finance; and Mortgage Women Magazine's 2023 Mortgage Star recipient.

Charmette Battles is also known as Reverend Cerita Battles. She is an itinerant deacon at St. Paul A.M.E. Church, St. Augustine, Florida under the pastoral leadership of the Reverend Dr. Alesia Ford-Burse. Charmette Battles answered God’s call to ministry in 2011 and was ordained in 2018.

Charmette Battles is the wife of Ronald Battles for 28 years and a native of St. Augustine, Florida. They have a beautiful, 20-year-old daughter, Myka Renae, who is a sophomore at the Bethune Cookman University, a member of the BCU Marching Wildcats and a member of Tau Beta Sigma National Band Sorority, Incorporated. Rev. Battles graduated from the University of Phoenix where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Finally, Charmette Battles is also a licensed Zumba instructor. She lives by this quote “God created me to serve Him; therefore, what I do personally and professionally can be summed up into one word --- Ministry.”