Tanya Salyers is the Director of Advocacy at YWCA Columbus, where she leads the agency’s advocacy program and public policy work in areas concerning racial and gender equality, and systemic intersections of poverty, housing, education, community safety, and health.

Previously, Tanya led community relations efforts for COTA, as well as communications and digital engagement strategy for Innovation Ohio and The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio.

Tanya co-directs New Leaders Council Columbus, an organization that trains and connects local changemakers who champion equity and fuel progress. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for OPAWL, a grassroots community that organizes for social justice and elevates the voices, visibility, and progressive leadership of AAPI people in Ohio. Previously, she was a board member for Zora’s House.

In 2021, Tanya was honored as a Woman on the Rise by YWCA Columbus. In 2018, she was named one of 52 Young Professionals to Know in Columbus by CityPulse Columbus.

Tanya is a graduate of Shawnee State University, located in the Ohio River Valley. A proud Korean-Appalachian, Tanya is from New Boston, Ohio and has called Columbus home for the last 18 years, where she resides with her son, Calder.