Tamara’s professional background is in nonprofit management and development. She has managed and raised support for educational organizations, and was executive director of a community foundation serving Williamson County, Texas before joining Girlstart. Before her move to Texas in late 2005, Tamara was executive director of a nonprofit that served more than 11,000 Chicago teachers and children every week.

Tamara is passionate about creating educational programs that improve teaching and learning, as well as maintaining civic vitality. She received her Ph.D. in Art History at Charles University in Prague, and earned M.A. and B.A. degrees in Art History from School of the Art Institute and Ohio State University, respectively. She has taught at the graduate level at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Central European University, and the Prague College of Studies in Art and Architecture.

Brief statement why you have accepted appointment and what you would consider to have been a successful tenure when your term:

The CNS is a vital part of Central Texas’s health and overall vitality. I’m honored to be part of it and I hope that as part of the CLC, we can bring together members of the nonprofit community to coordinate, collaborate, and increase the capacity of Central Texas’s nonprofits.

Brief statement on your sense of the Center’s impact for its first 15 years and its potential for future:

The Center has been a balanced, fair, and open forum for sharing ideas and best practices among the nonprofit community reaching Central Texans. I first got to know the Center as a leader of a community foundation, seeking to understand the complex relationship between Central Texas nonprofits and the audiences they serve, and where needs and assets did and did not align. I found the Center to be welcoming, helpful, and effective. I want to be part of such an effective change maker in helping improve the quality of life in the region.