Stephanie Palmer
Supporting Black Leadership in
NYC Human Services |
By: Stephanie Palmer, President, Black Agency Executive (December 2006/ January 2007) On November 27, 2006 NASW-NYC conducted an interview with Stephanie Palmer, president of Black Agency Executives (BAE), an organization founded in 1976. Ms. Palmer is also the executive director of New York City Mission Society.
What is BAE and why is it needed? We are an organization made up of individuals of African descent who are either top decision makers or those in a team of top decision makers of 40 human service agencies in New York City. BAE is needed because, although there are many Black workers in the field, there are not many Black administrators. It is also important to have a non-traditional network of individuals who can get access to the policy makers or resources needed to run agencies well.
What are BAE’s main concerns at this time? BAE is concerned about two issues. The first is succession planning and identifying emerging leaders. This is challenging because of the aging population and low participation among younger, potential leaders in organizations such as BAE. The second concern is the need to constantly provide members with exposure to the best thinking in the field through free leadership learning services. This is especially important for executives of small agencies that are under-resourced and, as a result, they don’t have the time to get out of the office and build networks.
If BAE did not exist there would be fewer people of African descent in executive positions in not-for-profits than there are now. In fact, my own participation in BAE played a large role in my being offered the position of executive director of Mission Society, New York City’s oldest not-for-profit (founded in 1812). What do you see as the prospects for the future five to ten years down the road? What are you most worried about? What are you hopeful about? I am most concerned about the fundraising environment. The gap between the haves and have nots has grown. It is discouraging that with so much wealth in New York City, one can live here every day and not see the results of poverty because this is such a segregated city. Compassionate and caring individuals who continue to view this work as important and want to make a better place is hopeful for me. They are not deterred by the lack of resources and continue to work with enthusiasm. What role do social workers play in BAE? The outgoing president of BAE is a social worker, and many of our members are social workers. Social workers play a critical role in helping non-social work executives understand more comprehensively issues as they come up. The perspective of social workers is enlightening to hear and reminds all of us that we are not only dealing with “management by objectives” but that the numbers have faces and the faces have stories.
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