[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 12, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E13-E14]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING VERDIA L. HAYWOOD ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 12, 2010

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor one of the 
finest public servants in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia's 
history for a 32-year career in which he shepherded regional efforts to 
provide for the basic needs of children and families throughout our 
community.
  Verdia L. Haywood will retire Jan. 19, 2010, from his role as deputy 
county executive for human services, but his legacy--in terms of 
services, mentoring and partnerships--will endure. I had the great 
pleasure of working with Verdia during my 14 years of service on the 
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including five years as chairman. 
When retirement notices would come before the board, my colleagues and 
I often would say in good humor that someone should pass a law 
prohibiting such decisions because we could not bear to part with such 
dedicated and talented people, and that certainly is the case here.
  Verdia began his career in Fairfax in 1978 as Executive Assistant to 
the County Executive, which made him the primary liaison between the 
county executive's office and the Board of Supervisors. He soon began 
working with the county's human services agencies and in 1981 was 
appointed to his current position as deputy county executive. During a 
career spanning more than three decades, Verdia oversaw the expansion 
and delivery of a wide array of services to meet the diverse needs of 
Fairfax County's population. Verdia was responsible for every facet of 
the human services portfolio, which included the departments of health; 
community and recreation services; housing and community development; 
family services; juvenile and domestic relations court services; human 
rights; community services board, which includes behavioral and mental 
health; homelessness; and much more. He was the architect of a 
coordinated service delivery system that has become a regional and 
national model.
  During his tenure, the county's population doubled, increasing the 
demands for new and basic services. Verdia was one of the first to 
recognize that the county alone could not meet the multitude of needs, 
and he led a successful effort to cultivate the network of nonprofit, 
faith, business, school and other local partners that now comprise the 
safety net of our community. Behind his soft-spoken leadership was an 
unwavering passion for people, which along with his infectious optimism 
and laughter, motivated people from all sectors of the community to 
want to be a part of improving the lives of others and maintaining the 
critical investments we made in Fairfax County.
  When I was chairman of the county board, Verdia was instrumental in 
advancing major initiatives to address the lack of affordable housing, 
the needs of our growing senior population and the challenges of 
homelessness. In each of these cases, we hosted community summits, 
assembled task forces of community stakeholders and developed action 
plans with measurable outcomes. We preserved more than 2,000 affordable 
housing units for low- and moderate-income families that otherwise 
would have been lost to redevelopment pressures from the marketplace. 
We opened a new family homeless shelter, initiated a 10 year plan to 
prevent and end homelessness using the ``housing first'' model, and 
created a new office to oversee its implementation. We expanded the 
mission of our Agency on Aging with a 50+Action Plan that laid out more 
than 60 recommendations for improving the quality of life for our 
exploding senior population--including expanded health and 
transportation services and volunteer opportunities. Also during this 
time, Verdia oversaw a complete redesign of our Community Services 
Board model, through which we provide mental health, mental 
retardation, and alcohol and drug prevention and intervention services. 
These are just a sampling of Verdia's accomplishments that will have a 
profound and lasting impact on our community.
  Prior to his service in Fairfax County, Verdia spent a few years 
working with the City of

[[Page E14]]

Richmond, where he helped establish the city's Mental Health, Mental 
Retardation and Substance Abuse System. In addition to his work with 
the city, Verdia served as an adjunct professor at Virginia Union 
University, where he helped develop an Urban Studies Program. He 
received his bachelor's degree with honors in 1970 from Alcorn State 
University in his native Mississippi. While attending Alcorn State, he 
received a Ford Foundation grant to study economics at Tulane 
University. He later earned a national urban fellowship to attend 
graduate school at the University of Illinois, where he received his 
Master's in Public Administration.
  His tremendous work on behalf of Fairfax County and Northern Virginia 
have been recognized by the National Forum of Black Public 
Administrators, the American Society of Public Administrators, 
Leadership Fairfax, the Fairfax Bar Association, the Service Source 
Network, New Hope Housing, the Human Services Coalition of Northern 
Virginia and the Virginia General Assembly.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the many 
accomplishments of Verdia L. Haywood as he brings his distinguished 
career with Fairfax County to an end. He has set a high standard for 
public service, and I am proud to have worked with him during my time 
in Fairfax County. We will miss him terribly, but, thankfully, our 
community will continue to benefit from his work and innovation in the 
delivery of human services for many years to come.

                          ____________________