Her Story
About Carrie
I've been working in government since 2001, spending 25 years in public service. My career really started working as a constituent liaison for Senator Hillary Clinton in 2001, right after 9-11, which was a transformative opportunity for me. From there, I became a research analyst at the CUNY Research Foundation, working on critical reports about higher education attainment across New York City graduates, the impact of community institutions in marginalized communities, and developing programs around youth development, violence prevention, and workforce development. I then served as a senior advisor for the fund for public housing residents, followed by a project manager role at the New York City Housing Authority. Before my current position, I was the Vice President of empowerment, compliance and opportunity at New York State Homes and Community Renewal, which finances all of New York State's affordable housing. Now, as Director of Opportunity Programs at the Dormitory Authority for the State of New York (DASNY), I monitor small business utilization in a construction portfolio valued at $15 billion with over a thousand active construction projects across New York State. I work with a team of 25 compliance analysts, ensuring contractors and subcontractors are paid on time and fairly. I develop inclusive terms and conditions in our contracts, and I recently launched DASNY's first-ever statewide mentor protege program in 80 years, pairing prime contractors with smaller businesses to develop their capacity. I'm currently managing a $1.7 billion science research lab project in Albany, the largest design-build project DASNY has ever worked on, and I've achieved 70% diverse workforce participation on that project. My work sits at the intersection of economic development, public policy, strategy, procurement, and supplier diversity. I build equity frameworks in large public institutions to ensure that tax dollars are deployed responsibly and reach the communities they're meant to serve. I represent our work to the board of the authority and manage relationships with stakeholders including the governor's office, the Department of Health, CUNY, SUNY, and small businesses across the state. I have a large external-facing role, speaking at engagements one to three times a week, making our opportunities more accessible and measuring the impact of our engagement on the success of businesses throughout New York State.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Carrie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to not working for money, but following my values and working in spaces I feel passionate about. I've always kept at the forefront of what I do how I'm impacting the lives of the people I'm put here to serve. That became the core value of how I approach all my work in public institutions. For me, it's not about my paycheck or my next promotion, it's really about how many people can I serve and how can I make a difference in people's lives because they met me. I believe in being persistent and continuously showing up, even when you're not going to get paid. I do it for free, be in service, volunteer, until sometimes there's a gap and they think of you first. I was brought up by very strong, successful, independent women, and I grew up with the idea that being in service was a noble way to spend your life. When you see people that are disadvantaged or without, you can't turn your head and walk away from that. I constantly find myself wanting to be in service and see other people really live their life to their full potential. I think the worst thing that could happen to you in your life is that you don't reach your full potential.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is don't work for money. You want to follow your values and work in spaces that you feel passionate about, based on your values. Always make relationships and network. And the biggest one, especially for women, is brag about yourself. It's taken me many years to be able to share my accomplishments. We don't brag enough about ourselves. We're taught to be humble and agreeable, and if you talk too much about yourself, maybe people won't like you. But if I'm not believing in myself and my own champion, how do I expect someone else to do that for me? I have to teach people how to talk about me. You have to teach people how to speak about you, introduce you, tell people the words to use to describe what it is that you do. I was calling myself a public policy strategist for a long time, and I had to teach people how to use those words. When I was recognized by a New York State Assemblyperson as an expert public policy strategist, I realized I did it. It took seven or eight years, but there it is in black and white.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women that you are enough and you are worthy. We don't say that enough to each other, and especially to young women who want to be a leader. It takes a while. It's a journey. It doesn't happen overnight. We see so many messages in social media of young celebrities who are 20-something with 50,000 followers and million dollar contracts from brands, but those are outliers. There are everyday civilians making a huge impact in other people's lives and their communities, and you're never gonna meet them, they're never gonna be on the news, they may never make a million dollars in their life, but that's not the measure of success. You need to believe in yourself and be persistent. Show up continuously, even when you're not going to get paid. Be in service, volunteer. And brag about yourself. Teach people how to talk about you and introduce you. Tell people the words to use to describe what you do. If you commit to taking action in your purpose and finding out what your purpose is, you have incredible potential. Your purpose doesn't have to be the same as someone else's, and it doesn't have to be profound. As long as it's in service of uplifting others, it is profound, even if that's just gardening or baking or crocheting blankets, because you're giving of yourself to someone else.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is keeping at the forefront of what I do how I'm impacting the lives of the people I'm put here to serve. I believe being in service is a noble way to spend your life and to be kind to others. When you see people that are disadvantaged or without, you can't turn your head and walk away from that. I grew up watching my parents, who were civil servants, always being very responsible, in uniform, showing up. My dad was a retired police officer and my mother worked for the transit authority. I was brought up by very strong, successful, independent women, and I wanted to do something that makes my family proud. I believe the worst thing that could happen to you in your life is that you don't reach your full potential. I constantly find myself wanting to be in service and see other people really live their life to their full. For me, it's about how many people can I serve and how can I make a difference in people's lives because they met me. Everyone who's ever worked for me has either got a promotion, a raise, or a celebration. It's not about my paycheck or my next promotion.
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