Tonya received a BA in Cultural Anthropology from U.C. Berkeley & trained four years on full scholarship at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. A member of Actors Equity Association, she has appeared with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater & Donald Byrd, was a member of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Footprints & Amy Pivar Dances, performed in the International Tour of “West Side Story”, the National Tour of “Sesame St. Live”, Sacramento Music Circus’ “The King & I”, and has been featured in numerous print ads & TV commercials.

She is the owner of Aspire Pilates Center, for which she was awarded Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce’s “100 Women of Influence” in 2010, Women’s Initiative's Concord Female Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011, Concord's Small Business of the Year 2013, Community Focus' Reader's Choice Best Pilates Studio in 2015, and Concord's Best Woman-Owned Business of the Year in 2016.

Tonya is one of seven Black Balanced Body Primary Educators (formerly Master Instructors, certified to train teachers) in the world. She specializes in post rehabilitation work, including Pilates for Back & Joint pain, Osteoporosis, Pre/Post Natal, and Foot Care. She trains students aged 4 through 103, and beginning movers through professional athletes, to deepen the collaboration with their bodies to find the healthiest, most powerful, best version of themselves.

Through deep partnerships, Tonya is working to diversity the Pilates industry and to train highly skilled, empathetic, rooted-in-community BIPOC Pilates teachers to heal our communities from within. She is an internationally respected teacher and mentor; using her expertise in the intersection of arts & wellness to create social impact. She's proud to help build cross cultural and intergenerational bridges with Grown Women Dance Collective.

Donald has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado and has over 30 years of executive leadership experience in large, medium, and small telecom and IT corporate environments in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Donald co-founded the University of Colorado at Denver's NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) chapter over thirty five years ago. He is Head of Societal Context Understanding, Responsible AI & Human-Centered Technology at Google. With a specialty in Ethical AI/ Machine Learning, he is a leader in the intersection of tech for social justice. As a "Grown Man", Donald has tapped into previously unexplored artistic skills and merges his computer and technological expertise to produce social impact art.