Tasha Locks is a visionary nonprofit leader with over 18 years of experience designing and scaling programs that empower marginalized youth. Her leadership is rooted in lived experience and resilience. After struggling as a teenager, Tasha became a Realtor and purchased her first home as a single mother at age 20 — a trajectory that shaped her deep belief in personal agency, structure, and opportunity.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Development and a Master of Education, blending systems thinking, curriculum design, and community strategy into her approach to nonprofit leadership.

In 2011, Tasha founded Youth Rising. What began in 2014 with just a handful of youth in a rural community has grown under her leadership into a multi-state organization serving young people across the United States. She has led the organization through expansion, program refinement, and strategic partnerships focused on long-term impact and sustainability.

A former USA/ABF Licensed Boxing Coach, Tasha understands firsthand the power of physical movement in emotional regulation and youth development. As a teen, sports like boxing and basketball became critical outlets for managing stress and adversity. Today, she champions the integration of “street sports” and structured physical activity into Youth Rising’s drop-in model to promote confidence, resilience, and connection.

Tasha’s commitment to creating safe, trauma-informed environments is both deeply personal and profoundly professional. As a teenager, she experienced depression and suicidal ideation after being placed in an unregulated wilderness boot camp during a harsh northern winter. Those experiences shaped her unwavering dedication to ensuring that youth in foster care and those at risk of falling through the cracks receive compassionate, structured, and effective support.

Through bold leadership and innovative program design, Tasha continues to advance solutions that foster healing, growth, and real opportunity for vulnerable youth and young adults.