Civil servant, philanthropist, fighter: Paterson woman looks back on half-century career

When Janet McDaniel looks back on nearly a half-century of work for Passaic County, she can recall "numerous" fights. A Black woman from the South, she entered a largely white and male workforce when she was hired in 1975.

There were disputes — and a lawsuit — but she harbors few regrets.

"I don't regret working in county government, even the fights that I had, and they were numerous — usually about money or position or trying to demand the respect I should have received," the 74-year-old said in an interview last week. "I enjoyed the work that I did, and I would do it over again."

The Paterson resident retired in December. She was honored for her 48 years of work for the county and the local community at a celebration at The Brownstone Restaurant in February.

Originally from Florence, Alabama, the young McDaniel, married with three kids and armed with a degree in social work, began her career with the Passaic County Board of Social Services in January 1975. She started as an income maintenance technician but worked her way through the ranks to end her tenure as the board's chief of administrative services.

McDaniel is no longer climbing the career ladder, but she is as busy as ever.

Since 2018, she has served in an unpaid role as a deputy mayor for Paterson, in which she focuses on social services and the homeless. She's also served since 2011 on the board of directors for the nonprofit Paterson Task Force, which provides services such as employment training, emergency housing for homeless families and housing counseling. She also continues to be involved in the NuFamily Foundation, a group she helped to found with her husband, which has donated $4,000 in scholarships to local students.

On top of all that, she plans to spend more time with her two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

McDaniel recalled that when she started in county government, her colleagues were predominantly white and male. But she was fortunate to have been mentored by an older African American colleague, Gloria Grabill, who worked for the Board of Social Services as a training supervisor.

"She was just like a cheerleader for me. She saw in me the potential," McDaniel said. She recalled how Grabill supported her when she fought for an assistant training position. McDaniel was eventually promoted to the job in 1981 — but only after filing a discrimination lawsuit against the board. Grabill also motivated her to continue her graduate studies at Rutgers University, McDaniel said.

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She didn't like sitting still

By 1987, McDaniel had moved into the role of chief of administrative services, which she held for the next 35 years. The work entailed a variety of responsibilities, including providing administrative support services to staff, supervising the chief clerk and clerical operations. She served in other positions within the agency at the same time, including training administrator and two stints as child support administrator.

McDaniel values stability — she's lived in the same Paterson house for over 40 years. But she didn't like sitting still when it came to her career and was glad to have held a variety of positions, she said.

"All of those were positive. I was moving up," McDaniel said. "People like to see someone like themselves move up. A lot of the minorities, whether they were Black, Indian, Spanish, appreciated it."

For those women, and any minorities seeking a career in county government, she offered some advice.

"I would tell people to pursue their dreams. Get a degree, get some advanced education," McDaniel said. "I think civil service is an entrée for a lot of people. If I had not had civil service, I wouldn't have had the positions I have now."

Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson Janet McDaniel honored for half-century of community service