Dr. Jaime Bracero ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Throughout his life, Jaime R. Bracero has had people who believed in him, who made him work harder, who made him dream bigger. And now, as Vice President of Clinical Operations for Halifax Health Medical Center, Dr. Bracero is giving back both as a mentor and leader in several local community organizations.

He was not, by his own telling, “the best child or student.” Bracero, his mother and two older sisters moved from Puerto Rico when he was five, and his first English lessons came from watching Saturday morning cartoons at their new home in Deltona.

“In my teens, the Boys and Girls club gave me an outlet and was instrumental in my journey,” he said. “Instead of going out with my friends and getting into fights, I used that as my excuse to go play basketball.”

After a couple of years, Joe Sullivan, his earliest mentor, who has run the Boys and Girls Club of Volusia/Flagler Counties as Chief Professional Officer since 1993, encouraged Bracero to become a volunteer. Bracero began volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and was named the club’s Youth of the Year in 1998. He was eventually hired as a junior staffer. Helping with homework and directing game time, Bracero was now part of a group of individuals who, through their mission, provided a safe place for children to grow.

When he was about to graduate high school, his grandmother asked him what his plans were for the future. Thinking of following in his stepfather’s footsteps, he stated he was interested in pursuing computer graphic design.

“All four foot eight of her pushed me back against the wall and pointing, her finger at me, declared ‘You are not going to do that. You are too smart for that. You’re going to be a pharmacist!’” Bracero said. “I didn’t even know what a pharmacist was.”

Bracero began paying more attention to the details of local pharmacies and the people who worked in them and liked what he saw. When he was accepted at Daytona Beach Community College, he signed up for biology, which is where he met his next mentor and eventual friend Dr. Walter Saviuk.

“His enthusiasm for how he taught the class blew me away,” Bracero said. “I thought ‘If somebody can be that passionate about a subject and understand it to this level, then I should be able to gain this kind of passion myself’.”

Inspired by his teaching style, Bracero continued his studies and signed up for anatomy and physiology classes taught by Dr. Saviuk, who also served as the Student Government Association (SGA) advisor when Bracero joined SGA. Bracero made the Dean’s List and was nominated for the Hall of Fame, then graduated in 2002 from the DSC Quanta-Honors College.

From there, he earned a Doctor of Pharmacy from Nova Southeastern University in 2006 and was hired at

Halifax Health Medical Center as a Clinical Pharmacist. Encouraged by his wife to dive into personal development, his mindset shifted and he started to develop himself as a leader. He would go on to assume the role of Pharmacy Supervisor and eventually Manager.

Continuing his studies, he earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida in 2020. Excelling in his leadership, he was promoted to Director and is currently Vice President of Clinical Operations where he oversees not only the pharmacy department, but also Radiology, Laboratory, Respiratory Therapy and Cardiology Services.

He has one more promotion coming. In 2024, Bracero will become the President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties. His mission, he says, is to provide developmental opportunities for the staff, equipping them with the necessary tools to help the children they serve excel in their own right.

A vocal advocate for lifelong learning –even presenting on the topic at Elevate Daytona – Bracero practices what he preaches. On the commute from his home in DeLand to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Bracero uses the time to dive into personal development via audiobooks, podcasts, and anything else that he can learn something new from.

“If I need examples of encouragement, leadership, growth, crucial conversations or being energized to take on the world, there’s an author out there that can do that for me! Mentoring and developing leaders to reach their potential is my passion and the legacy I want to leave in whatever endeavor I pursue.”