Tanyelle L. Hannah

Tanyelle L. Hannah takes an integrated approach to parenting and to education. As a mother, sister, friend and currently a transformational principal at Mays Academy, she has dedicated her time and talents over her 40+ years in education to ensure that the whole child and the whole educator are holistically nurtured and valued. She believes this is the optimal way to lay the groundwork for successful academic outcomes.  

Tanyelle’s dedication in her current role as Principal and her former roles as Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, and teacher have been recognized in her receipt of the Game Changer Award from Chicago Public Schools. This honor highlights Tanyelle’s exceptional work in the realization of her school’s vision, closing the achievement gap, and her promotion of equitable and inclusive education.  

Tanyelle implements a distributed leadership model, giving educators opportunities to lead in spaces where they thrive. Her philosophy is, “I can teach pedagogy, but I cannot teach passion. If [an educator] has passion for something, then we can work on the leadership portion.” Helping other educators develop and apply their “why” to leadership roles is part of her mission. 

Tanyelle holds K-9 Teaching and School Administration Certifications, a Bachelor of Art in Communication from Hampton University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Dominican University. Her Doctorate in Education from National Louis University is currently in process. 

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