Taffi Woolward
DIRECTOR, OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS GROUP-FINANCIAL & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIVERSITY PROGRAMS THE DORMITORY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (DASNY)
NEW YORK CITY
AGE: 28
At just 28 years old, Guyana native Taffi Woolward has already held three senior positions and shows no signs of slowing down. Immediately after graduating from New York University with a bachelor’s in economics, Woolward became the vice president of sales and marketing at New Century Investor. She later served as the vice president of investment banking at Baylock Robert Van L.L.C. (formerly Baylock & Co.) before attaining her current role as the director of the opportunity programs group for financial and professional services at the Dormitory Authority of New York State.
At the Dormitory Authority, Woolward manages the implementation of programs companywide to expand procurement opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses, a responsibility that includes interacting with executive leadership. She was selected to work on former New York Governor David A. Paterson’s Executive Order 10 Task Force to increase participation by MWBE firms in the financial and legal sectors.
Woolward developed her penchant for leadership early in her life when she participated in the New Jersey SEEDS program, an educational enrichment program for talented urban students, and attended the college preparatory school, Newark Academy. She states, “It was in prep school that I developed my confidence, social skills and leadership that have been a great part of my success to date.”
Woolward’s civic engagement is as robust as her professional life. She is an officer of the NYU Alumni Association Board of Directors and a member of the NJ SEEDS Young Leadership Committee and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, Baby Buggy and others. When she isn’t hard at work professionally and in community activities, she enjoys golf, tap dance, sailing, skiing and international travel. “If I had the time and resources, I’d travel to each continent on the earth and experience as many cultures as possible,” she says.
FUN FACTS
Favorite song: “Off the Wall”
Dish you cook best: Eggplant parmesan
Sports team: NY Giants
