Longtime Resident Dedicates Career to NYCHA, U.S. Army 

When Edith Taylor-Campbell makes a commitment to serve, she turns it into a career.  

This can be said for both her work at NYCHA and service with the United States Army. The housing assistant joined the NYCHA workforce nearly three decades ago in 1994, while accumulating an equally impressive 26 years of military service with the Army and Army Reserve. 

A longtime resident of Hope Gardens who spent part of her youth at Roosevelt Houses and Lafayette Gardens in Brooklyn, Ms. Taylor-Campbell first considered joining the service after being exposed to a strong military presence while living in Virginia. She had family members in the service and believed that the military could offer a promising career option. While she first expressed an interest in the U.S. Marines, Ms. Taylor-Campbell joined the Army at age 21.  

“When I went to basic training it was nothing new to me; I knew what to expect,” said Ms. Taylor-Campbell, describing her familiarity with military life.    

Throughout her Army career, Ms. Taylor Campbell, who attained the rank of staff sergeant, served in construction projects across the world, including helping to build schools and other critical structures in Guatemala, Panama, and Honduras. During the early stages of the War in Afghanistan, her unit helped restore airport runways and constructed tents and buildings for Special Forces.  

“I got to see the world without having to pay for it,” she quipped about her military-related travel. “I enjoyed going to the countries and I enjoyed learning new things.”  

Noting that her years in the military made her “look at things differently,” Ms. Taylor-Campbell said she also developed lasting relationships with some of her fellow servicemembers, who were like a second family. She may not have foreseen wearing the Army stripes for more than 20 years, but she takes pride in her commitment to the service, where she eventually became a construction supervisor. 

“I must’ve liked it because I kept re-upping,” the semi-retired staff sergeant said. “The military was good for me.”  

Ms. Taylor-Campbell has applied the same level of dedication to her civilian career at NYCHA, where she worked as a clerical associate for a number of years before transitioning to housing assistant in 2018. Just like her military service, NYCHA has enabled Ms. Taylor-Campbell to fulfill her passion for helping others by ensuring fellow residents are taken care of and have a decent, affordable place to live.  

“I’m helping people in a whole different way,” she said of her NYCHA role.  

As the nation marks another Veterans Day, Ms. Taylor-Campbell said she plans to meet with one of her former commanders to help serve food to fellow veterans on Long Island. While no longer on active duty, she has continued to find ways to support veterans over the years, as there is a unique bond among those who have served their country.  

“We know that we have each other’s backs,” she stated. “No matter where you go, once you’re in the military they’re always going to be your brothers and sisters.”