TANYA UPTHEGROVE GREGORY

Over the past 23 years, Tanya Upthegrove Gregory has focused her work on strengthening communities  through programs and initiatives which improve the quality of life for youth and families. Through her experience with local, regional, national, and international organizations, she has developed an  extensive background in various aspects of organizational development, program design and evaluation.  As a nonprofit professional, Tanya has managed program portfolios and organizational departments  ranging from $30,000 to $14 million in private, state, and federal funds. Additionally, she has been  responsible for projects within a broad cross-section of issue areas including education, workforce  development, conservation, and disaster response.

Tanya began her consulting practice in 2006 while living in Vientiane, Laos PDR. She partnered with  World Vision Laos to design a pilot youth development program with the Laos Ministry of Labor and  Social Welfare. She also played a key role in the programmatic expansion of World Vision Laos by  authoring several successfully funded proposals to AUS-AID and the UK Department for International  Development to support new projects focused on maternal & child health, food security, HIV/AIDS  awareness, and unexploded ordinance clearance. As an independent consultant & grant writer, she has  provided technical expertise to organizations across the United States by increasing their capacity for  growth through fund development, strategic partnerships, volunteer engagement, and program design.

As Vice President of Program Quality and Innovation with The Corps Network – a DC-based youth  development national association – Tanya was responsible for member services, program  implementation, grant compliance and technical assistance supporting over 140 youth development  organizations across the United States. She also oversaw more than $14 million in US federal grants  including $2 million in subgrants awarded to member organizations under the American Recovery and  Reinvestment Act.

Tanya returned to Michigan to focus her efforts on statewide and local community impact. As outreach  coordinator for the Center for Michigan, she collaborated with over 60 organizations to host community  conversations across the state to influence state policy decisions regarding public education. As the  program manager for the Inkster Family Literacy Movement, Tanya led a community-wide initiative  within her hometown engaging local stakeholders in literacy-based programs, particularly for young  children.

She transitioned into higher education at the University of Michigan, through leadership roles at the  Center for Social Impact within the Ross School of Business, and the Division of Student Affairs at the  University of Michigan-Flint. Through this pivot she leveraged her skills & experience in nonprofit  management & community engagement to achieve transformative impact both for students & local  communities. In her current capacity as Learning Officer at the Ruth Mott Foundation, she supports  grant partners in tracking data and effectively measuring outcomes for youth, safety, economic  opportunity, & neighborhood programs which benefit north Flint.

A three-time Spartan, Tanya earned a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in  Organizational Communication both from Michigan State University. She is currently completing PhD  coursework in the Higher, Adult, & Lifelong Education (HALE) program in the College of Education, also  at Michigan State University. Her research interests focus on Historically Black Colleges & Universities  and community engagement.

Tanya also leads ‘Turning Pages: Book Talk for Black Folks’, a national online monthly book club, and  currently serves as co-editor of the Language Arts Journal of Michigan. She is a graduate of Leadership  Detroit (LD XXXVII), and serves as president for the newly established Michigan State University Black  Alumni – Saginaw Chapter.

She lives in Saginaw, Michigan with her husband Kevin.