Meet Tammie and Nakia, Co-Chairs of the Black, African American, and Caribbean Employee Resource Group

Tamesha (Tammie) Steward and Nakia Howell-Spears serve as inaugural chairs of the CUFO Black, African American, and Caribbean Employee Resource Group (ERG). In this interview, they share their hopes for the ERG in its first year, what they’re proud of in their work at Columbia, and why everyone should get involved with CUFO’s ERGs.

The ERGs, first introduced to all staff at an expo in December 2024, bring staff together around a variety of cultures and interests to provide networking and mentorship opportunities, facilitate educational programming, and foster an overall sense of community and belonging. All CUFO staff are welcome and encouraged to participate.

Sign up for ERGs on CUFOnet, and read on to get to know Tammie and Nakia.

This interview has been edited for length, clarity, and style.

How long have you been with Columbia, and what is your role within Facilities and Operations?

Nakia: I'm the Catering Manager at Teachers College. I've been in this role for a little over a year and a half. I used to work at Columbia 20 years ago as a Catering Sales Manager in Lerner Hall and at Faculty House. In the interim, I worked for a variety of corporate clients in event management. Working at Lerner Hall, when it had just opened, gave me the background to catapult my career.

Tammie: I am a Training Manager within the Department of Public Safety.  I began my career here at Columbia in 2009 as a Sergeant and then as a Senior Sergeant.  In 2019, I was promoted to my current position which I love tremendously.   

What made you interested in being a co-chair for the Black, African American and Caribbean ERG?

Nakia: I've seen ERGs work in other organizations. When I was at Goldman Sachs and when I was at Morgan Stanley, I saw that it energized a group of people. When I saw this opportunity within CUFO, I said, “Let me sign up for this. Let me be involved. Let me be a leader in this.” Being a co-chair is very natural for me. Working in dining services, we're all leaders in our department. I’m excited to work alongside someone who is also a leader at Columbia University and knows this place so well. Tammie and I make a great team, in part because we come from different departments within CUFO. We both come from departments where people are super busy and don’t always have time to make connections. We hope this will be an opportunity for people to come together.

Tammie: While I did not know about ERGs, I was excited when I was asked if I would be interested in being a part of this amazing group. I agreed and was happy to meet Nakia and knew immediately that I made the right decision! The energy Nakia brings – along with her passion for this project – is infectious, and I am looking forward to what we can do for our members.

What do you hope the ERG you are leading will accomplish? What do you hope staff will get out of it?

Tammie: I’m excited about getting to know everyone and getting to learn about where each of us comes from and what our stories are. We also want to make sure we show the different aspects of our cultures as the Black, African American and Caribbean ERG.

Nakia: It’s also to support each other. Within CUFO, people are working late-night shifts or early-morning shifts or mid-day shifts. It’s important to have moments to come together. Networking and camaraderie are what we're striving to do. We’re very casual, very laid back. Any way you want to contribute is welcome.

Tammie: We can't expect everyone to be able to attend everything. For example, with the ERG expo, Nakia and I split the day, which worked out for our schedules. What's very important to me –  and it was evident during the ERG expo – employees from all cultures were coming to the tables and signing up.  While diversity is important, inclusion is paramount.

ERGs are open to everybody. I want us to be able to get that point across because it's how you find out about other people, other cultures. I signed up for every ERG at the expo! As I stated, inclusion means a lot to me, so I was very excited about all the different ERG groups and everyone who came and signed up at our table.

What’s something you worked on at Columbia that you feel proud of?

Nakia: The team that I'm working with now is what I'm extremely thankful for and proud of. When I came into this role, there had been some recent transitions. I'm proud of the camaraderie with the staff that we built together. We have great food too! Everything is fresh, and the chef has come up with some great ideas to get the students engaged.

Tammie: I am proud of the work my team does. Training our new hires is a passion for me not only because we get to instruct them on various topics and how to do their jobs but also because of how important it is that we give them the tools to do the best job they can do in protecting our students, faculty and staff. The team that I work with is just amazing and I can think of nothing better to be proud of. We love what we do, it’s that simple. Doing what you love is priceless and doing it with an amazing team of people just makes our job an amazing experience each day.

Nakia: We both have a love for our positions, so that makes us even more excited about starting this ERG. It all comes back to: We love this community.

Tammie: It’s important for everyone to know and understand that they have a voice within the ERGs. It’s not just us driving it. It’s a group thing. If you have ideas, let us know and those ideas will be heard. It’s about community. We’re doing this together.