Dr. Tara Jabbaar-Gyambrah is an award-winning author, change maker, and committed servant leader with over 20 years of experience in higher education. As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TMJ Consulting, a national firm that provides customized strategies and innovations for higher education institutions, corporations, government, and non-profit organizations she helps organizations prepare individuals for leadership roles in the marketplace. She enjoys teaching and equipping leaders with the tools they need to succeed on their uniquely designed path. 

Dr. Tara is a trailblazer in the fields of leadership development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion and curriculum design, who teaches others how to apply best practices education to real life experiences. As a certified Maxwell Leadership Team member, she coaches individuals and serves as a dream igniter and bridge builder as she encourages them to fulfill their purpose. 

Dr. Tara earned her Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo’s, American Studies program specializing in Global Gender Studies (Women’s Studies) along with an Advanced Certificate in Teaching for Leading Diversity. In addition, she has graduated from several leadership programs including but not limited to: National African American Leadership Institute (NAAWLI), Harvard Business School Not-For-Profit Management Development Program, SUNY Sail Institute Leadership Program, and the CIC Senior Leadership Academy. Alongside her academic background, Dr. Tara is a part-time Assistant Professor in the Interdisciplinary Studies Department at Kennesaw State University where she teaches courses on African and African American Studies. 

Dr. Tara has published several book chapters, and scholarly articles in the Journal of College Admissions, Palgrave, Journal of Race and Policy, NACADA Publications, and Southwest Journal of Cultures. She is also the co-author of two books; The Roadmap to Investing in Yourself: The Real Costs of a College Education (2022) and Is College a Lousy Investment?: Negotiating the Hidden Cost of Higher Education (2018) which discusses how the idea of ‘investment’ can be expanded from a short-sighted view to engage a broader, more holistic rationale for higher education from which students can expect a full return on their investment.  Dr. Tara is also the recipient of the John B. Muir Award granted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and Excellence in Volunteer Administrator Award from VolunteerWNY for her impact on the community academically and administratively. 

Currently, Dr. Tara is a board member of the National African-American Women’s Leadership Institute (NAAWLI), a premiere professional development organization that ignites the leadership potential of African-American Women leaders. In addition, she has served as a board member for Trocaire College, the ACE Women’s Network of New York, and the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier. In her spare time, Dr. Tara enjoys mentoring young adults in the community. She is the proud mother of two teenage daughters, Makayla and Jael and they reside in Buffalo, New York.