Wilhelmina’s Alabaster Box

About the Book

This is the story of an African American woman whose education and training take her from Union, a small town in South Carolina, to (and through) twelve years at Harvard University as a director of graduate programs and as an alumna. Along the way, she marries an African medical doctor, travels to sixty-one countries, and spends a full year working with her former husband’s Yoruba family as they manage their law firm, philanthropic foundation, publishing company, etc., in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And there’s so much more. Go with her to the faraway country of Djibouti in East Africa as she trains twenty-one older youths (fourteen males and seven females) in self-help techniques. Dr. Helaine Daniels has enjoyed a marvelous life. Check her out.

About the Author

Dr. Helaine Daniels is an international development specialist, academic administrator, and professional trainer. Her work and travels have taken her to 61 countries around the world, including special projects in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, Central America, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Her work within the United States includes service to numerous non-profit organizations, several universities, as well as the private sector. She has performed as a director at Harvard University, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University. Within the private sector, she has worked with Hewlett Packard and Mobil Oil. Her international consultations have been with the United Nations, the World Bank, USAID, the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, Africare, and numerous other organizations. Having earned her doctorate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Dr. Daniels has researched and published in the areas of self-help and empowerment, organization development, institutional planning, and language learning among children from disempowered communities. She has designed and administered professional training modules in twenty cognitive areas, including team building, conflict resolution, cross-cultural effectiveness, and employee motivation. She has served as an adjunct professor in Social Policy at the Simmons School of Social Work in Boston, as a special lecturer in the Black Studies Department at Providence College, and as Scholar-in-Residence and Lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.. The former director of International Student Programs and the Master in Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School began her professional career as a reporter for the Boston Globe newspaper. Dr. Daniels also served as the Specialist in Health and Education for the United Nations Populations Fund and the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help in the Republic of Djibouti in East Africa.