Nackashi credits JU’s Executive MBA program and the lasting connections he made during the program for his climb to the top of one of the country’s largest fintech companies.
For Joe Nackashi EMBA‘07, Chief Executive Officer of Black Knight, Inc., a Jacksonville-based technology, data and analytics company with a national footprint, being a Jacksonville University Dolphin is truly a family affair. Joe’s wife, Dawn ‘87, daughters Elizabeth ‘15 and Caroline ‘18 and son Gabe ‘20 all earned their degrees on the JU campus.
As Nackashi explains, Jacksonville University is a part of the Nackashi family and is another special bond that they share together. “Some of my favorite memories from JU were watching my daughters graduate with their nursing degrees. What made this extra special was knowing my daughters were following in my wife’s footsteps, who also earned her nursing degree from JU. These three women share the same passion and dedication to caring for others. Another special memory is David Dobson [Jacksonville University Sporting Clays, Skeet and Trap Shooting Team Coach] mentoring my son; and watching my son grow into a young professional, who now has a wonderful career. The foundation JU provided is a large part of his success.”
When Nackashi chose to further his education while working in the technology and data analytics industry, Jacksonville University was a clear choice to achieve his goals. “The EMBA program at JU has a stellar reputation. I saw this as an opportunity to further my education and gain practical knowledge I could apply in my career,” he says. “The ability to meet and network with other professionals who shared a common goal was very meaningful to me. I have maintained many of those relationships to this day.”
Nackashi began his career with a predecessor company to Black Knight. Through hard
work, dedication and a commitment to his clients and company, today, Nackashi is the
CEO of Black Knight, where he oversees the company’s overall vision and direction.
As Black Knight’s leader, he has a laser focus on ensuring the company continues to
provide innovative software, data and analytics services to drive efficiencies in
the mortgage lending and servicing and real estate industries, as well as the capital
and secondary markets. Black Knight’s mortgage servicing software is used to service
approximately 37 million mortgages.
Nackashi appreciates the opportunities he has had to continually elevate his career and believes his time at Jacksonville University was a key to that success. “I am blessed to be in this role, leading an amazing team of people. I don’t believe I would have been offered this opportunity if I had not earned my EMBA from JU.”
Black Knight and Jacksonville University have a longstanding partnership, and Black Knight is a major employer of Jacksonville University students andalumni, with nearly 100 JU Dolphin alumni who work there now or have worked there in the past. In 2015, Joe and three fellow Dolphin alumni Bryan Hipsher '05 /'07; Tom Peterson EMBA'06; and Shelley Leonard EMBA'08 were instrumental in Black Knight’s initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, ringing the celebratory opening bell together at the exchange on June 1. Black Knight’s success is well-known in Jacksonville given the company’s commitment to hiring local talent, driving innovation in the technology space, and contributing to the community. But the services the company provides are designed to be invisible to the consumers they serve.
As Nackashi explains, Black Knight’s goal is to make consumer’s mortgage and lending experiences as seamless as possible, but it takes an immense amount of effort and advanced technology to give the end user something so simple they don’t even think about it. And Black Knight is committed to a safe and secure experience for those consumers. He says “From end to end — the firms our customers get their mortgages from, the servicers they interact with on a monthly basis, the many pieces of the process happening behind the scenes — these are all approached with the utmost seriousness and concern by professionals of the highest caliber. From ensuring the security of their personal and financial information through facilitating the ease of making payments, finding information and communicating with their servicers, Black Knight is working tirelessly to put the power of our technology to work for them.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
As he looks to the future of his alma mater, Nackashi is most excited about the school’s commitment to expanding in Arlington and the goal of “revitalizing this special area of town.” As the leader of one of Jacksonville’s major technology employers, he also sees significant benefits from the University’s recent launch of its College of Law. “This not only helps JU grow, but it helps elevate Jacksonville’s presence, as well.”
Nackashi will be well positioned to help the University advance its mission and impact as he joins the esteemed Jacksonville University Board of Trustees in 2023, lending his expertise and leadership experience to shape the future of the institution he holds dear.
