The quiet 100-acre estate off Shelter Road that houses Manhasset’s Unitarian Universalist congregation appears far removed from the combative arena of politics. Yet the property is also home to the church’s Veatch Program, a multimillion-dollar philanthropy that funds grass roots organizations nationwide fighting for abortion access, racial justice and a living wage for all, among other hotly debated policies.
The program has named a new executive director, Joan Minieri, who was a co-founder of Community Voices Heard, an advocacy group based in New York City that empowers low-income people and people of color to build political power in their communities.
She took over the position on Sept. 12, when the outgoing executive director, Ned Wight, left it to serve as the congregation’s interim minister for the next two years.
Minieri was selected by a search committee formed from members of the congregation, who were drawn to her background in social justice work and her commitment to Unitarian Universalist principles, said Katie Kurjakovic, chair of Veatch’s Board of Governors.
“Throughout the years, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of the Veatch Program. I am truly honored to be part of a program that is dedicated to effective social change through philanthropy,” Minieri said.
Before founding Community Voices Heard, Minieri managed the Catholic Bishops’ Campaign for Human Development in the New York Archdiocese, a fund similar to Veatch in its religious orientation and emphasis on supporting community groups. She is also the co-author of “Tools for Radical Democracy: How to Organize for Power in Your Community,’’ a book that instructs neighborhood organizations on how to form and win campaigns at the local level.
The Veatch Program began in 1953, when Caroline Veatch bequeathed her oil royalty holdings to the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Shelter Rock. When oil and natural gas boomed shortly thereafter, the fund grew from a few thousand to a few million dollars. Today the organization allocates $12 million annually to Unitarian Universalist organizations and social justice groups.
“In the Unitarian Universalist faith every human being has inherent value so they have a right to a fair and enjoyable life,” said Kurjakovic. “Every person should have a say in the issues that affect their community.”
Current Veatch Program grantees include Planned Parenthood of Hudson-Peconic, an affordable health clinic; Jobs with Justice, a labor advocacy organization; and PICO National Network, a coalition of faith-based community organizations.
Minieri, who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, began community organizing while an undergraduate in social work at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. There she witnessed the shuttering of the nearby Bethlehem steel mills, which had once served as a national symbol of American manufacturing. “I was seeing workers lose their jobs and I wanted to help them have a say in their lives,” she recalled.
After helping the workers help themselves, she realized, “Oh my gosh, this is what I’ve been looking for all along.”
