Staff Profile: Meet Tamara Tobee

Fresh flowers anoint her workspace. Framed inspirational quotes hang beside her, announcing to all, “Good vibes only” and “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Tamara Tobee is the welcoming face and operations dynamo of the sixth floor. For the record, she is also the College’s unrivaled fashion icon and the most upbeat, positive person anyone is likely to meet on First Avenue.

As the administrative assistant for operations, Tobee helps with all of the daily operations and facilities for the College at 433 1st Avenue. “It can range from a lightbulb being out to a leak in the bathroom to someone locked themselves out of a room — even the lactation room for any new moms,” she explains. “It’s really random.”

Tobee skillfully combines her flair for people with operational know-how: “I like to help people solve their issues . . . Something went wrong and they need to resolve it, that’s where I come in.”

Even though she has building engineers and client services on speed-dial, Tobee makes it a point to get to know all of her colleagues:

“I feel like I know everyone in this building . . . I always build some kind of relationship with each person that I encounter.”

These connections come in handy, especially when she wears one of her other hats, helping to coordinate college-wide gatherings like the annual Thanksgiving Potluck for faculty and staff. She strongly believes these events help to make us a better community.

“People don’t just want to talk about work, because it helps us deal with the stress of it all, to be human, to not be robots,” she says, wishing more staff took opportunities to get know each other and were less “glued” to their workspaces. “Let’s just open up a bit. Let’s be a bit more free-spirited. Life is too short and too serious.”

Joining NYU Meyers was a leap for Tobee. Before this, she was a professional makeup artist and retail manager working for famous brands like M.A.C. and NARS.

“I like the fact that you can express yourself with makeup. It helps you feel good. And when you look good, you feel good,” she says. But what Tobee did not like were the long hours and missed birthdays and family events. She wanted a change.

The next big change for Tobee will be buying a new home with her fiancé, Shawn, in Westchester County, where she grew up and still lives. “I’m just saving, saving, saving to get our condo, so that next year we can focus on getting married and we can start a family.”

Quiet days spent at home, in the calm, tranquil oasis she has created in Ossining, are key to recharging her megawatt battery. “A lot of people don’t think this about me because of their first impressions, but I actually really just enjoy being at home.” Shopping for shoes with her mom and role model, Toni Matthews, helps too.

The sparkling enthusiasm Tobee brings to work every morning makes her a sought-out friend and appreciated colleague:

“There may be a day when you’re not feeling great and I’m in such a great mood, I might rub off on you — and you’ll say, “You know what, I’m glad I ran into her today.”