BIO
Tanaz Choudhury was born in Mumbai, India in 1972. She comes from a loving Parsi / Zoroastrian family, where her father inspired her moral compass and diligent nature, her mother gave her love for education and excellence, and her grandmother encouraged resilience and “grit” that she carries throughout her day-to-day life. Coming from a metropolitan city and having a fondness for knowledge, she is a polyglot proficient in 7 languages. Tanaz excelled in her studies and graduated from the University of Mumbai as a merit student with a degree in chemistry and aspirations to go into medical school. However, due to complications in her mother’s health and an administrative misstep, she was unable to be granted admission. Her resilient spirit prevailed, and among the many pivots in her life, she took up being an air hostess to support her family. Her time in these early years was not only made up by her studies and work, she was the finalist in the Miss India Pageant which would feed into the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants. Her calling to the US was not due to her family, studies, or work but rather love. In 1995, she and her long-time best friend turned “a little bit more,” Chesley, moved to the US to share their interreligious union and begin a new chapter. The couple combined their passions for technology and business to start an equal partnership that is echoed in the company that borrows from both of their names, Tanches Global Management Inc. This 25-year-old Texas corporation serves a wide variety of technology needs for the community, from the Texas state departments, Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift of America, Chick-fil-A Supply, and other commercial enterprises to local cities and school districts. A business grown solely from recommendations, it has served the community in necessary times like Hurricane Harvey, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Texas Freeze, ensuring that TanChes served as the first responders of Technology to support the end users and citizens. Keeping true to her grandmother’s teaching of giving back, Tanaz is very active in her community as a part of numerous socio-civic organizations that lend resources in the field of education and entrepreneurship, which are very close to her heart. Tanaz is passionate about technology and encourages girls interested in STEM to pursue careers in Science and Technology. She avidly shares her experience and wisdom on platforms such as The Channel Company, Women in Tech organizations, Microsoft, Brown Girl Magazine, Junior Achievement, and local schools. Tanaz is one of the founding members of the Inclusive Leadership Network to make sure her perspective brings more diversity into the industry and is a role model for others. Not just a STEM powerhouse, her continuing love for arts led to the creation of a fashion line inspired by her brilliant grandmother. Tanaz continues to be a curious and outspoken individual who uses her voice and spirit to inspire communities and individuals worldwide. In this interview, Tanaz Choudhury discusses her neverending fuel and drive through STEAM and her adventures in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. She discusses her voracity for learning embodied in the 7 languages she speaks and her entrepreneurial drive being the CEO of a successful tech company. Lastly, she dives into her community and civic pursuits as a unique Houston Citizen’s Police Academy and Houston Citizen’s Fire Academy member and various other engagements.