Jeanette Neff-A Face as Famous as Any Supermodel By Ashton Chambers New York, April 2002: She can best be described as a print media model of cosmopolitan acclaim. Her likeness has appeared in ads seen in trade journals, packaging, newspapers or magazines and on the Internet. Jeanette Neff was born some six decades ago in Barbados, the second of five children of Clarendon and Edith Miller. Her formative years were spent in her Bimshire, with its attendant parental rules and strict personal discipline, which sometimes appeared "a little much," but which was to mold her into the erudite scholar she eventually became. In 1947 Jeanette migrated to the United States with her dad, who had settled here before, her mom and a sister. She indicated that she was a rather shy child but eager to grasp all that America had to offer. She went to public school, then the City University of New York, majoring in business administration. She smiles as she reminisces. Her first job was at Macy's. She noted that few people of color were chosen at the executive level in those days, the late 50's. Jeanette spent several years there until 1967 when she was hired by Paraphernalia, the avant-garde of fashion at that time,where she excelled in the merchandising department. "I left Paraphernalia and started at the Children's Television Workshop in 1971. It was almost at the very beginning, as the workshop started a couple of years previously. Those were exciting times. It was an awesome environment, a place where creativity ruled." "There was incredible integrity, a commitment to integration and an understanding of urban living. The urban setting of the program was rather new and different but people responded very positively to it, of course. The cast, an integrated one, was ground breaking at the time." "I was the third person hired in the licensing division, and we started developing very specifically 'educational products', but broadened that over the years as we noted an interest, on the part of our consumers." "Plus, we were focused driven in keeping with the philosophy of the company." "Indeed it was for me an extraordinary place to work; interacting as I did with incredibly talented people, and people who were thoroughly committed and keenly understood about integration and the need for education at all levels." One could feel, as she spoke, the closeness with which she held her times at CTW. Was this the spot on her career journey that stood out the most? "Well, I would say yes, because Paraphernalia was a fashion-forward, very extraordinary experience. I used to travel at the time -- none of this would seem extraordinary now, but in the years-from 1967 to 1970, for someone like me to have a job where I traveled around the country, talking to people about taking on our franchise...I tell you, many people were surprised when I walked into the room, but now, that's not so special." Ms. Neff left CTW as vice-president of marketing having put her stamp on products of Sesame Street and The Electric Company. "I felt that I accomplished more in that role, and once again it's the kind of thing that is incremental, but when I first started there were no integrated advertisements. Kids of different colors on a package? It just wasn't done, and people resisted it enormously and I worked with people who opted to it very, very slowly." "The Fisher Price company thought it was fine and supported it, and slowly others did, but we were the first. We were in the forefront of this innovation. That's what I am most proud of." It's a quiet kind of a thing that most people don't know, or won't even recognize it today as being anything special, but to me, its one of the best things that happened while I was with the Children's Workshop -- ' integrated advertisements'" Ms. Neff spoke to The Caribbean Voice from her office at Riverside Church, Manhattan. She is the Associate Director of Clothing Ministry, a position she accepted coming out of retirement. "The Riverside Church is committed to serving the community in a number of different ways and I am part of the social services division. We have a food pantry, a shower project where homeless can come and bathe, a barber shop situation where people are trained as barbers." "My area is the clothing. We do have a thrift shop which I manage. Part of the clothing ministry is to give free clothing to people who visit the food pantry. We do that twice a week. I also help people dress for interviews...these are persons going back to work either from welfare, or persons who were incarcerated and so forth. They need proper professional clothing, for the men -- suits, shirts, ties, handkerchiefs. The excess clothing we distribute to other agencies that cater to the homeless, battered women and others." "This is one of the most interesting and satisfying parts of my job." A divorced mother of two - Alexander and Mirissa - Ms Neff is "proud of what they have accomplished in life, so far. My son recently received a prestigious Fulbright award." Well, from here, where to? She smiled. "I've always wanted to share my knowledge and experience with others especially the younger generation and be involved with organizations that make a difference." I am on the board of directors of the Goddard Community Center which does a lot of the things I spoke about...I wish to share whatever I have accumulated over the years either in a structured way or even just interacting with young people who I meet. I think a lot of them don't fully understand how to travel along the road of life with the attendant pitfalls along the way. Wherever possible, I would give them guidance." "I'd like to be in an organization that offers that sort of training and information, and particularly also I would like to be in activities involving seniors. Services for senior citizens -- for the elderly. My mother for instance is now experiencing Alzheimer's, but it could be any number of senile dementia. I need the opportunity to assist people as they age, through churches and wha no,; in an anticipatory way rather than after the fact. That's where I'd like to spend some of my energy."