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Generosity and Drive
Airey-Wilson particularly appreciated independent study courses, in which she learned to develop ideas and follow them through. "When the idea of becoming a businesswoman surfaced, it wasn’t new," she says. "I had developed those skills already." Being an immigrant from Jamaica and the first person in her family to attend college prepared her for a lifetime of trailblazing. In 1993 she became the first West Indian woman to be elected to the Hartford City Council, and she has been reelected four times. In addition, she has held leadership positions on the boards of 16 local organizations in the last 10 years. Airey-Wilson takes good care of her customers because she knows how important her help is in times of need, and of her constituents because she is compelled to speak for those whose voices might not otherwise be heard. That’s why she spearheaded Hartford’s first major citizenship drive for individuals from the Caribbean. Airey-Wilson finished Ithaca College in three and a half years, "because it was too cold there!" she laughs. Twenty-five years later, she’s still working fast, juggling many responsibilities — and blazing new trails. — Bridget Meeds ’91 Photos by Peter Morenus
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Just
try to get Veronica Airey-Wilson ’76 on the telephone! Her duties as councilwoman
in Hartford, Connecticut, the demands of her Allstate Insurance business,
her leadership of West Indian civic associations, and her two children
keep her running all day. But if you do manage to catch her in her seat
for a moment, she’ll relax and talk as if she’s got all the time in the
world to get to know you. It’s that special combination of drive and generous
caring for others that makes her a successful entrepreneur.
Airey-Wilson,
who majored in politics and history at Ithaca, began her career in the
insurance industry. "But from day one," she says, "I knew that I wanted
to start my own business." After eight years as the manager of corporate
recruiting at Aetna Life and Casualty, in 1984 she and her cousin founded
Verjen Creative Accessories. It’s the perfect example of entrepreneurship
via microcredit: the women started with $500 and long nights spent at
a kitchen table, making jewelry by hand. Within a year they had two successful
stores. 
When
the recession in the early ’90s reduced Verjen’s profits, Airey-Wilson
decided to refocus her attentions on the insurance field. She began her
own Allstate franchise. "I started from scratch without a single policy,"
she reminisces, "and have grown substantially." It’s hard work, but she
says her Ithaca College education helped. "Coming to Ithaca from a big-city
environment was a big change! I had to learn independence," she says.