1. An archives and special collections expert, Evangelestia-Dougherty was the executive director of the Chicago-based Black Metropolis Research Consortium from 2011 to 2013 and the director of collections and services at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from 2013 to 2015.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty attended Von Steuben Metropolitan High School, graduating in 1988.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty attended the University of Houston, graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1996.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty earned her Master of Library Science degree in 2003.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty is a 2004 graduate of the Minnesota Institute for Early Career Librarians from Traditionally Underrepresented Groups.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty served as the executive director of the organization from 2011 to 2013, leading initiatives and building collaborative partnerships to discover and preserve hidden collections related to the African American diaspora.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty took on the role of director of collections and services at New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 2013, providing leadership for collection and programming of five curatorial divisions, serving in that role until 2015.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty joined Cornell University Library in 2019 as an associate university librarian.
In October 2021 Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty was announced as the new director of Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, the first director to oversee the newly merged libraries and archives.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty stepped down from the role, effective October 1,2024, after serving since December 6,2021.
In December 2024, Clinee Hedspeth announced that Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty would become Chicago's Deputy Commissioner for Visual Arts in the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty has taught in several organizations, including teaching as an adjunct professor at Dominican University from 2007 to 2013 and teaching a course titled "Developing and Administering Ethnic and Cultural Heritage Collections" at the California Rare Book School, where she serves on the advisory committee.