Her Story
About Tamara
Tamara is an accomplished hospitality executive, leadership strategist, and author with more than 25 years of experience leading high-performing teams and award-winning hotels. Throughout her career, she has advanced from waiting tables to serving as a Vice President and Regional General Manager, earning prestigious honors including General Manager of the Year while leading multiple Hotel of the Year properties. Her expertise spans operations, organizational leadership, talent development, and creating cultures of excellence that drive both exceptional guest experiences and sustainable business results.
Following the profound loss of her husband, Tamara transformed personal adversity into a mission to help others lead through life's most difficult moments. She is the author of Who Holds the Leader and the creator of the CARE Model, a practical leadership framework designed to help organizations navigate grief, disruption, and change while maintaining resilience, compassion, and operational excellence. Her work equips leaders to support their teams through uncertainty without sacrificing performance or organizational success.
Today, Tamara partners with organizations to develop resilient leaders, strengthen workplace culture, and build environments where both people and performance can thrive. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in servant leadership, authenticity, resilience, and accountability, empowering leaders to navigate change with confidence while fostering workplaces where employees feel supported, valued, and inspired to achieve their best.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tamara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to resilience, authenticity, and a servant leadership mindset. Throughout my career, I've learned that life's greatest challenges often become the foundation for growth, stronger leadership, and greater purpose. My personal experiences have strengthened my ability to lead with compassion, and I am passionate about helping others succeed while building organizational cultures where both people and performance can thrive.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received came from Felicia Comer, Chief Operating Officer of Magna Hospitality, who has been one of the most influential mentors in my leadership journey. Through her guidance and example, I learned that great leadership is rooted in integrity, accountability, and investing in people. Those lessons continue to shape how I lead, build strong organizational cultures, and support the growth and success of others.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to lead authentically, embrace resilience, and never let adversity define your future. Challenges will come, but they are often the experiences that shape your greatest strengths as a leader. Continue investing in your personal and professional growth, build meaningful relationships, and lead with confidence, compassion, and integrity. Those qualities will not only help you succeed but also create opportunities for others to succeed alongside you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges facing organizations today is navigating constant disruption, change, employee burnout, and workplace grief. These realities require leaders to move beyond traditional management approaches and develop the skills to lead with resilience, empathy, and adaptability. At the same time, I see tremendous opportunity for organizations that invest in resilient leadership, emotionally healthy workplace cultures, and practical systems that support employees through change. The organizations that intentionally prioritize both people and performance will be the ones best positioned for long-term success.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide both my work and personal life are resilience, compassion, authenticity, integrity, servant leadership, excellence, and continuous growth. I believe the strongest leaders prioritize people while maintaining high standards of performance and accountability. My leadership philosophy is centered on serving others, inspiring positive change, and creating environments where individuals and organizations can thrive together.
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