Tanya Gonzalez
Tanya Gonzalez is a Senior Policy Advisor with Richmond Memorial Health Foundation (RMHF), specializing in strategic policy guidance to local governments, community-based organizations, and nonprofit partners working at the intersection of immigration, newcomer services, and health and racial/ethnic equity.
Previously, Tanya served as the Executive Director of the Sacred Heart Center for nearly a decade, where she led a team committed to connecting Latino families with the tools they need to thrive and flourish. Before that, she served as the manager of the City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs for 12 years.
Tanya grew up on the Texas-Mexican border and has lived in Richmond for 30 years. She is active in the community, and has been appointed or elected to a wide variety of boards and commissions, including past service on the Virginia Latino Advisory Commission, the Chesterfield County Multicultural Advisory Commission, and the RMHF Board of Trustees.
Ms. Gonzalez is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond and the Connecting Communities Fellowship Program, as well as the Minority Political Leadership Institute. She was previously the recipient of the Ohtli award, given by the Mexican government to recognize individuals for their service to the Mexican community in the United States. Ms. Gonzalez was also recognized as one of “Richmond’s Top 40 under 40” by Style Magazine in 2005. In May 2015, Ms. Gonzalez received the Leadership Metro Richmond Ukrop Community Vision Award. In 2018 she received the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Humanitarian Award. In 2020 she was recognized as a Richmond History Maker by the Valentine Museum, and was a 2023 recipient of the YWCA Outstanding Women’s Award for nonprofit management. She was also a recipient of Initiatives of Change USA’s Community Changemakers Award in 2025.
Tanya holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Latin American Studies from Brown University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. In her free time, Tanya is excited to continue serving as the volunteer dance instructor at the Sacred Heart Center and performs traditional Latin American and Spanish dance in the Richmond area. She is also a passionate skydiver, having made five jumps.