WO ME N ON T HE MOV E NONP ROF IT
TASHA MARIA ROBINSON-BANKS Senior Director, Hughes Branch Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
A native of Orlando, wife to Bryant and mother of LeahGrace and Loren-Gabriella, Tasha Robinson-Banks is the senior director of the Hughes Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, the largest club in the region. For 18 years she has excelled in her nonprofit leadership experience working with underserved, disadvantaged and marginalized populations. Robinson-Banks started her career as the Suspension Programs coordinator moving into the position of Teen director for the Southwest Branch, now known as the Universal Branch, from 1998 to 1999. Driven by passion and purpose and being the youngest among her peers, Robinson-Banks took on the task of managing the Boca Branch located in the clubhouse of an apartment complex. Though small and quaint, this club and new role allowed her the opening to building professional relationships. The partnership with the West Orlando Washington Shores Program, United Way, Foster Grandparents Program, and Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corp, helped to serve as an opportunity for her to advocate for youth needing a safe place to go after school.
60 ONYX MAGAZINE
In 2001 Robinson-Banks became the director of the Downtown Branch located on the property of the Coalition for the Homeless, which was the first club of its kind in the United States to provide services to homeless youth. She also managed the Parramore Club in Orlando’s first African-American library known as the Annex of Shiloh Baptist Church, and then at the Jackson Community Center. In August 2017, Robinson-Banks assumed her current role. The Hughes Branch has a membership of more than 470 kids and 31,000 square feet has put into perspective the importance of having engaging activities for youth in areas oftentimes forgotten. It is an honor for Robinson-Banks to be respected as a voice for at-risk youth in the Parramore Heritage Area and has a proven record of positively impacting the futures of the youth she has served. Robinson-Banks has remained committed to making sure all the youth her clubs serve know they are loved, valued, created with purpose and destined for success. She is working hard to leave a legacy of hope and inspiration.