Tsega Tamene is a sister, daughter, friend, and more. Born to Ethiopian immigrants in Germany and then raised in Minnesota, Tsega calls many places and people home. She has lived, worked, learned, and played in Ethiopia, India, Vietnam, South Africa, Tanzania, and more. Her commitment to healing and justice is global and local, centering communities most impacted, and requiring her own liberation. She brings 10+ years of expertise in global public health, applied research, organizational capacity-building, and community-led social change.

Tsega previously served as Head of Advancement at Pillsbury United Communities, across their 4 neighborhood centers and 8 social enterprises, serving over 50,000 individuals and their families each year. In this role, she stewarded the vision and strategy for sustainable impact through agency-wide fundraising and evaluation efforts. As a member of the executive leadership team, she assessed organizational risk and opportunities across the agency’s annual $17MM budget. She also co-visioned organizational structure, culture, and strategic direction for 100+ staff. In previous roles over the past 5+ years at Pillsbury United, Tsega founded the Twin Cities Community Health Worker Hub, a data-driven model for sustainable and equitable community-based care.

Tsega is passionate about her faith and family. She is a plant-based foodie and Black art aficionada. As a researcher and advocate, she previously worked with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Suffolk County Jail community-based clinic. She has advised on several local boards and previously served as co-chair for the Minneapolis Food Council. She currently serves on the selection advisory council for GreenLight Fund Twin Cities and the community advisory committee for M Health Fairview.

Tsega graduated from Harvard University with high honors in history, global health policy, and premedicine. She is an alum of the Wilder Foundation’s political leadership and state policy fellowship. She also earned an executive certificate in data science from the University of California Berkeley.