Tambra Raye Stevenson

Founder, Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture (WANDA)| Washington, D.C.

Tambra Raye Stevenson is the founder of Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture (WANDA), a non-profit dedicated to empowering Black women and girls in the food system. Featured in Forbes and The Washington Post, she champions generational health as the new wealth, drawing inspiration from her Fulani roots and her family's struggles with preventable diseases. 

A passionate advocate for health equity, Tambra authored the Black Health Bill of Rights and championed a Food Bill of Rights, emphasizing food as a human right. Her work has garnered national recognition, including an invitation to the historic second White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. 

A fifth-generation Oklahoman with deep agricultural roots, Tambra's journey spans public service at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Commerce. She has served on numerous boards, including USDA's NAREEE Advisory Board and the D.C. Food Policy Council. 

Tambra's commitment to community is evident in initiatives like NATIVSOL Kitchen, a pan-African nutrition education program, and the Food as Medicine in the Black Community Initiative with Johns Hopkins University. She is a Ph.D. candidate at American University, and holds appointments with the National Food Museum and Milken Institute's Food as Medicine Advisory Board. She has been a prominent voice on platforms including the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogues, and the U.S. Library of Congress. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the American University School of Communication, where she is an adjunct professor. Her doctoral research focuses on enhancing Black women's health through online communities, aligning with concerns from the U.S. Surgeon General's report on American loneliness. 

Tambra's extensive educational background includes a B.S. in Human Nutrition from Oklahoma State University, an MA in Media, Technology, and Democracy from American University, and an MPH in Health Communication from Tufts University. Her work, recently supported by the NSF-funded Wasted Food Research Network, embodies her vision to foster a healthier, more equitable future.