Tanya- Hopkins Co. Circuit Clerk

Elected in 2018 and taking office in 2019, Tanya Bowman is the first elected African American Circuit Court Clerk in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Prior to this, she was a deputy clerk in Hopkins County for 6 years.

She was encouraged to run by several; however, she didn’t consider herself a politician and knew it would be difficult for a Black Woman to be put in office. She vowed that if she won, she would promote organ donation as much as she could, and that she has.

She has since used her position and platform to raise over $20,000, share stories, empower her staff members to support the mission of organ and tissue donation/transplantation and raise the donor registry rate in Hopkins County over 10% in three years.

This passion came earlier in Tanya’s life though. Her story with organ donation/transplantation starts over 25 years ago. Tanya’s best friend, also named Tonya, needed a lifesaving kidney transplant due to diabetes and other kidney issues.

Tonya Lyles received her lifesaving transplant and was given an additional 25 years of life, all thanks to an organ donor.

Tanya has said that Tonya has been her motivation to promote the mission and will continue to do so until she no longer has a voice.