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Tysha Sellers
Edna Martin Christian Center
1970 Caroline Ave. (PO Box 18388)
Indianapolis, IN 46218
Work Phone: 317-637-3776
FAX: 317-637-4989
Email: ednamartincc@indy.rr.com
Web: www.ednamartincc.org
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Author Thomas Wolfe—who wrote, “You can’t go home again”—obviously didn’t know Tysha Sellers. Sellers, who grew up in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood of Indianapolis, now serves as executive director of the Edna Martin Christian Center in the very neighborhood she knew as a child.
The center began with the vision of one woman—Edna Martin—who, seeing great need, established an outreach center in a small home to serve the community’s children. Now this National Ministries-sponsored ministry serves the community in even bigger ways, providing senior as well as youth programs, along with outreach services to residents with emergency needs. Tysha Sellers leads the ministry today, making a difference on her home ground.
As a child, Sellers was always sensitive to the needs of those around her, a characteristic nurtured in her church. Growing up, she witnessed her once-thriving neighborhood, with its well kept homes and businesses, begin a slow decline. “I remember my mother and grandmother talking about how things used to be. We would drive around the neighborhood and see where businesses had closed. It was very disheartening.” These observations instilled in her a lifelong commitment to community service.
Sellers’ career path has followed the mileposts of neighborhood empowerment and encouragement and, just as importantly, the overall physical and mental health of its residents. She believes the health of a neighborhood is inextricably tied to the health of its social conditions. “I ask myself why such a small group of people—poor and mostly African-American—bear so much of the brunt of disease and sickness. What is happening in that group?” That question led her to earn a master’s degree in medical sociology.
But sociology, as it relates to health, is only one of the areas this social activist pursues. Married and the mother of three, she has been an educator, an author, and a researcher, and she has held a multitude of leadership roles in the community. Now, as Edna Martin Christian Center’s executive director, Sellers has come full circle—back to her roots. “It means so much to come back to my community and give back. We give because we are compassionate, but we’re also nurturing and teaching the neighborhood’s residents, and developing them into strong people.”
EDUCATION:
- Master of Arts, Medical Sociology, Indianan University, Bloomington, Ind
- Bachelor of arts, Public Relations and Russian Studies, Bradley University, Peoria, Ill
EXPERIENCE:
- Partner—Infinite, Inc., A Multicultural Communications Agency
- Director of Marketing and Communications—Indianapolis Private Industry Council
- Communications Manager—Indiana Department of Commerce
- Editor-Reporter—The Indianapolis Recorder
- Lecturer of Sociology and Gerontology—Franklin College (American Baptist Church USA college)
IMPORTANT DATES:
- Indianapolis Urban League, Business Leadership Award—2007
- Arsenal Technical High School, Distinguished Alumni Award—2006
- Bradley University Alumni of Note—2005
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