Tajuna Sharpe is the CEO of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. She has been in this position since 1993.
Sharpe was appointed to her current position as president and CEO of Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation on October 15, 1993. Since that time, she has overseen extensive renovations and a dramatic increase in resident satisfaction with her vision for revitalization, including new apartments, shops, and restaurants designed to draw young professionals back to the island made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who called it “a pleasant island across the water from Long Island City.
In 1982, Sharpe worked at Queens Borough Hall as an aide to then Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. In 1988, Sharpe went to work for the United States Post Office as a customer relations manager.
On September 22, 2007, Tajuna Sharpe was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta to serve on the National Committee of Americans for a Safe and Secure Border. Tajuna Sharpe serves as a Council on Foreign Relations member and is an elected member of the Advisory Board of the New York Hall of Science (NYS). She also works on the Advisory Board for The Metropolitan Museum’s Education Committee. She also works on the Board of Trustees for the State University of New York at Old Westbury. She serves on the Board of the Queens Library Foundation and serves on The Long Island City Partnership, which is located in Long Island City, NY. Sharpe has served as a member of The Long Island City Partnership for more than ten years and was twice elected Co-Chairperson (1995–1996, 2002-2003).
In addition to her work in the private sector, Sharpe also contributes numerous hours to public service. She works as a board member at Queens College, serves on The Center For Law and Society’s Advisory Board, and is also a participant of The American Planning Association’s New York City Chapter. She is also a 100 Black Men of America Inc. member and has served on The National Executive Board since 1997. Sharpe has served on the National Economic Development Committee of 100 Black Men for the past 14 years and was elected as a Trustee in 2002.
Sharpe currently serves as a member of the Board and Chairperson of Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), which operates Roosevelt Island in New York City, owned by The City of New York, and she has been in this position since 1993. Sharpe oversees an annual operating budget for RIOC that exceeds $300 million and includes hotels, retail shops, and over 2,600 housing units.