Employee Spotlight: Christine Velazquez
Have you ever had one of those days? One of those days where, despite your best efforts to be an organized and responsible adult, everything falls apart and you find yourself running around like a crazy person trying to pick up all the pieces and get back on track? I know I’ve had plenty of those days and at the end of each one, as I collapsed into bed, I would think about how wonderful it would be to have someone organize my life for me. Someone to keep me on schedule, make sure I eat healthy, exercise, take care of myself. Well, unfortunately this doesn’t exist for normal people but this is exactly what Christine Velazquez does for Dare.
As the Director of Operations, Christine oversees all of Dare’s various divisions (sweeping, landscaping, interior landscaping, and service coordinator jobs). She ensures that the work gets done properly and that staff and safety guidelines and policy procedures are being followed. In addition to all of this, Christine also handles insurance bids, audits, legal issues, and the reviewing of contracts. But she hasn’t always been at the helm of Dare.
Even at a young age, Christine was always on the phone.
Christine was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY until her freshman year of high school when she moved to Vineland, NJ. Afterwards, she worked for an insurance company for ten years, processing health benefits for IBM employees. When the company downsized in 1998, Christine returned to school to study computerized accounting. In 1999 she was hired as the Office Manager at Dare and in 2005 was promoted to her current position of Director of Operations.
Christine’s grandparents’ house in Brooklyn where she grew up.
When I asked Christine what her dream career would be she said she would love to be an interior designer. Although she doesn’t get to work with floor-plans and couch cushions, Christine’s keen eye for detail does not go to waste in her current role. Just as a well put together room requires a delicate balance of myriad elements, so too does the directing of Dare’s various operations.
Vineland Field Hockey- 1985
When she is not at the office, Christine enjoys spending time with her family, going dancing, and reading novels. She places family at the center of her life and told me that her career at Dare has played an important role in her ability to raise her family.
Working at Dare has helped me raise my family which was a true blessing and I was able to teach my children how important a good work ethic was while they were young and now as adults they continue with the same drive in their prospective fields.—Christine Velazquez
