Tyaisha Blount-Dillon, M.S.

Tyaisha Blount-Dillon, M.S., is the Founder and Executive Director of The Thriving Brain & Development Project Inc., a nonprofit she established in November 2024. In her current role, she leads community programs and partnerships designed to improve brain health, nutrition, and practical strategies for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease. Through her work, Tyaisha combines innovative approaches in storytelling, culinary wellness, and culturally resonant education to empower underserved communities and elevate awareness of brain-health equity.

Tyaisha’s professional philosophy centers on advocacy that humanizes patients, providing a practical blueprint for improving quality of life through medicine, movement, and meditation. She emphasizes self-advocacy, resilience, and culturally relevant education, using her personal experience with young-onset Parkinson’s as a foundation for programs, motivational speaking, and authorship. Her family was featured as the first African American family in a Parkinson’s Foundation commercial aired broadly, and she has been selected to present her book at the World Parkinson’s Congress, highlighting her national impact in brain-health advocacy.

Prior to founding her nonprofit, Tyaisha had a distinguished 16-year career at the U.S. Forest Service, where she held physical-science and sustainable-operations roles, earning recognition with two Regional Forester Awards. After navigating the challenges of obtaining a Parkinson’s diagnosis, she developed a personal recovery program that evolved into public advocacy and community-focused initiatives. Her work has garnered the 2023 Matthew T. Robinson Award for Courage, and she continues to create programs that bridge health, culture, and technology—strengthening families, fostering resilience, and making brain health a household conversation, one story, one recipe, and one community at a time.

• Certified Life Coach and Grant Writer

• University of Mobile - BS, Environmental Management
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Biosystems Engineering Technology

• 2023 Matthew T. Robinson Award for Courage
• USDA New Leader Program
• Regional Forester’s Honor Award
• Regional Forester’s Natural Resources Stewardship Award

• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated — Murrietta Roswell Chapter

• The Community Partnership Rolla
• Collaborations with Parkinson's Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation
• Participant in USDA Graduate School New Leader Program