Issue Areas:

Project Management

Grant and Fundraising Coordination

Education:

University of Texas at Austin – Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and UTeach

Focus

Tara Tough is a Policy Coordinator at Texas 2036, where she provides project management and coordination across the organization’s policy portfolio. She works across policy areas to support the development and execution of research, policy initiatives and other projects, while also providing grant and fundraising coordination.

Impact

At Texas 2036, Tara works across policy areas to support projects and deliverables. Her work includes efforts to:

• Coordinate policy projects: Support the planning and execution of projects across Texas 2036’s policy areas, helping teams manage timelines, deliverables and cross-team coordination.
• Support policy research and communications: Help translate policy research into reports, presentations and other materials that communicate Texas 2036’s work to policymakers, partners and the public.
• Coordinate grant and funder deliverables: Work across policy and development teams to support grant-funded projects, reporting and other funder commitments.

Past Experience

Before joining Texas 2036, Tara was a high school physics and career and technical education (CTE) teacher in the Austin area where she led her collaborative team in curriculum updates and development.

Prior to teaching, Tara worked as a legislative aide in state Rep. Tom Oliverson’s office in the 85th Legislature (2017). In this role, she provided committee support to the representative on public health issues. Additionally, she facilitated communication and coordination efforts to achieve legislative goals.

While attending the University of Texas at Austin, Tara won a national championship as a member of the women’s team in handball.