Tara James

Tara is a committed advocate for policies and programs that benefit all youth and communities, especially those often labeled “high-risk”. She has followed that commitment through her work on education reform, family support initiatives and youth leadership development.

Tara works with SparkAction’s numerous partners to increase the impact of advocacy by and for young people. She does this by seeking out opportunities for collaboration among advocates and promoting the work of SparkAction’s partners. Her favorite part of the job is helping to identify and support opportunities for youth leadership and young advocates.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Tara holds a master's degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She joined SparkAction in 2011, bringing more than 10 years of experience in community organizing, grant management, leveraging technology for social services and building alliances among diverse groups and organizations.