Biggest Lessons Learned in 2020: Samara Karasyk

Part 3 of 4 interviews from our end-of-year event, The Pain and Triumphs of 2020: The Biggest Lessons We Learned This Year, where we asked guest speakers (several of our favorite people who have been part of the Tech 2025 community for years!) what their most profound lesson of 2020 was and how it changed their outlook on the future. They gave us much food for thought!

In this episode, Samara Karasyk (Chief Policy Officer & EVP, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce) shares her revelations on how the pandemic has impacted women in the workforce and the struggle to juggle everything.

At the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, she oversees their policy agenda, legislative and intergovernmental affairs, marketing, and public relations. Before her work at the Chamber, Samara worked for the government of New York City for many years. She began her public service career at the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation working on workforce development and job readiness training, later moving to the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission to focus on transportation policy and constituent affairs. She then handled intergovernmental affairs at the NYC Department of Transportation. Between 2011 and 2017, Samara was Assistant Commissioner of External Affairs at the NYC Department of Finance, managing all public affairs for the organization.

Samara has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Hispanic Studies from Brown University and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. She lives in Brooklyn with her family and loves living here and working with the people and businesses of this dynamic borough.

Learn more about NY Small Business Resource Network: https://www.nycsmallbusinessresourcenetwork.org/