Social Worker, Henry Street Settlement

Verona Middleton-Jeter began her career 27 years ago as a live-in social worker at Henry Street Settlement. An unsung hero in the fight against poverty, she worked her way up through the ranks to Chief Administrator of Homeless Services. In her various roles Verona has created and implemented an approach toward providing housing and services to homeless families and battered women that has become a model for programs not only in New York City but throughout the country and the world.

Verona has come a long way from a child growing up on a southern farm. For her, school was somewhere you went only when it rained or it wasn't cotton-picking season. Henry Street Settlement has provided services to tens of thousands of people in its 106-year history. Today, Henry Street works with homeless families offering an array of services with Verona Middleton-Jeter serving as the organization's Executive Director.