Natalee S. Snider, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, will serve as the new director of the Office on Caribbean Community Affairs (OCCA) in the Washington DC Mayor’s office. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announced Snider’s new position in June, following her declaration of June as Immigrant Heritage Month, adding that she is looking forward to the work the Office on Caribbean Community Affairs will perform in support of the Caribbean community in the District of Columbia. Mayor Bowser also said that DC is a “stronger and more vibrant city” because of the contributions of its immigrant communities and that she is proud of the work the Community Affairs Offices perform daily to support the communities and bring people together.
Although she was born in Kingston, Snider grew up in Anacostia, the middle child of five. She acknowledged that her family and community were instrumental in teaching her early on how to be a leader and a team player. After Snider migrated to Washington DC, she started her career in a summer youth employment program at an accounting firm. She is a veteran of the United States Air Force and was a member and vice-chair of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC4B) from 2017 to 2019, being reelected twice, and was a strong advocate for her community. She is dedicated to helping fellow Caribbean Americans in the DC area navigate their way through local government and private business environments. Snider also served as a COVID-19 contact trace force investigator with the DC Department of Health and has contributed several thousand volunteer hours in community organizing, constituent engagement, and public policy matters in the District.
In accepting her role as a community advocate, Snider said she was proud to have been a resident of DC’s Manor Park Neighborhood since 1999 and a homeowner since 2011. She noted that as a Committed Neighborhood Advocate, she has seen what can be accomplished when people work together to improve the entire community. She said the community is fortunate in having “many leaders, seniors, young families, and small local businesses” that are deserving of strong professional leadership. She thanked her community for its support and for helping her to bring her compassion and energy to their service.
Photo – Natalee S. Snider
