Tyonka Perkins Rimawi, Senior Program Manager, Families and Workers Fund
Tyonka Perkins Rimawi is a Senior Program Manager with the Families and Workers Fund where she manages initiatives focused on building a more equitable economy that uplifts all, especially for those who have been most locked out of the country’s prosperity. Specifically, she focuses on initiatives that reimagine systems fueling economic insecurity and that deliver jobs leading to economic security and mobility.
Tyonka’s unique background and professional experiences have given her deep insight into the barriers that must be eliminated for families and workers to thrive. Tyonka started her career at the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning where she most enjoyed serving as Director of Early College High School, a statewide initiative that reduced the time and cost of postsecondary education for Indiana high school students, particularly students who too often were left behind. She later joined Goodwill Industries International where she led a national workforce development initiative that increased accessibility of market-valued credentials for youth and adults, and championed a sector-based transformation initiative focused on racial and gender equity. Synthesizing her knowledge of effective educational, workforce, and economic security strategies, Tyonka went on to launch a regional cash assistance fund that supported over 2,600 families at the onset of the pandemic as well as the first fully funded guaranteed income pilot part of the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income initiative.
Currently, Tyonka serves as the grants committee chair of SisterFund and is a member of the Guaranteed Income Community of Practice. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Butler University and an M.B.A. in Supply Chain Management from the University of Indianapolis.