MEET THE 2022 LEADERSHIP TRAILBLAZER TOP 10 FINALISTS
Today’s Trailblazer: Tanya Ange
The League caught up with Top 10 Finalist, Tanya Ange, County Administrator, Washington County, Oregon to talk about being named a Leadership Trailblazer and having a career in public service:
Q: Congratulations on being named a finalist for the Leadership Trailblazer Award. What does it mean to you to be nominated?
I am humbled to stand alongside the other amazing finalists, and I am grateful to whoever took the time to nominate me for this award. Making small differences is why I am in this amazing profession. It is my hope that I can empower others to blaze their own trails.
Q: What led you to a career in public service?
I grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota and my parents stressed from an early age the importance of community. From my involvement in 4-H to being a camp counselor in high school, to earning a Parks and Urban Studies undergraduate degree, I knew that I wanted to make the places we call home livable and accessible to everyone. A City Manager encouraged me to pursue local government management through a graduate program and I was hooked. Public service is an amazing opportunity and comes with it a high responsibility to our community. It is an honor to serve.
Q: Who were your mentor(s) or advocate(s) in your career?
I have been lucky. I have had the support of teachers, community members, elected officials, and local government managers. They believed in me before I believed in myself. This experience has taught me to create opportunities and invest in others from interns to creating special project opportunities it is my goal to allow others the opportunity to shine.
Q: What is the most important lesson you learned while coming up in your career?
Through my mid-thirties, I was focused on getting as much experience as I could in leadership development, special projects, etc. so I would be prepared to be a city or county manager. If there was a need, I was the first in line to volunteer to help. I was burning myself out. My realization moment came during a two-week leadership training program when I left my 3-year-old and 3-month-old alone at home with my husband. I realized that I did not have to know it all, do it all, or be perfect. It was a key moment in my life as I started to focus on leadership/management and work-life integration. Work-life integration is the concept of being present when needed at work and home while recognizing that our community and families have 24/7 needs. I am a much better leader, mother, spouse, and friend after this realization and reset period.
Q: What advice do you have for women just beginning their careers who would like to be an executive in local government someday?
My best advice to anyone is to be curious! Offer to work on projects where you will gain new skills and expertise. Apply for the position that you don’t think you are qualified for. Be open to feedback – feedback is a gift that we can all learn and grow from.
Q: What do you hope to leave as your legacy in local government when your career comes to an end?
I hope to leave pathways for women and people of color in local government management. I hope that I am seen as a professional local government manager that cared deeply about making communities and organizations better places than when I started. Someone who is recognized for seeing leaders at all levels of government and in the community and who brought people together to design the future.
