DISTINGUISHED COMPANY — PEF Member Georgia Verdier is honored by the state Senate as a Woman of Distinction — 2000. Presenting the award last year in Albany are Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Sen. Serphin Maltese.
Challenges
others to follow her lead
Region 2 member likes to ‘lead by example’
By MEL HYMAN
Georgia Verdier has never thought about the many good
things she does in terms of reward. Her motivation lies
with making a difference in the lives of people around
her.
A longtime employee in the state Office of Mental Health,
the PEF member has dedicated her career to public
service.
She finds plenty of opportunities to serve others at
Elmira Psychiatric Center where she has worked since 1975
— starting as a psychiatric social work assistant
and working her way up to intensive case manager.
But while she may come home tired at the end of the day,
she is not ready to crawl into a shell.
“I’m an action-oriented person,” she says,
“but I’m a realist too.”
Verdier participates in a wide variety of community
activities that she sees as enriching her life while also
enriching the lives of others.
Verdier’s dedication to serving others has not gone
unnoticed or unappreciated.
A recent state Senate proclamation naming her a
“Woman of Distinction,” noted that during
Verdier’s eight years as president of the
Elmira-Corning branch of the NAACP (National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People), several
community-based programs were successfully launched.
She is involved in local activities ranging from arts
celebrations to the Chemung County League of Women
Voters. And in no area is she more active than in her
church.
A certified multi-cultural trainer, she has worked
particularly hard on efforts to link various aspects of
the community, especially those with different cultural
norms.
For her, Verdier says, the key to achieving change has
always involved reaching out to others. In the
Corning-Painted Post School District, for example, she is
a certified trainer in a program that requires every new
teacher and school employee to receive cultural-diversity
training.
So, it was no surprise when she was one of a select few
considered recently for the New York State Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.
Her PEF council leader in Division 223, Lee DeMoney,
nominated Verdier for the award. And the nomination
immediately drew hearty seconds from community leaders
such as state Sen. Randy Kuhl Jr., Corning Mayor Albert
Friess and Elmira Psychiatric Center Executive Director
William Benedict.
“Georgia Verdier is my hero. ....Georgia is
dedicated to help and serve her fellow man with focus and
purpose every day of her life, while at the same time,
she is skilled to motivate others to follow the same
path. ....As president of the Elmira/Corning Branch of
the NAACP, Georgia has built a team of enthusiastic
members who attack all areas of need, concern and issue
in our community,” states Mayor Friess in a letter
supporting her nomination for the NAACP Humanitarian
Award.
For all her accomplishments, Verdier seems most proud of
being considered a role model.
“I believe we lead by example,” she says. And
the message she hopes to convey by her example is clear:
“You have to be in it to win. Each one of us can
move from the bleachers on to the playing field.”
And while one person can make a difference, she says,
“many people working together can change the course
of history.”
“I encourage others to follow my lead,” Verdier
says. “I would challenge all PEF members to take a
self-inventory and see if they are doing enough to make
the world a better place.”
OTHER PUBLIC SECTOR PRIDE MEMBERS: HUGES, SWART, LUCAS&EBERT