Tanya Hutchins holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Television-Radio with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism. She worked for 15 years as an Anchor/Reporter in Columbus, Ohio, before going freelance. Her hosting jobs included a Discovery Science channel show called Techknowledge; Wendy’s World for Wendy’s International’s in-house production and one that is very close to her heart: Mind Your Own Business, which aired on the Syracuse PBS station and was produced by Ithaca College students.
Tanya’s volunteerism began during her first year at IC, when she served on an advisory committee for the Hammond Health Center. Shortly after graduation, she became a Big Sister in Central Ohio and an Alumni Admissions Volunteer at college fairs in the Columbus area.
When Tanya moved to the nation’s capital, she joined the Washington Metro Area Alumni Chapter as an ad-hoc committee member and eventually served as President… helping to organize events for alumni in the DMV. In 2015, Tanya organized a conference call with then-President Tom Rochon to hear feedback from alumni of color after student protests occurred on campus.
Those events prompted her to serve on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, first as chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and later as President. She spearheaded the alumni board’s Inclusive Excellence Position Statement, revived the Bombers Breaking Bread concept and personally sent hundreds of custom invitations asking alumni to join the IC Career Network on LinkedIn, which now stands at nearly 4000 members.
Tanya introduced video summaries after alumni board meetings, so the alumni association could learn what happened after in-person meetings. And she encouraged new alumni board members to do video intros, even recording some herself.
She served on the Presidential Search Committee that ultimately recommended La Jerne Terry Cornish as Ithaca College’s 10th President.
Tanya has eagerly jumped on Zoom to speak in Park School classes such as Visual Journalism and Government & Stakeholder Relations. She has reached out to accepted students by phone, email and text.
As a student, Tanya was a member of the Afro-Latin Society (ALS) and recently brought back ALS alumni from the 1970s to commemorate the historic 1970 rally and sit-in at Job Hall, which paved the way for many of the opportunities available to students of color today.
She is heavily involved in ICUnity, a network of alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends, helping with intercultural events in DC and on-campus. Perhaps best known for her love of Instagram, Tanya prides herself on being a cheerleader for Ithaca College online, producing Insta Reels that showcase her love for IC. She has volunteered her skills for the social media accounts of @Official.ICUnity and @ICDC1892, especially during the COVID pandemic.
When students meet her, they know they can reach out for career advice, or just to talk about the challenges of the college experience. She lives and breathes her allyship.