Celebrating Administrative Professionals Day: Meet Secretary Latanya Gainer 

Assisting the residents of East River Houses has personal significance for veteran NYCHA Secretary Latanya Gainer.  

A longtime NYCHA resident herself, Ms. Gainer often takes the point of view of fellow residents when helping to address various issues or connect them to resources.    

“Since I am a resident, I look at it as if it were me walking in their shoes,” explained Ms. Gainer, a resident since 1996. “My motto has always been that I’m a resident first, so I try to put in my mind, ‘what if it was me?’”  

Ms. Gainer, who has worked as a Secretary III at Manhattan’s East River Houses since 2015, started her NYCHA career in 2001 as a Secretary at Marcy Houses in Brooklyn. She is among the Authority’s administrative employees whose contributions and dedicated service are recognized as part of National Administrative Professionals Day on April 23. 

When becoming a NYCHA employee, Ms. Gainer saw it as an opportunity to not only serve the community but also to learn more about the inner workings of the agency beyond what she knew as a resident.  

“It’s been a journey and I’ve learned a lot,” she said about her more than two decades as a NYCHA staff person. “I’m happy to be a resident and an employee at the same time, because I know more.”  

Most of all, she has been thankful for the opportunity to help the NYCHA community through her administrative role.  

“I think what I enjoy the most is assisting others,” she said. “When it comes to the residents with my job, I take it seriously as far as helping them as much as I can.”  

Ms. Gainer is a friendly, familiar face for many residents at East River Houses, where she staffs the front reception area, answering daily calls and providing a range of information for residents and visitors in person. Her responsibilities include timekeeping, assisting clerical staff, and managing files and documents, among other administrative tasks.    

Manhattan Neighborhood Administrator Tasha Turner commended Ms. Gainer’s dedication to the job, saying she is regularly willing to step up and assist colleagues as needed.  

“Ms. Gainer is the backbone of the property – and since she has been there for some time, she is known to all residents,” Ms. Turner said. “She has shown herself to be an essential employee, not only at East River but for any property that needs her assistance.” 

Depending on the particular need for residents, Ms. Gainer noted that she will “go directly to the source” to try to connect them with the specific department overseeing the matter. She also requests follow-ups to ensure the issue was handled properly.  

“If I can, I try to direct them to the right person, whether it’s going outside of the development or maybe through the borough office, so they can get the proper assistance,” she explained.  

As NYCHA commemorates Administrative Professionals Day, Ms. Gainer said she is appreciative that her supervisors have always made sure to celebrate the team’s hard work each year.  

“I don’t think that I’ve ever had a manager that did not recognize that I was here and make it special that day,” she said. “It feels good to be acknowledged, because it’s a lot of work.”  

After nearly a quarter of a century as a NYCHA employee, Ms. Gainer expressed gratitude for the ability to serve fellow residents while learning more about the efforts taken across the organization to improve their quality of life.  

“It makes me feel better about myself that I’m able to help them,” she said. “I’m blessed that I’ve learned a lot from this job.”