Tanya has been teaching at the School of Apparel Design & Development at Seattle Central College for over 20 years and has a background as a clothing and textile designer.  Her areas of teaching specialty are design, textiles and technology.  In 2023, she earned a Master’s Degree focusing on sustainable fashion at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. 

She Works to reconcile the need for creative expression and economic viability with social and ecological sustainability and justice. For her thesis, she researched sustainable practices in apparel and created a collection as proof of concept, exploring circular design principles, upcycling and machine knitting.

In her spare time she spends time with her family, friends and dog, travels, hikes, and goes out dancing or to see live music whenever possible.