Tanynya began her career as an educator, community organizer, and wellness professional when as an Admission Director at University of SouthernCalifornia(USC),she was tasked with increasing the transfer of Black and Latino/a students from the Community College system to USC. She quickly began to see the disparities in resources, counseling, preparation, and support for the communities she was trying to recruit. Through her work at multiple levels of education, health and wellness, governance, and community organizing she has been working to close systemic gaps ever since. These goals have been supported by her work in the community as a Restorative Justice and Culture of Belonging Consultant utilizing Restorative Justice, teaching yoga and mindfulness, addressing wellness disparities, and working with schools and social justice organizations to create communities of belonging. Tanynya was a high school athlete, gymnast, and Hip Hop Dancer and in 1984 she earned a gold medal in the Junior Olympics for Taekwondo. As a young adult she was a dancer on Soul Train and briefly performed with a few Los Angeles based dance companies. Her relationship with dance changed while working at USC and earning her BA after her niece shared that her ballet teacher told her she could never be a professional dancer because she did not have the right body.
Tanynya included her niece and other teenagers in her performances at USC with the hope that they would believe that any body can be a dancer. The highlight of her dance journey was when her daughter included her in her senior film and performance Sister Soldiers.In 2005 Tanynya searched for a way to navigate and manage her grief after the deaths of her youngest brother and father.Through the strenuous physical work and soothing mental reflection of yoga class she was able to forge a marriage that was solid and yoga became her therapy. She took her first teacher training to gain abetter understanding of the practice and taught her first yoga class later that same year. Tanynya continued her yoga training and now holds certifications in Vinyasa Yoga, senior yoga, meditation, core, and Kemetic Yoga. She is a Level 1 Reiki practitioner and a former Type II Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Coach. Tanynya completed the African American Board Leadership Institute Program and was invited to join the Westmark School Board and lead the School’s Assessment of Inclusion Committee. She served on the USC Black Alumni Board, her Homeowners Association’s Board as Treasurer, and the Advisory Council for Educators Consortium for Service Learning. Her current leadership positions are the Advisory Council for the Southern California Restorative Justice Consortium,The H.E.ARTS:Heartfelt Education Through the Arts Board, and the Splendid Mola Wisdom Council, and California Anti-Racism Alliance.
