Manager of Entrepreneur and Small Business Support
413.676.9467
tsams@savingplaces.org
Tasha leads the rural equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem building efforts that are being funded by our multi-year grant with the Kauffman Foundation.
Before Main Street, Tasha served as Executive Director of the Kentucky Entrepreneurship Education Network, a nonprofit serving Kentucky’s budding entrepreneurial talent. Along with program quality and impact, Tasha focused on organizational growth and fundraising, successfully doubling program size, fostering strategic partnerships and broadening funding. Its flagship program, The Kentucky Governor's School for Entrepreneurs, is a household name and notable employment credential in Kentucky due to the effort and impact of Tasha’s leadership. Their dedication to access, quality, and inclusivity identified and equipped a promising generation of next-level ecosystem builders. The result was a diverse, brilliant workforce of innovation practitioners in Kentucky. This cultivation network and approach to igniting a lifelong passion for entrepreneurship and small business is now studied globally for best practices.
In 2021, Tasha launched Home Appalachia, an initiative geared to uplift the talent of the LGBTQ+ community in Eastern Kentucky in alignment with broader economic development and revitalization efforts. Recognizing the inextricable link between diversity and economic development, Tasha is an accomplished and respected leader in the national field of inclusive innovation, and they have been instrumental in the development of ecosystem success in Kentucky. They hold a bachelor’s degree in English Education and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership, both from Eastern Kentucky University.
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