Back in March of this year, Omid Tashayod joined the Step Up family as a new member of our Board.  At that time, it may not have seemed like there was much to celebrate. New York City was on the brink of shutting down, and our team knew how vulnerable our South Bronx community was. We were hard at work mobilizing to address the urgent needs the pandemic would soon bring. All in all, it was an unusual time to welcome a new member of the team! Lucky for us, it was Omid we were welcoming. He didn’t miss a step, and got right to work helping us meet the unprecedented challenges here in the South Bronx.

Omid is no stranger to hitting the ground running, of course. And he’s always matched his hard work with compassion. Even during his days at U.C.L.A. and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Omid found ways to give back… like when he served as co-chair for the Booth charity club, aptly named Giving Something Back!

These days, Omid’s career focus is on economics and finance. After working as an Associate for two years at Credit Suisse, he received an early promotion to Vice President of Investment Banking. Three years after that, he became the Director of Investment Banking.

So what drives a finance expert to work in the nonprofit world? The answer is simple: Compassion. He has a firm belief that compassion is the key to happiness. That’s why he finds it so rewarding to help address the basic needs of our friends and neighbors, including food security and housing. He believes in our organization’s proactive approach to promoting sustainability.

Omid’s still giving back, the way he always has. As for his financial expertise? Well, that’s just a bonus for us. Thanks for stepping up, Omid!