Alumni Spotlight: Tania Curry, Class of 2021

Tania Curry serves as the director of Dallas Thrives, a collective impact initiative launched in 2020 with the singular goal of breaking the cycle of poverty in Dallas County by doubling the number of young adults earning a living wage by 2040. Knowing the important role of education in achieving this goal, her organization mobilizes and activates key academic institutions to align educational pathways to high-demand, high-wage workforce needs.

“Key efforts currently include increasing family and parent engagement around college and career pathways choices to ensure students and families understand the many options to postsecondary education along with the earning potential of the careers that are culminated in the pathways," Tania shared. "A living wage can break the cycle of poverty and create a path to economic mobility. This work is critical in closing the wage gaps for Black and Latinx young adults across Dallas County.”

Tania’s Leadership ISD experience gave her additional insight into the racial barriers to educational equity in Dallas and across the state of Texas. “At the time, I was working in a government relations role, and I took what I learned to assist in my efforts in lobbying at the Capitol to increase access to high-quality career and technical education. The conversations and lessons are ones I have and will continue to take with me in my work to strengthen education to workforce pipelines to increase economic mobility for underrepresented populations.”

Tania also serves as a board member for Reading Partners North Texas, a nonprofit with the goal of helping children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction with measurable results. In her free time, you can find Tania at an FC Dallas game, enjoying live music, or hanging out with her husband, two kids, and their pug.