Tanya Monique Boyce is a problem solver, a city planner, a project manager, the proud mother of a Howard University Aluma, an avid dancer, swimmer, and hiker, and a soon-to-be attorney.

 

Originally from the Bronx, New York, Tanya grew up in Oakland, Ca. Hailing from Skyline High School’s exceedingly talented class of 1990.

 

In 1996 just one month after giving birth to her beautiful daughter, Tanya earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Government from Saint Mary College of California. Shortly thereafter, Tanya returned to NYC to pursue a master’s degree in Urban Planning from Hunter College.

 

While in New York, in addition to working at Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC as a Resource Development associate and interning with the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, Tanya also pursued her passion for writing and Caribbean culture as a freelance journalist with a published featured cover story on the legacy of Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in the citywide free newspaper, West Indian Times.

 

Upon completing her master’s, Tanya brought her daughter back to the Bay in 2001 and began her urban planning career.

Between 2001 and 2012, Tanya worked as a city planner in San Francisco, Richmond, and Oakland. As a city planner, Tanya authored ordinances, and environmental review documents, staffed planning commission and design review meetings, and reviewed various development plans for regulatory compliance. However, Tanya’s favorite part of her city job was staffing the public information desk, where she could use her “code-switching” skills to translate complex regulations into plain language to help small property owners accomplish their goals.

 

In 2008 Tanya joined the Oakland Redevelopment Agency. As one of three project managers within the Coliseum Redevelopment Area, Tanya had the responsibility of managing the state and federal finance reporting, design, and construction of major infrastructure projects throughout East Oakland, including the 81st Street Library, the East Oakland Sports Complex, 66th and 69th Ave railroad crossings improvements, 66th Ave and San Leandro Blvd streetscapes, Coliseum Transit Village and dozens of other public and private business improvement, residential development and infrastructure projects. Of all her work in the Oakland Redevelopment Agency, Tanya’s favorite project was the African-influenced redesign of the Coliseum BART parking lot, including Andinka symbol banners, Kente crosswalks and mud cloth fencing.

 

In 2012, following the dissolution of California Redevelopment, Tanya left public service and started her own development consulting business. As Affirm Land Use Services, LLC, Tanya assisted dozens of property owners in obtaining, defending, or challenging various development entitlements. When one of her clients exhausted the administrative process and needed a land-use lawyer, Tanya decided to resurrect a previous goal and go to law school.

 

Tanya began at Golden Gate School of Law in 2017. In law school, she gathered work experience in the legal field as a criminal clerk in the contra costa county courthouse in Richmond, a legal secretary for several small firms, and a litigation practice assistant for Holland and Knight LLP. Tanya also served on the executive boards of several student organizations, including the Golden Gate Black Law Students Association, Golden Gate Law Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and the Golden Gate Environmental Law Society.

 

Currently completing her final semester, Tanya was employed as a work-study law clerk with the California Coastal Conservancy and a certified student attorney with the Golden Gate Environmental Law and Justice Clinic.

 

Tanya became EDP’s executive director in March 2022.