Bernice M. Edwards has dedicated nearly five decades to strengthening communities and expanding opportunities for individuals and families across Delaware.

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Her career with First State Community Action Agency began on December 1, 1978, when the organization was still known as Sussex County Community Action. She began as a Neighborhood Youth Supervisor and went on to serve in a number of leadership roles, including Housing Counselor, Community Development Director, and Deputy Director, before becoming Executive Director.

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Today, Mrs. Edwards leads First State’s statewide network of more than 20 anti-poverty programs, overseeing a multimillion-dollar annual operating budget and a staff committed to helping Delawareans achieve greater stability, opportunity, and self-sufficiency. Her decades of service have helped shape First State’s growth from a Sussex County organization into Delaware’s only statewide Community Action Agency.

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Mrs. Edwards has also maintained a strong commitment to civic and community leadership. Her service has included the Delaware Human Relations Commission, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Organization of Sussex County, Sunshine Circle Club, Georgetown-Millsboro Rotary Club, Sussex County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Delaware Access to Justice Coalition, Biggs Museum Board of Trustees, Sussex County Health Coalition, Delaware Racial Justice Collaborative, and Cape Henlopen Minority Advisory Committee.

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She holds an associate degree in Human Services from Delaware Technical Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from Wilmington University. She also completed the University of Delaware’s Community Development Certificate Program.

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Mrs. Edwards is the widow of Willie James Edwards, Sr., and is the mother of two children, Christa and Willie Jr. She is also a proud grandmother of five and great-grandmother of five.