MEMBER

Tamara was hired by the Mayor’s Office in 2015 to direct Building Healthy Communities, a
place-based initiative to improve community health and wellness through fresh food access, physical activity, and safe and vibrant public spaces. She has since integrated this work into the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, connecting community-based safety and wellness efforts in a variety of NYC neighborhoods, with a particular focus on public housing communities. Prior to the Mayor’s Office, Tamara was Executive Director of Fourth Arts Block (FABNYC). During her eight years at FABNYC, Tamara led dozens of theaters, dance companies and arts groups on the Lower East Side, helping to leverage over $25 million in capital funds for cultural facilities and start innovative programs that ranged from neighborhood sustainability and resource sharing to public art and rehearsal space access. During that time, she also co-founded and directed Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts New York (NOCD-NY), a citywide coalition of arts and community organizations working together to revitalize NYC from the neighborhood up. Prior to FABNYC, Tamara led Partnerships for Parks’ Catalyst for Neighborhood Parks Program, a multi-year initiative combining public, private, and community assets to catalyze long term change in 16 parks in Red Hook, Astoria/LIC, Harlem, and Washington Heights. Tamara is a graduate of Coro Leadership New York and co-founder of the Dance Now NYC Festival. She received her Masters in Urban Planning from Hunter College and B.A. in Art History and International Development from Washington University in St. Louis. Tamara lives in Sunset Park, Brooklyn with her husband Issam.