To celebrate Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight one of the many women leaders at BronxWorks. Throughout our storied 50 years of providing services to the Bronx, we have benefited from countless women visionaries, each of whom have contributed to the growth of this organization. This month, we are excited to highlight Betty Ann Tamaisar, Department Director of the BronxWorks Workforce Development Department.
I am so proud to work for a nonprofit organization like BronxWorks, with some of the smartest people I have ever met. I have such an admiration for all of my colleagues, people who have such passion. It gives me the confidence to do anything.”
Betty grew up in Trinidad and came to the U.S. as an international student, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the New Jersey City University. She then completed her Master’s Degree in Human Rights with a focus on Women’s Rights at Columbia University.
Betty joined BronxWorks in 2010 as an Operations Coordinator for the Workforce Development Department. As the Operations Coordinator, she provided administrative and operational support to the entire department, assisting with whatever was needed. In 2012, she joined the Access to Benefits Department as a Program Coordinator to oversee the Healthy Families and Housing Programs and Bedford Walk-In-Office, and then in 2013 was promoted to Program Director of the Navigator Program. It was during these years that Betty worked closely with Eileen Torres, John Weed, and Julie Spitzer, who have all become senior leaders at BronxWorks. Betty credits these working relationships with much of her professional growth.
In 2014, Betty would rejoin the Workforce Development Department as the Assistant Department Director before she was eventually promoted to Department Director. In 2015, Betty was named as one of New York Non-Profit Media 40 Under 40 Rising Stars, and currently sits on the New York City Employment and Training Coalition’s (NYCETC) Strategy and Policy Council.
There were tough moments when I thought I bit off more than I could chew , but I always had a strong support system in the form of the Executive Team as well as Marie Edwards, the Assistant Department Director.”
In her time at WFD, Betty has overseen the growth of the department, originally overseeing four programs to now managing a portfolio of fourteen programs and serving close to 10,000 participants per year. True to fashion, Betty credits her team for providing the foundation for the growth and success of the department.
Betty said that the root of her motivation to work in human services grew from her own mother. “I saw the struggles she went through as an immigrant, working 3-4 jobs, to ensure that she could put me on a path to success. She is one of the strongest women I know and inspires me to help others to become self-sufficient.
Outside of work, Betty loves to travel and is excited to start traveling again. She loves to sing and recently purchased a karaoke machine. She is also an avid gardener, wife and mother of two. Unsurprisingly, she loves to give her step-son advice on his own employment journey.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight one of the many women leaders at BronxWorks. Throughout our storied 50 years of providing services to the Bronx, we have benefited from countless women visionaries, each of whom have contributed to the growth of this organization. This month, we are excited to highlight Betty Ann Tamaisar, Department Director of the BronxWorks Workforce Development Department.
I am so proud to work for a nonprofit organization like BronxWorks, with some of the smartest people I have ever met. I have such an admiration for all of my colleagues, people who have such passion. It gives me the confidence to do anything.”
Betty grew up in Trinidad and came to the U.S. as an international student, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the New Jersey City University. She then completed her Master’s Degree in Human Rights with a focus on Women’s Rights at Columbia University.
Betty joined BronxWorks in 2010 as an Operations Coordinator for the Workforce Development Department. As the Operations Coordinator, she provided administrative and operational support to the entire department, assisting with whatever was needed. In 2012, she joined the Access to Benefits Department as a Program Coordinator to oversee the Healthy Families and Housing Programs and Bedford Walk-In-Office, and then in 2013 was promoted to Program Director of the Navigator Program. It was during these years that Betty worked closely with Eileen Torres, John Weed, and Julie Spitzer, who have all become senior leaders at BronxWorks. Betty credits these working relationships with much of her professional growth.
In 2014, Betty would rejoin the Workforce Development Department as the Assistant Department Director before she was eventually promoted to Department Director. In 2015, Betty was named as one of New York Non-Profit Media 40 Under 40 Rising Stars, and currently sits on the New York City Employment and Training Coalition’s (NYCETC) Strategy and Policy Council.
There were tough moments when I thought I bit off more than I could chew , but I always had a strong support system in the form of the Executive Team as well as Marie Edwards, the Assistant Department Director.”
In her time at WFD, Betty has overseen the growth of the department, originally overseeing four programs to now managing a portfolio of fourteen programs and serving close to 10,000 participants per year. True to fashion, Betty credits her team for providing the foundation for the growth and success of the department.
Betty said that the root of her motivation to work in human services grew from her own mother. “I saw the struggles she went through as an immigrant, working 3-4 jobs, to ensure that she could put me on a path to success. She is one of the strongest women I know and inspires me to help others to become self-sufficient.
Outside of work, Betty loves to travel and is excited to start traveling again. She loves to sing and recently purchased a karaoke machine. She is also an avid gardener, wife and mother of two. Unsurprisingly, she loves to give her step-son advice on his own employment journey.
