Tonya Rice

Tonya Rice is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Advocacy and Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis. She is responsible for leading the university’s advocacy programs to increase knowledge and support for the university’s positive impacts on Missourians, legislative agenda and other strategic priorities.  She trains and engages university students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends on advocacy and mobilization around the university’s mission for innovative research, education and patient care. Additionally Ms. Rice manages the implementation of cutting-edge technology as a trusted source for information, including an advocacy website, data-driven advocacy software, and tools for digital advocacy campaigns. She also provides guidance on political, campaign, and lobbying activity, including events with government officials, voter education, and civic engagement programs. Ms. Rice joined Washington University in November 2023.

Ms. Rice has extensive experience leading data and technology modernization initiatives for advocacy and engagement in public and private sector organizations.  Prior to her position at Washington University, Ms. Rice led engagements with Secretaries of State, local elected officials, and nonprofit organizations for cloud-based technologies at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Previously, she also served as Chief Data Officer and Director of Elections for the Cook County Clerk in Chicago, IL, one of the largest counties in the U.S. with constituents in 134 municipalities.

Tonya Rice earned a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.