What’s your name?
Amanda Garofalo
What’s your job title?
Director, Operations and Administration
Where's your hometown?
New York City - born and raised
What kind of projects do you work on at GPH?
Apart from day to day operations at GPH, which is a very mixed bag, I oversee capital projects and lead space planning efforts for our current and future space needs at 708 Broadway. I also collaborate with the office of Fiscal Affairs to develop policies and procedures that streamline and improve GPHs internal business processes, and that are in alignment with NYU's standard operating procedures. In a nutshell, my focus and goal is to make sure everyone has the tools, resources, and information they need to be productive and efficient.
How long have you been at NYU?
It will be 15 years this October.
Why NYU?
NYU has always been a part of my life in one way or another. I grew up just a few blocks away from NYU, and I remember playing in Washington Square Park and being fascinated by the big red building on the corner of LaGuardia and West 4th (Bobst). I got my degrees at NYU, and when I made the decision to leave the private sector for something more meaningful, I jumped at the chance to join the NYU College of Nursing back in 2007 as a member of the Finance and Administration team. The rest is history.
What does a normal day look like for you?
I guess that would depend on what you mean by normal. As I said earlier, there really is no standard day in the world of Operations. We need to be ready to address a wide variety of issues at any given time and shift our priorities at any given moment. There's always lots of running around and checking in with people to see what we can do to make their problems go away. Never a dull moment, that's for sure.
What is your favorite spot on campus?
Any bench in Washington Square Park. It's a great place for people watching!
What are you reading right now?
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Be kind, and don't take yourself too seriously.
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee, hands down, and espresso (not expresso, please don't call it expresso!) to be precise. I prefer to make my own with a stovetop mocha I purchased in Naples years ago.
Favorite travel destination:
Italy. My husband grew up there, and every chance we get, we go to his childhood home in the suburbs of Naples which faces the Isle of Capri in the front and Mt. Vesuvius in the back.
Describe yourself in only three words:
Determined, loyal, and tall on the inside (I'll count that last one as one word)
What inspires you?
Kindness and courage.