Tanieka Young, MBA, MSHRD, joined the diversity and student affairs office at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences as a program manager on May 2.

In her new position, Young will oversee all aspects of recruitment, outreach, and retention. She will also manage diversity programming including The Academy at GSBS, a program that focuses on community building and the success of graduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Prior to her role at The Graduate School, Young worked for the University of Houston Bauer College of Business, and Houston Grand Opera (HGO). At the C.T. Bauer College of Business, she led recruitment efforts for the graduate programs, as well as provided support for the college’s strategic initiatives and special projects.  At HGO, she directed and produced live interviews with international artists of color. Additionally, she worked to increase the number of minority patrons for Houston Grand Opera in the Hispanic, African American, and Asian/Pacific communities.

Young graduated from Sam Houston State University with a bachelor of business administration in marketing before earning a master's in business administration at the University of Phoenix and a master's of science in human resource development from the University of Houston.

In her personal endeavors, Young served as the co-chair for the student affairs committee for the Houston Chapter of the National Black MBA Association, Inc. (NBMBAA). She also served as a member of the planning committee for the Leaders of Tomorrow National Case Competition. Additionally, she mentors and coaches young women to be leaders within the Houston community.

Above all, Young is excited to help support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for the GSBS, and to learn from her experiences along the way. “The learning process energizes me, and mapping out what I’ve learned on a white board is fun to me.”

Young enjoys running, riding her bike, and eating spicy food during her free time.