Tanya has nearly a decade of experience in designing, managing, and implementing projects related to civic participation, democratic governance, human rights, and conflict and peacebuilding in Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe and Eurasia. She has previously held roles at Counterpart International, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the United Nations Development Programme. Throughout this work, she has found the greatest enjoyment in working directly with communities that seek to address their unique needs and strengthen their role in shaping the world around them. This passion brought Tanya to join the Hispanic Access’s Forestry grant portfolio team.

Originally from Venezuela, Tanya has lived in ten countries and is now based in Washington, D.C. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Religious Studies from the University of Florida and an M.A. in Global Studies from Humboldt University of Berlin, with semesters at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, University of Pretoria in South Africa, and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. She also holds a certificate in Design Thinking from the Hasso-Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam. She speaks Spanish, French, German, and is working on her Russian.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I love Hispanic Access’s focus on highlighting Hispanic communities and helping build up Hispanic, Latino, and Indigenous leadership in different spaces. I am particularly excited about our urban forestry work to help bring more green space and tree canopy to areas that deeply need it, and I love working with our partners to make that happen!"

In her spare time…

“I love testing out recipes from around the world and exploring D.C.’s food scene, traveling, spending time outdoors, learning new languages, scouring local estate sales, and gradually turning my apartment into a jungle with new plants.”

Her favorite book…

“Fahrenheit 451 and other works by Ray Bradbury.”

A person she finds inspirational…

“John Robert Lewis.”