Outstanding Leadership in Queens
2004 Honoree of the Queens Federation of Churches

Charesse White

Charesse White is a native New Yorker. She was born in Far Rockaway and raised in Jamaica, Queens. Charesse attended New York City public elementary schools. She attended Springfield Gardens High School and Queens College. She grew up with two sisters, she being the middle child.
Charesse is a dedicated and devoted mother of two biological daughters and one adopted daughter. She attends Mount Horeb Baptist Church in Corona, Queens and is a member of the Pastor's Aid & Missionary Board as well as the E. E. Jarvis Choir.

Charesse has a love for helping individuals in need. She worked at Mount Sinai Hospital in the diabetes center before transferring to work with individuals with autism. She has devoted her time to the developmentally disabled for the past three and a half years and provided them with love and affection.

In becoming involved with people with autism, Charesse has been a voice on their behalf, and on the behalf of others who, like her, work with the developmentally disabled. While working for Quality Services for the Autism Community (QSAC) she became convinced that improving the quality of care for consumers was contingent upon improving working conditions for those like her who deliver care to this vulnerable population. Charesse stood up for dignity and respect at work, and for the right to engage in collective activity and form a union at QSAC. Charesse took on a leadership role, and after losing her job at QSAC, worked full time with CSEA, Local 1000, AFSCME to help her former co-workers form a union.

Charesse is a true advocate for individuals with autism and believes that you only do for them and to them what you would do for yourself or your loved ones. Charesse says," To know someone that is autistic is to love them."