Dr. Janie Gooden Greenleaf Foundation

Remembering Dr. Greenleaf

Dr. Janie Gooden Greenleaf was born in Fort Lauderdale Florida on December 10, 1943 to the Rev. Drs. James Gooden (deceased) and Evelyn Smith Gooden.  Educated in the Broward County school system, she graduated early with honors from Dillard High School and matriculated to Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina.  

At Benedict, she pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated in the Spring of 1961.  After graduating with a Bachelors’ degree in Biology, Dr. Greenleaf settled in south Florida to begin her educational career.  As a young woman, she married Nathaniel Phillip Daniels of Delray Beach, Florida and this union produced and raised two loving children, Robert James and Tamela Yvette.  

She obtained a master’s degree in Education from Texas Southern University then later completed her doctorate in Public Administration from Nova Southeastern University.  Later, she met and married Claude Cecil Greenleaf and remained his faithful wife until his demise.  She affectionately called Claude the “love of her life”. She and Claude were extremely active in the community, the church, and the North Miami Beach business and political community.  They enjoyed traveling the world together exploring new cultures, fine food, and fine wine!  Claude served as CEO of their company, Greenleaf Sales and Services, where they were an integral part of Miami’s recovery and clean up after Hurricane Andrew.

Using stones carved in the early 12th century, Claude Greenleaf built an altar in these gardens for outdoor weddings. Upon completion in 1988, he brought Dr. Janie Gooden here to show her his handiwork. While she was admiring his work and the garden, he dropped to one knee and proposed to her. They were married a few months later on May 28, 1989. Claude was the love of Janie’s life and “they lived happily ever after”.

This garden is dedicated to love that is stronger than death. –  Song of Solomon 8:6

As the child of a pastor, Dr. Greenleaf grew up in and around the church from an early age. She eventually joined The Episcopal Church of the Atonement, and later The Episcopal Church of St. Bernard de Clairvaux at the Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach. Dr. Greenleaf served on the parish’s Board of Directors several times and was appointed Senior Warden (President of the Church’s Board) by Father Ronald N. Fox.

Dr. Greenleaf’s career spanned several decades in the state of Florida.  She was the first Black Vice-President of Human Resources at Florida International University.  She served in the same capacity at Florida A&M University where she also was a member of the Leadership Team and Steering Committee for FAMU’s Southern Association of Colleges (SACS) Reaffirmation Initiatives. 

Dr. Greenleaf served as Chair of the Florida Educational and Employment Council for Women and Girls and was subsequently acknowledged by the Governor and Cabinet of the State of Florida for her work.  She was the Executive Director of Migrant Education at Barry University where she spearheaded the expansion of digital technologies to migrant school children.   Dr. Greenleaf served in numerous other roles throughout her career as a passionate educator and an advocate for the professional development of teachers and university staff throughout the State of Florida, a few of which include:

• Recognized by the Florida Board of Regents for her work in accountability and career development for university faculty, administrators, and staff.
• Chair of the Florida State University System Personnel Committee
• Director of Legislative, Labor Relations and Policy Development, Miami Dade County Public Schools
• Director of Personnel and Payroll Systems, Broward County School Board
• Assistant Principal, Lauderhill Middle School, Broward County School Board
• Teacher of the Year, Coconut Creek High school

After her retirement, Dr. Greenleaf helped resurrect the Ancient Spanish Monastery Foundation in 2010. Originally founded in 1968, the Foundation had become defunct by the 1980’s. Seeing the need to reestablish the 501(c)3, she gave it a new life and mission serving as President for over a decade. The mission of the Foundation is “to maintain the architectural treasure, art, and buildings for future generations”.  In 2020 she was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award for over 30 years of dedicated service to the Church and Foundation. To many in the surrounding communities she was “the face of the Monastery”.

Dr. Greenleaf also served as an Executive Board member at the North Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce where she was a champion for business development expansion in her community.  Dr. Greenleaf was on the Board of Directors with numerous institutions as well as extensive involvement with civic organizations.  She was a constant and passionate advocate for women and girls throughout her career. 

Her inexhaustible energy to help others excel and succeed in life was evident with every interaction. Dr. Greenleaf dedicated her time, talent, intellect and energy to making a difference in the lives of others throughout the state of Florida.  She continued serving the community through her beloved sisterhood where she held many positions over the years.  She was a Golden and Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

The most important role for Dr. Greenleaf was matriarch of her family.  She doted on her children, grandchildren, and great-grands.  She shared her love for traveling with her family, they spent time in many American states, the Caribbean, Latin America, Canada, Asia, Europe, and Key Largo frequently.  She even had annual passes to the theme parks where she and Claude would take the grand kids for vacation.  As an educator, she encouraged her legacy to go as far as they could with learning and development.  That encouragement has produced multiple master’s degrees and a juris doctorate among her children and grandchildren.

Dr. Janie Gooden Greenleaf (Claude – deceased) departed this life on September 30, 2022, being loved by all. 

Although no longer physically with us, her kind and strong spirit will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.  She was a phenomenal woman of God!