As a co-leader of Slover Linett at NORC, Tanya works toward greater equity, vitality, and co-creation in the arts and culture sector through strategic audience and community research. Her studies blend qualitative and quantitative methods to illuminate how people experience the world, how they connect, and how cultural and creative experiences contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities.

Tanya helped guide Slover Linett’s move to NORC in 2023 and continues to co-direct the practice within The Bridge at NORC. Her nuanced, equity-driven research and evaluation work sparks change and supports decision-making at a wide range of arts, culture, and community organizations, as well as broader change initiatives, learning communities, and cohorts. Tanya’s clients and partners have included the Barr Foundation, Library of Congress, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Folk Alliance International, Minnesota Orchestra, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a group of jazz radio stations, and the international OF/BY/FOR ALL movement, among many others. As part of Slover Linett’s national research collaboration, Culture + Community in a Time of Transformation, Tanya co-authored “A Place to Be Heard, A Space to Feel Held: Black Perspectives on Creativity, Trustworthiness, Welcome and Well-Being.” She has also contributed to reports about the needs of working musicians in the US and how classical music radio stations can become more welcoming to listeners of color.

Before joining Slover Linett in 2015, Tanya worked in curatorial departments at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Insitute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago, researching and curating exhibitions of Islamic, Indian, and Himalayan art. Her PhD dissertation focused on the role of Egyptians in countering colonial-era devaluations of Islamic history and archaeological sites. Tanya was also a user-experience researcher at Centralis, a research and design consultancy.