SHARE

Yonkers-Born Executive Puts Emphasis On County's Youth

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Ebony White looks no further than her Yonkers upbringing to find where she discovered a passion for helping young men and women find jobs.

Ebony White, , the Director of Workforce and Employer Development for The Business Council of Westchester, traces her career success to her family and her upbringing.

Ebony White, , the Director of Workforce and Employer Development for The Business Council of Westchester, traces her career success to her family and her upbringing.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Business Council of Westchester
Ebony White, a native of Yonkers, is the Director of Workforce and Employer Development for The Business Council of Westchester.

Ebony White, a native of Yonkers, is the Director of Workforce and Employer Development for The Business Council of Westchester.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Business Council of Westchester

White works now as the Director of Workforce and Employer Development for The Business Council of Westchester (BCW) in White Plains. One of her primary responsibilities is to help find jobs for young workers in the county by creating partnerships with potential employers.

White’s mother worked in education and her grandfather worked at a local community center. When she sees how her own career path has unfolded, she sees it rooted firmly in her family in Westchester.

“My passion has always been in community,’’ said White, who graduated from Saunders High School in Yonkers, and earned degrees from Berkeley College in White Plains and Howard University in Washington, D.C. “It’s important to give back to the young people and help them get to their next steps.”

White, who now lives in Katonah, considered a career as a radio personality after earning a communications degree at Howard. She also minored in education. “Teaching has always been one of my desires,’’ she said. “Working with young people is kind of how I envisioned my life.”

White worked in a temporary position at 9 West before joining the BCW in 2007 as the group’s Office Coordinator and later became its Information Development Specialist. She took on her new title last September.

White’s work on behalf of BCW and the region’s youth has not gone unnoticed. In July, she was selected to participate in The Association of Chamber Commerce Executives’ Fellowship for Education Attainment.

White is one of just 22 professionals chosen for the Fellowship, which is designed for Chamber of Commerce executives and senior staff members who work to enhance educational and workforce development opportunities for their communities.

Participants will share best practices, review case studies and learn from national experts, and each will be tasked with developing and executing a regional action plan to meet their community’s educational attainment needs.

The Fellowship begins in September and includes a meeting in Virginia, two other in-person meetings and interactive webinars and conferences throughout the year. More than 60 candidates applied to join and the application process included interviews and sharing information.

Aside from her day-to-day efforts to better prepare Westchester’s future workers, White has been a driving force behind the BCW’s annual Youth Summit, which enables attendees to gain valuable advice and insight from community leaders and business professionals. In May, she was honored as a Champion of Youth Summer Jobs by the city of White Plains for her commitment to creating additional job opportunities for Westchester youth.

As her career unfolds, White has found helping young workers find their first jobs one of her most satisfying rewards. 

“It’s exciting to have businesses come and give their time at the Youth Summit,’’ White said. “The young people come with eager faces and it’s nice to see them walk away with new experiences and knowledge. It’s important that our next generation of workers get the skills they need to be successful in their career pursuits.”

to follow Daily Voice Yonkers and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE