12BB AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE SUN SENTINEL MONDAY , APRIL 23 , 2018
COVER STORY
By Isheka N . Harrison
Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry and Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker are two of the most influential women in South Florida , yet they each see themselves as mere servants tasked with making life better for residents in their communities .
Charged with ensuring the day-to-day operations of their respective governments run smoothly to effectuate positive change , Baker and Henry both operate from a “ people-first ” mindset . And the synergies don ’ t stop with their philosophies . Both women are members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority , Inc . and Henry is Baker ’ s mentor .
Henry recalled having a desire to help others since childhood . She said she was voted most dependable in high school .“ I consider it a position of service ,” Henry explained . “ I really don ’ t consider it a position of power . I guess other people might do that but … I ( always ) felt very strongly that you must be in a position to serve whether you ’ re a student , a worker , a manager or whatever you may be . You have to have a passion for it and I just have a passion for serving .”
Baker , who was also selected as her middle school class president and was an active member of the Youth Movement Club in high school , echoed her mentor ’ s sentiment . She recalled while in high school rallying to get a traffic light installed at a dangerous intersection as a spark to her career as a change agent .
“ We went to City Hall for four to five months before they took us seriously ,” Baker said . “ After about a year , they put a traffic light there . That ’ s when I knew when people spoke up in their community they could effectuate change .” Baker added that Henry influenced her decision to go into the public administration field . “ I researched it and I said this is where I want to be because I am used to serving people and trying to make a difference in someone ’ s life .”
Fast forward to today . Both women tirelessly work to find viable solutions to crises such as the lack of affordable workforce housing , homelessness , unemployment and underemployment , substance abuse , domestic terrorism , mental illness , lack of opportunities for
Power Is a Matter of Service
Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry and Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker
reformed felons reentering society , economic development , and more .
And they said they ’ re tackling it all with limited funding that continues to be cut , insufficient resources , and on many fronts a disconnected state Legislature .
“ We work in urban communities and we have a state Legislature made up of individuals that may not experience the same type of issues that we deal with ,” Henry said . “ You ’ re in an urban area , you have urban issues , and often times at the state level they try to make it one size fits all , which is absolutely not the case .”
They duo acknowledges the work they do on a daily basis is not for the faint of heart .
“ In the job that we have , you have to really love what you ’ re doing and be passionate about it because it ’ s long hours and you ’ re pretty much always on ,” Henry shared . “ I don ’ t really have a day off . My day starts at five in the morning and it may end at seven or eight o ' clock at night . There ’ s so much to do to make your community better and when you ’ re in the position that we ’ re in , you have much more influence over making that happen than you would if you were not in a position to direct individuals .”
Baker agreed , adding , “ It takes a very strong person to deal with the variety of issues that we deal with on a daily basis .”
Because of the array of issues each of their governments face , Henry and Baker made it clear that it is going to take all hands on deck to improve Broward and Palm Beach Counties . They said they have worked together and with other often across county lines .
“ There really isn ’ t a problem that cannot be solved , but you have to have the community and everybody coalescing ,” Henry said . “ Yes , you need support financially to deal with a lot of these issues , but you also need community engagement .”
Baker explained , “ Collaboration is the key word and it takes everyone in the community to move a community forward . If it ’ s within your county or outside your county , it ’ s a wonderful thing to see people work together in order to serve their communities .”
They also encouraged people to get more involved in the legislative process .“ We need people to understand that their vote matters ,” Henry said . “ It ’ s time to elect people who will actually listen to the people and tell people the truth and not just what they want to hear . Then you can have serious efforts to submit change that ’ s going to benefit everyone in the community .”
The leaders said some of their proudest moments were connected to others working together for the greater good of their communities . For Henry , it was when the Broward County government rolled out a program to maintain as much employment and stability as possible during the 2012 economic downturn . Baker said Palm Beach County ’ s passing of a workforce housing ordinance was the pinnacle for her .
“ My entire organization pulled together and willingly and very supportively agreed that we would do everything in county government to make sure we did not put people on the street . We made lemonade out of lemons and we were able to do a lot of different things to get the country through those hard times ,” Henry recalled .
Baker said , “ I have a couple of proud moments , but I guess my proudest moment was convincing my community as well as the board of county commissioners who ultimately passed the ordinance to implement an inclusionary workforce housing program . Ten percent or more had to be workforce housing ,” Baker said .
As for their next power move , the women leaders maintain they are simply servants , doing what it takes to help their communities .
“ There ’ s always something going on ,” Henry said . “ While you ’ ve got a lot going on all the time , the reality is you ’ ve got to have a long-term vision . There ’ s no one thing that jumps out at me . We have a lot of stuff going on .”
“ Ditto ,” Baker laughed agreeing with Henry . “ There ’ s never a dull moment and I don ’ t see it as a power move . I agree it ’ s the servant ’ s heart that helps us to do what we do .”