neighbors
5 Things To Know About
Leeta Jordan
Volunteerism continues to reward this publicpolicy advocateand lawyer
WRITTENBYCINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER
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Leeta Jordan has held positions in the New York City Mayor’ s Office, working on Medicaid Managed Care and Drug Abuse Policy, and served as aspecial advisor in the city’ s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. When she moved to Montclair in 2002, she left the city behind, but not the need to help others. Since then, she’ s put her skills and commitment to use at anumber of nonprofits, chief among them the Montclair Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to college-bound Montclair High School seniors with financial need.
HER ADVERTISING JOB WAS GLAMOROUS, BUT SHE PREFERRED HER AFTER-HOURS VOLUNTEER WORK. At Smith College, Jordan volunteered for a battered women’ s shelter and an organization that helped refugees who had escaped the Khmer Rouge regime. When she moved to New York City, she worked for an advertising agency with low pay and great perks, and continued to volunteer after work and on weekends.“ I found volunteering more rewarding,” she says.“ I figured if I’ m not going to make any money, I should at least be doing something to help society, and not selling toothpaste!”
HER BIGGEST REWARD WORKING FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK WAS HELPING WOMEN. Jordan recalls visiting a residential drug treatment center that her department had helped fund.“ Drug-addicted women who have their children are one of the most underserved populations in terms of drug treatment,” she says.
ACHRIS ROCK JOKELED HER ANDHER HUSBAND TO MONTCLAIR. After living in New York City for 13 years, Jordan was reluctant to move to New Jersey, but felt that as part of an interracial couple, the family’ s choices were limited. After spending a year looking in the suburbs of New York City, the couple heard aChris Rock joke about how, if you were part of an interracial couple, Montclair was the place to live.“ I finally agreed to come to New Jersey and accept the fact that I would have a car with a New Jersey license plate on it,” she says with a laugh.
DURING HER TIME ON THE MSF BOARD, ONE- QUARTER OF EACH GRADUATING CLASS HAS APPLIED FOR A SCHOLARSHIP. Jordan and three other board members interview 100 applicants. She also maintains data on recipients, in the hope that they’ ll become future donors.
SHE IS COMMITTED TO GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUTMSF’ S MISSION.“ Every year we have to turn away students who need money to go to college because our fundraising efforts do not match the need,” she says.“ I think many people in Montclair do not realize the great financial need of our students.” ■
COURTESY OF TONY TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY
22 MAY 2018 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE