Tanya has spent the past 17 years running camp and youth activity programs for at-risk children in Australia, America, South Africa and Vietnam. She is one of the leaders in her field, and her programs have been recognised at State, National and International level.

Tanya has worked with over 150,000 children across the world.

 

She is the founder of the Dance 4 Africa and Kwinana Children’s Choir programs, developed the Koorliny Arts Centre Boys & Girls Clubs, and in 2009 became the youngest female Councillor ever elected to the City of Kwinana Council. She was GM/CEO of charity Global Good Foundation for 2 years, leading large-scale program expansion. She has travelled to 24 countries and attends numerous events as a motivational/keynote speaker.

 

Tanya was the recipient of the 2012 WA Department for Child Protection Churchill Fellowship via the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, which allowed her to spend six weeks in America in 2013, researching programs aimed at stopping the generational cycle of domestic violence and related factors, working with industry leaders, and presenting the Camp Kulin program in Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and New Hampshire.

 

She founded Camp Kulin, 283km south east of Perth in the WA Wheatbelt in 2013. The program grew to include general and scholarship camps for children from over 330 towns across WA, a leadership development program involving over 400 volunteers, corporate and school camps, ladies camps and local support programs. Camp Kulin received a number of awards under Tanya’s management, including the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management and the National Awards for Local Government.

 

Tanya was announced as a Westpac Social Change Fellow via the Westpac Scholars Trust, which recognises Australia’s leading social innovators and provides them with lifelong networking, training and a $50,000 development plan to improve their knowledge so they can have more impact on Australia. Tanya’s development plan involved travel to America to spend time at US Summer Camps, leadership and mentoring training at Harvard University and attendance at conferences throughout Australia.

 

Tanya received an Honorary Doctorate from Edith Cowan University in 2019 for her contribution to children and women throughout the world. She was the 2017 AgriFutures National Rural Woman of the Year and the 2017 Western Australian Rural Woman of the Year.

 

She has won the Constable Care Child Safety Awards (Overall Winner & WA Child Safety Employee categories), Premier’s Active Citizenship Award, WA Children’s Awards, Act-Belong-Commit Awards, City of Kwinana Citizen of the Year, Martin Waudby Leadership Award and the Australia Council for the Arts SPARK Mentorship.

 

She was one of five Australians named on the Power 30 Under 30 list for Australasia by the Apex Society in America for worldwide contribution to community service and awarded the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. 

 

Tanya was named as one of Australia’s 100 most influential women by the Australian Financial Review and Westpac, one of Western Australia’s 50 Rising Stars by the West Australian, one of Country Style Magazine’s Top 30 People in Regional Australia, one of the National Rural Women’s Coalition’s Inspiring Women and has been listed on the Australian Associated Press Who’s Who of Australian Women list.

 

In 2019, Tanya was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease and a number of co-infections, including Bartonella, Babesia, Rickettsia, Epstein Barr Virus and Coxsackie B Virus. She also received diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Functional Neurological Disorder, Fibromyalgia, Severe Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction, Bilateral Foot Drop and Upper Limb Dyspraxia.

 

Tanya is currently undergoing intense medical treatment and has become an ambassador for the Lyme Disease Association of Australia to help raise awareness of the disease. She also has a new project called Lyme Warrior Boxes, which provides support to children across Australia also fighting Lyme. 

 

While undergoing her medical fight, Tanya has taken on a number of advisory and mentoring positions with organisations such as AgriFutures, Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, Country to Canberra and Westpac Scholars. She also became a judge for the Telstra Best of Business Awards, the 7News Young Achiever Awards and the Community Achievement Awards

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Tanya continues to take on motivational speaking bookings across the country to raise awareness of poverty, domestic violence/sexual assault, early intervention programs, becoming a person with a disability, coping mechanisms and the effects of tick borne illness.