About Me

Youngest daughter of LaTanya and Wayne Pleasant. Born on the 31st of October in Chicago, IL, Tanisha literally came into this world on her own. While mom and dad watched the basketball game on tv at the hospital, mom felt a dull pain and looked under the covers and there she was, looking up at her mom and silent. How she entered the world is a direct reflection on who she's become. A quiet behind the scenes powerhouse event planner, at the age of 27, Tanisha has created and managed events for some of Chicago's most valued instituions.

Tanisha received her B.A. in Speech Communications and African American Studies from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, completed advanced coursework in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management at Columbia College Chicago and received her Masters of Business Administration and Marketing from Keller Graduate School at DeVry.

Early on Tanisha discovered her passion for the arts. She led her college dance team and choreographed for and managed one of the University's cultural dance workshops. Tanisha fostered her passion for the arts after college by joining the Joffrey Ballet as an intern in the Development department. From there she moved on to working as the Program Assistant for the DanceAfrica Chicago Festival at Columbia College. Falling in love with the people and business of the arts, in 2004, Tanisha accepted a position as Company Manager for Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. Working with Deeply Rooted was a life changing experience for the arts enthusiast. In addition to being enthralled in the management and operation of a growing non-profit, she also got a spiritual lesson in self-actualization, a concept based on the organizations mission. After a year, Tanisha was promoted to the Management Coordinator for the organization, working closely with the Executive Director to manage the organizations' financials, programs and day to day operations.

In 2005, Tanisha joined the Executive Offices of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago as the Development Coordinator and soon after promoted to the newly created Special Events Office position. While at the YWCA, Tanisha was responsible for created the She Speaks Volumes Poetry Slam and Fundraiser, an event that gave women a voice to talk about issues in race, gender and sexual violence. The event featured world Renowned poet Staceyann Chinn and various Def Poetry Jam artists. The event became one of the organizations most recognized events.

Tanisha moved on into the corporate arena to Macy's Chicago Flagship store as a Catering Event Specialist, managing high profile events for brands like Estee Lauder, Coach and Eileen Fischer. Today Tanisha worked as the Senior Events Coordinator for the University of Chicagos newly created Office of Event Services.

In 2006, Tanisha launched her own Special Events Consulting Company, Meridian Special Events, a company committed to creating and executing events driven by inspiration and engage audiences in ways that speak to the soul.

When she's not up to her knees in events ~ Tanisha enjoys being a self-proclaimend "Urban Girl", which involves getting dressed up and attending swanky events with her girlfriends, shopping and getting in touch with her inner gym junkie.