Tanya attended UC Davis and graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor's of Science in Applied Behavioral Sciences and a minor in English. After five years in the work world, including several summers of driving tomato trucks hauling processing tomatoes, she went back to UCD and completed a Master's of Science in Community and Regional Development. She then worked at Hedgerow Farms in Winters, a seed production farm that specializes in California native grasses and flowers for habitat restoration. From 2001-2006, Tanya lived in Chico, coordinating the Northstate FARMS Leadership and SLEWS Programs, which introduce high school students to sustainable farming and ecosystem management. While working with native plant and restoration projects, she developed a very powerful dislike for weeds and is attempting to make her part of the world a safer place for native plants to live.