Timothy Biscaye, a worldly single father of three grown children, is our Lead Dad of the Week.
Born in New Haven, CT , Tim, 61, has lived with his daughter and two sons in France, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Cambodia, Colorado and Burkina Faso. He now lives in Nice, France, and has a son in California, another in upstate New York, and his daughter in Mexico and Belize.
Of all his life’s adventures, being a Lead Dad – after his children’s mother divorced him – has brought him the greatest joy and fulfillment.
“When I was in high school, I had no damn clue what I wanted to do professionally,” he remembers. “The only thing I knew was I wanted to be a father and I wanted to replace Walt Frazier as the guard for the Knicks. But I was very short so that didn’t happen.”
Once he became a dad – only three years separates his oldest and youngest – he began to think of how he could make his job (often doing international development work) fit with fatherhood. “I always went home from 4 to 6pm to pick them up and be available for them,” he said. “I always manipulated management meetings around my schedule without anyone knowing, even though I wasn’t the top boss. Being with my children was my priority.”
Making a living, as a single father with full custody of his children, was tough. “It was impossible to find a leadership role with any comp as a single father, which made me very sympathetic to working mothers,” he said. “It was a struggle. But it was also such a rich period in life.”
Today Tim runs the accendo groupe, a human resources consultant and recruiter. And he tries to help parents in ways he was not supported when his children were young. He also advocates for men to be more open fathers and is a feminist activist.
“Being an engaged father should be celebrated – not working crazy hours, going on work trips and leaving the parenting to mom.”
Welcome Tim, an. O.G. Lead Dad, to The Company of Dads!
