Tanya Ivey Snyder (born 1967) is an American businesswoman. She and her husband, Daniel Snyder, owned the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL) from 1999 to 2023. She launched a charitable foundation in 1999, contributing more than $31 million to local community initiatives, and also helped establish the NFL's "Think Pink" breast cancer awareness campaign. Tanya and her husband are widely known by NFL fans as one of the worst owners in the history of the league, with the team sustaining its longest period of failure during their tenure, while also covering up major sexual harassment scandals. [1]
Tanya Snyder | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Snyder in 2021 | |
| Born | 1967 (age 56–57) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | Forest Park High School |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Known for | Former CEO of the Washington Commanders |
| Spouse(s) | Art Foreman (divorced) Daniel Snyder (m. 1994) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
editSnyder grew up in the Forest Park, a suburb of Atlanta.[2] She was the third of four daughters.[2] Her father worked in the computer and tech businesses.[2] She was a cheerleader in junior high school and high school, graduating from Forest Park High School in 1980.[2]
Career
editSnyder worked as a fashion model and as a clothing representative in Atlanta.[2][3]
She and her husband purchased the Washington Redskins in 1999, and she later launched the Washington Commanders Charitable Foundation.[4][5] Since 2000, the foundation contribute more than $31 million to local community initiatives under her leadership.[4]
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Snyder partnered with Zeta Tau Alpha to co-found the THINK PINK campaign for breast cancer awareness within the National Football League in 1999.[4] They passed out 8,000 handmade pink ribbons at FedExField to spread awareness, which led to the pink movement each October throughout the League.[4] She was honored as Mother of the Year in 2013 by the American Cancer Society,[6] the Gloria Heyison Award by Men Against Breast Cancer in 2012, and the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation's ZTA THINK-PINK! Ambassador Award in 2008.[4]
In May 2014, Snyder and her husband received the Charles B. Wang International Children's Award from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.[7]
In 2021, she was named as co-CEO of the team, leading the transition from the old name, Washington Redskins, to a cultural and business transformation as the Washington Commanders.[4][8][9][10] In October 2022, she was criticized for saying "Hail to the Redskins" after the team had already changed its name.[11][12] In July 2023, the Commanders were sold to a group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, the largest sales transaction for a sports franchise in history.[13]
Personal life
editWhen she was twenty years old, she married Art Foreman, a jewelry sales representative and current VP of sales of JBS USA.[14] They divorced two years later.[2] She met American businessman Daniel Snyder on a blind date in 1993; they married in April 1994.[3] The Snyders have three children and reside in Alexandria, Virginia.[15] She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.[16] Snyder is a Republican and has donated to campaigns for Donald Trump and George Allen, whose father, George H. Allen, coached the Redskins from 1971-77.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Washington Football Team's Tanya Snyder whines her kids catch hell over team's woes". NY Post. September 9, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tanya Snyder, More Than Skins Deep". Washington Post. October 30, 1999. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Jaffe, Harry (September 1, 2006). "The Dan Snyder You Don't Know". Washingtonian - The website that Washington lives by. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tanya Snyder". Commanders.com. March 24, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Igbokwe, Nick (October 19, 2022). "Who is Dan Snyder's wife, Tanya Snyder?". Sportskeeda. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ "Mother of the Year: Tanya Snyder". Commanders.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Walker, Andrew. "Snyders Honored At Hope Awards". Washington Commanders. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ Battista, Judy (September 25, 2009) "Wife of Redskins Owner Finds Her Voice in Cancer Fight". The New York Times
- ^ "Tanya Snyder Opens Redskins Style Lounge" By Daniel Zimmet Archived December 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine December 9, 2012, Washington Commanders
- ^ "Washington Football Team names Tanya Snyder co-CEO of franchise". ESPN. June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Commanders' Tanya Snyder faces scrutiny after 'Redskins' name drop". Fox News. October 24, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Florio, Mike (October 23, 2022). "Tanya Snyder caps address to fans by invoking the team's former name - ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Maske, Mark; Jhabvala, Nicki (July 20, 2023). "NFL owners approve sale of Commanders from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ "Art Foreman — Vp of sales at JBS USA". Comparably. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ The World's Billionaires – Dan Snyder. Forbes
- ^ Farrell, Paul (July 16, 2020). "Tanya Snyder, Dan Snyder's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Farrell, Paul (July 16, 2020). "Tanya Snyder, Dan Snyder's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Heavy, Inc. Retrieved May 4, 2023./
