She | Her | Hers
East Greenwich, Rhode Island
Hi! I’m Tanya Townsend, and I live in East Greenwich, Rhode Island with my two daughters, who are 18 and 14. I love to be outdoors and read in my free time. I've taken my love for the outdoors inside and now have a collection of over four aquatic tanks and 70+ plants!
I have a lifelong history of being involved with foster care advocacy work. In my teens, I realized the need for more support, mentors, and youth voices. As soon as I was qualified, I vowed to dedicate my life to working with foster youth and alumni, using my own experience in foster care as an energy source to fight for change.
As a youth in foster care, I became a mom just after my 14th birthday, which forced me to drop out of high school in 9th grade. Despite this, I never lost sight of the importance of education. To have achieved the educational goals that I have is very important to me, and I hope to be a support to other young moms in the system. I take pride in seeing the concrete changes my dedication has contributed to and in establishing authentic and genuine connections with other alumni and youth in care. I hope that through my work at FosterClub, I can serve as a role model for youth and be a participant in positive change.
Tanya graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Master's in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources. She previously worked as a Program Director for Youth Development Services, Independent Living, and Enhanced Case Management programs in Rhode Island, overseeing state contracts for youth aged 16-24 who had experienced foster care. These contracts included the state advocacy board, mentoring program, life skills, and others. As a youth, Tanya personally utilized these programs and sought to use her lived experience to improve them.
