The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s workforce development affiliate, The Partnership, Inc., is pleased to announce that New Castle County Councilman Jea P. Street has been honored with the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award for his commitment, leadership, guidance, and contributions to the education system in Delaware.
Jea P. Street, a graduate of Wilmington High School and the University of Delaware, has dedicated his career to advocating for educational equity and community development in Delaware.
“Jea Street is an icon among Delaware’s education, community and government leaders, and his north star has been to provide equal access to safe and high-quality education opportunities for students who were disadvantaged,” says Rick Deadwyler, U.S. Eastern Region director for government & industry affairs at Corteva Agriscience. “The impact and legacy of Jea’s work and his enduring perseverance can be witnessed by the hundreds of thousands of Delaware’s youths – particularly Wilmington’s youth – who have received or are receiving access to quality education and support in our schools and community today.”
Early in his career, he served as Executive Director of the Parent Educational Resource Center, helping prepare families for school desegregation. He continued this advocacy as chairman of the Coalition to Save Our Children.
Having represented the 10th District by serving on the New Castle County Council since 2004, Street has focused on public safety and community services. He has championed causes like fair school funding, preventing city school closures, and securing funding for the Route 9 Library.
Street also served as Executive Director of the Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center for many years, overseeing significant growth and renovations, making life-long connections with students and parents, and receiving the state’s highest rating for childcare services. He currently leads Delawareans for Educational Opportunity, which successfully sued the state for increased funding for disadvantaged students.
But out of all Street’s achievements and awards, it is helping the children in his community that has meant the most to him. “All of them didn’t listen. All of them didn’t go the right way. But I love them, and they love me,” reflected Street on his years of service.
Jea Street will be honored with the award at Navigating Delaware Pathways: An Education Workforce Development Summit on April 16 during a lunchtime awards ceremony.
About the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award
Throughout his professional career, Mr. Taylor was an educator. He began his career as a teacher, then served as the assistant to the superintendent of the Wilmington Public Schools.
Taylor’s education background, coupled with his ability to share information and make connections served him well as he rose to become editorial page editor for The News Journal before becoming president of the Delaware Public Policy Institute in 2005. As a founding member of the Vision Coalition, Taylor’s leadership and directness were instrumental in building an impactful public-private partnership to advocate for improved education in Delaware. Taylor’s leadership style was always straightforward, clear-headed, and often unwavering. At the same time, he was a humorous and truly humble person.
The John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award recognizes leaders within the community who have provided sustained leadership in advancing Delaware education and who, by doing so, have also made our community a better place in which to live and work.
A feature on Jea Street will be included in the May/June Issue of Delaware Business Magazine.
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