Stephanie (Calderon) Benito Vásquez
Stephanie (Calderon) Benito Vásquez is an operations and program management leader whose career centers on access, equity, and organizational effectiveness. She currently serves as Operations and Office Manager at Mac's Facility Solutions, where she oversees complex, high-volume operations across 200+ client sites, ensuring staffing continuity, resource allocation, and sustainable workloads for a large frontline workforce. Known for her clarity, reliability, and people-first leadership style, Stephanie focuses on building systems that protect employees while keeping organizations running smoothly.
Before transitioning into corporate operations, Stephanie built a strong foundation in education, student services, and compliance. She held multiple leadership roles with SEEDS – Access Changes Everything, including Site Dean and College Placement Officer, where she supported first-generation and low-income students through academic programming and the college admissions process. She later served as Financial Aid Coordinator at Rowan College at Burlington County, administering federal and state aid programs, managing compliance, and guiding students—particularly immigrant and undocumented students—through complex financial aid systems with care and precision.
Raised in Brooklyn by an immigrant single mother, Stephanie’s work is deeply informed by lived experience and long-standing community engagement. She volunteered for more than 15 years with organizations supporting undocumented individuals and youth, including work connected to the New York Governor’s Office of New Americans, and served as a board member with PROCEED, Inc.. A graduate of John Jay College (CUNY), Stephanie brings together advocacy, operational rigor, and compassionate leadership—consistently focused on connecting people to the tools they need to thrive.
• John Jay College (CUNY)- B.A.
• Honored Listee-
Marquis Who's Who
• Volunteer for over 15 years at nonprofits supporting undocumented individuals
• Community resource officer at church in South Jersey providing resources to immigrant community
• Translation services and legal support for undocumented individuals seeking paths to citizenship
• PROCEED, Inc.
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to deep community involvement and long-term volunteerism, especially advocating for immigrants and students and helping build pathways to resources and opportunity. Just as important has been learning from mentors and surrounding myself with the right people and support systems who push growth and shared success.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell her to be honest with herself, right? Be honest with everything she enjoys and what she doesn't. I wish that's something someone told me earlier in my life. You're the only person who has to live it. Everyone can give advice on the sidelines, but no one's going to experience it like you are. Being able to remind yourself that if you're not enjoying the work that you're doing, how can we make it better? Or where do we have to pivot to do something that is going to give us joy? Not everything's perfect, but we don't want to drag ourselves into work either. We don't want to drag ourselves to go to class. We don't want to drag ourselves to that finish line, because if we're actually interested in the marathon, we're going to start running.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge is the stigma, right? I think it's really easy to minimize the role that someone has. Even me, right? Whether it be office manager, operations manager, those titles can seem a little so small sometimes in perspective of a bigger company, but it's really being able to remind ourselves that every single person has a role that's going to help everything flourish and be better. That's the biggest part of always remembering that someone has a purpose in what you're doing, so sometimes that's the hardest part. Overall, in the industry as a whole, it definitely is not being stuck in the norm, in the status quo. It's so easy to fall into the status quo, why change something? But sometimes it has to be forced upon us to say, you know, this is working, what can work better? And then, as everything, this is not a woman-led profession. Being in a room with powerful men, men that have been doing this longer and maybe have a little bit more information to give, sometimes forget that we're important too, women are important. I'm really, really lucky that in this company I am given that voice. I know for some of my colleagues in similar positions, they're not always.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my work, I value honesty, clear communication, and the ability to pivot—often it’s not about a complete overhaul, but making small, thoughtful adjustments that create better outcomes. In my personal life, what matters most is spending quality time with my three-year-old daughter, reading, making music with my husband, and staying grounded through Christian spiritual music. A love of learning and continuous growth connects both my professional and personal values.