rom January 2002 through 2006, Verna Eggleston, now with the Bloomberg Family Foundation, was Administrator/Commissioner of the NYC Human Resources Administration/ Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) the nation’s largest municipal social services agency with more than 15,000 employees and a $5.6 billion operating budget.

 

A dynamic leader and skilled administrator, Ms. Eggleston returned to HRA/DSS as Commissioner after having served within the agency as Deputy Administrator of Child Welfare under Mayor Ed Koch.

 

Under Mayor David Dinkins, she served as the Director of New York City’s Family Shelter programs, overseeing the provision of emergency services for as many as 1,400 homeless families per night. During the height of the homeless crisis, she ran all the City’s emergency welfare assistance units and opened the City’s first facility for HIV-infected infants.

 

Prior to her appointment in the Bloomberg Administration, Ms. Eggleston served as the Executive Director of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk School.

 

In a career spanning three decades, Ms. Eggleston has worked as an administrator, advocate and policymaker in public, private and not-for-profit agencies to help children, adolescents and families rise above limiting circumstances to fulfill their potential and achieve self-sufficiency. Ms. Eggleston has consulted as a spokesperson and authority on a wide range of issues confronting youth and their families. She served on the National Board of Directors for the Child Welfare League of America; worked on the Oprah Bill with Oprah Winfrey and the former governor of Illinois; and worked with Former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Attorney General Janet Reno to advocate for hate crimes legislation, youth violence prevention, and adolescent mental health issues.