
August 19, 2024
Women comprised 37 percent of all students graduating with degrees in computer and information sciences in 1984, according to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the National Center for Education Statistics.
BMCC alumna D. Dayneen Caldwell (formerly Preston) was one of those trailblazers, having earned an associate degree in Computer Programming at BMCC in 1985.

At the time, she was working at a health food store in Brooklyn, where she was born and raised. She next earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Pace University and a Master of Science in Human Resources at Fordham University.
Since 2020, Ms. Caldwell has served as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Human Capital and Compliance Officer at Women In Need, Inc. (Win), one of the Department of Homeless Services’ non-profit partners.
“While I’m responsible for creating a strategic human capital infrastructure aligned to Win’s business strategies, I’m also grateful to be able to apply my skills in the context of an organization that alleviates homelessness and its devastating impact on families,” says Ms. Caldwell.
Putting this culminating career move into a more personal context, Ms. Caldwell shares that she grew up in a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing project, and working at Win is a “full circle moment.”
“Housing insecurity was prevalent all around me throughout my childhood and early adult life,” says Ms. Caldwell. “Now, having an opportunity to support women and their families from my community helps me to feel fulfilled. I’ve been fortunate enough in this stage of my career to ONLY work for mission-driven organizations. Being part of the team at Win as we strive to Break the Cycle of Homelessness—now referred to as ‘Housing Insecurity’—brings this work very close to home.”

Before joining Win, Ms. Caldwell held senior level human resource positions in financial services, telecommunications and the entertainment industry.
Among other roles, she was a Peer Advisor for JPMorgan Chase employees and a leader in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), spearheading the creation of Affinity Groups across the Chase, Chemical and JPMorgan Chase mergers.
Along the way, as a senior certified human resource professional, she has also gained certifications through the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) and is also a certified practitioner of Myers-Briggs® Type Indicators (MBTI®).

“I want today’s students to understand that learning doesn’t stop when you graduate,” says Ms. Caldwell. “Things continue to grow and change in our respective fields, and we need to grow along with those changes.”
She encourages BMCC students, “Stay focused on your dreams, believe in them and then achieve them!” acknowledging that this is sometimes easier said than done.
“When I started college and studied computer science, there were hardly any women in that field, and in fact that number went down after that,” she says.
“Then I switched my career focus to operations management and then to human resources, mostly in the financial services sector. Growing up professionally as an African American female in that industry tested my ethics and endurance—but I hung in there, and my career gains have been built on performance and merit. You can do the same. You can be a support for each other, as you enter your professional lives, and help raise each other to new heights.”
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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BMCC alumna D. Dayneen Caldwell (Computer Programming, 1985) goes on to earn a Bachelor’s in Business Management at Pace University and an M.S. in Human Resources at Fordham University
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She served as a Peer Advisor for JPMorgan Chase employees and was a DEI leader who spearheaded the creation of Affinity Groups across the Chase, Chemical and JPMorgan Chase mergers
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Since 2020, Ms. Caldwell has served as EVP and Chief Human Capital and Compliance Officer at Women In Need, Inc. (Win), one of the Department of Homeless Services’ non-profit partners