Taunya Marie Tinsley, D.Min., Ph.D., NCC, LPC, graduated in December 2005 from Duquesne University with a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. She received her M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration and College Student Development in 1995 from the University of Iowa. Dr. Tinsley also holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN where she was also inducted in the Athletic Hall of Fame in September 2014. In April 2013, Dr. Tinsley completed her requirements for the Certificate in Missional Theology from Biblical Theological Seminary. Finally, in December 2016 Dr. Tinsley earned her Doctor of Ministry with a focus in Prophetic Congregational Development Using 21^st Century Methods, Establishing Strong Leadership from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH.

Dr. Tinsley has a wealth of experience providing appropriate personal and academic growth opportunities for those seeking to become professional master’s degree-level counselors as well as for those helping professionals seeking advanced or specialty areas of training and development in multicultural education and counseling, spiritual and Christian interventions, and sports counseling/athlete development. Dr. Tinsley spent nine years at California University of Pennsylvania as an Associate Professor in the Department of Counselor Education and Program Coordinator for the Sports Counseling Certificate Program. Dr. Tinsley also served as the Director of Graduate Programs in Counseling and Associate Professor at Waynesburg University where she led the program through the CACREP-Accreditation application process for the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. Additionally, Dr. Tinsley served as the Director of the Graduate School of Counseling at Missio Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. Currently, Dr. Tinsley serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor at Villanova University.

In addition to providing academic and administrative services, Dr. Tinsley is the Owner of Transitions Counseling Service LLC and Life Skills Program that includes a ministry division, Love and Basketball Ministries, where she provides individual, marriage, family and group counseling and consultative services. Additionally, Dr. Tinsley is the Clinical Director of the Mount Ararat Baptist Church Counseling Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

Dr. Tinsley has over 25 years working in the secondary and college/university academic, athletic and sporting environments.  Her experiences range from coaching high school and college athletes, athletic administration, and conducting life skills training to consulting and providing career development and professional counseling and psychological services. Her experiences include working with culturally diverse educators, students, and athletes in, and from, a variety of athletic conferences including the Big Ten, the Big East, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Moreover, Dr. Tinsley has worked with the National Football Foundation, the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Steelers to provide services to high school student athletes as part of the Play It Smart Program and the Academics in Motion Program. Additionally, her worked continued in 2011 with the NFL Player’s Association, providing consulting and counseling services as part of “The Business of Football, Rookie Edition.” Previously, Dr. Tinsley assisted the NFL Player Engagement with their Transition Coaches Certification Training Program. She also assisted the NFL Player Engagement with mental health presentations at the NFL Rookies Symposium, the NFL Rookie Success Program enhancement, and the NFL Clinician Summit.

Dr. Tinsley has also managed to stay active in both the workplace and in the community advocating for and promoting organizations, helping professionals, and their clients. She has served as the North Atlantic Regional Representative for the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD), the President of the Pennsylvania College Counseling Association, and the President of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association. In 2006, Dr. Tinsley collaborated with the American Counseling Association to develop, facilitate, and enhance the Sports Counseling Interest Network. In 2018-2019, Dr. Tinsley served as a board member for the Association of Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC). She began serving as the AMCD President on July 1, 2019.

Dr. Tinsley’s interdisciplinary areas of counseling, research, and publications include multicultural issues in counseling, multicultural training and organizational development, spiritual and Christian interventions in counseling, sports counseling, and youth, adolescent, and adult development through sports.