JAMES MORGAN WHITE ‘82 

Executive Director

Covenant House New Jersey

 

 

"Although the streets of Dobbs Ferry are nothing like the streets that Covenant House kids come from, I know the feeling of being lost and of having someone there who cares.” Executive Director of Covenant House in New Jersey for the past eight years, Jim White provides leadership at one of our nation's most effective programs serving at-risk young people. But he still remembers the impact that his experience at Mercy College had on him: “Wayne Cioffari : and other faculty believed in me when I had trouble believing in myself. I try to do that here at Covenant House.”

 

Jim arrived at Mercy feeling lost, with little direction. His father had just been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, a debilitating, degenerative condition. His mother was struggling to care for his father and her two younger children. Meanwhile, Mercy faculty "made all the difference through deep concern and availability as well as constantly challenging me to be more... I would not have finished college if it were not for them.”

 

Today, as Executive Director for Covenant House New Jersey, Jim is responsible for the vision, planning, and development for comprehensive youth programs that serve homeless and at risk youth at four sites in Newark and Atlantic City. Annually, the outreach serves more than 3,000 youth through residential programs, counseling services, and advocacy. As a consultant, Jim has also provided support and technical assistance to similar programs across the nation. A tireless advocate for youth, he spearheaded legislative action that led Governor Whitman to sign the Homeless Youth Act in 1999 at Covenant House New Jersey.

 

In addition to earning a B.A. in Business Administration at Mercy College, Jim earned an M.B.A. from Long Island University and an M.S.W. at Stonybrook University School of Social Work.

 

In Jim White, teens who are lost find someone who believes in them, even while they don't yet believe in themselves.