A warm welcome to Carmen, a fond farewell to Natalie
The overall administration of Bloomingdale is a team effort. One important team member is the
Executive Director’s Administrative Assistant. This person works behind the scenes,
keeping everything working smoothly. Since March 2015, that role was filled by Natalie
Tamasa, whose daughter Madison was in her second year at Bloomingdale. Her warm smile
and efficiency were greatly appreciated at Bloomingdale and are undoubtedly appreciated at her
new job as a Court Assistant in the Bronx. Initially, she started at Bronx Family Court and
recently moved to Bronx Civil Court. (You can read the description of her job in the slide show of
Natalie and Madison below.) Madison has been the high jumper at our annual Alumni Photo
Events, and we hope she and Natalie will come back for it every year.
We had the good fortune to find Carmen Colmenares-Fuentes to fill Natalie’s shoes. Carmen
came to the US from Peru in 1987 and raised her two daughters in the neighborhood. Her
daughter Pamela started in our classrooms as an intern last year when she was a BMCC honor
student, and she began working for us as a substitute Assistant Teacher last spring. She is
continuing her studies in Early Childhood Education starting next semester, and we will miss her very much.
Carmen sent her children to Catholic schools for elementary and high school, and this led to her
employment at Ascension in various capacities. She became an Assistant Teacher for Pre-K
and grades 4-8 there, giving her a range of experience. She then worked at St. Margaret Mary,
a school that is now closed, as is Ascension. We are fortunate to have been able to welcome Carmen into the Bloomingdale family and watch with grace as she grows into her role to help keep our operations going.
Enjoy the photos of Natalie and Madison below: