Tanya Stewart Blackmon is the president and founder of Auspen Consulting, which offers business and cultural transformation, leadership and organizational development, and advisory services for workforce inclusion strategies. Her engagements

encompass a variety of organizations, including healthcare systems, community-based nonprofits, and corporate clients.

A nationally recognized executive, Tanya was named to Modern Healthcare’s 2021 honor roll as one of the “Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare.” She served as President and COO of hospitals within an award-winning integrated healthcare system. Tanya is a trusted advisor to leadership teams and organizations dedicated to fostering robust cultures,

achieving sustained performance improvement, and increasing revenue. As a systems thinker and strategic innovator, Tanya utilizes her experience gained from social work and roles equivalent to a CEO. She excels at guiding organizations through

complex business challenges and transformations, including mergers and acquisitions.

Additionally, she is a certified coach for senior executives and sits on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.

Tanya established her reputation as a leading talent developer during her more than thirty years at Novant Health, where she served as president of two medical centers and oversaw hundreds of professionals. She is dedicated to creating an inclusive and

welcoming environment for all stakeholders, including patients, team members, and the

broader community.

Before founding Auspen Consulting, Tanya served as Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Officer at Novant Health, where she operationalized core DEI values that impacted 37,000 employees across 16 hospitals and physician groups. She played a key role in helping the organization achieve significant market share growth among two of the fastest-growing populations, resulting in substantial annual financial gains. Tanya also increased the Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 4% over five years, establishing her organization as a provider of choice among all customer demographics.

Furthermore, she co-founded and led the Leveraging Internal Female Talent (LIFT) program to develop high-potential leaders, with 45% of participants advancing to higher-level positions.

Tanya holds a Master of Business Administration from Queens University of Charlotte, a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science in Social Services from North Carolina A&T State University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has received a Diversity and Intercultural Competence Certification from Wake Forest University. Additionally, she is an LCSW and a Certified Professional Coach from the Academy of Creative Coaching. Tanya has garnered numerous awards, including, most recently, the “Charlotte Business Woman of the Year Award” from Queens

University of Charlotte in 2021 and “The Charlotte Woman of the Year Award” in 2020.