Written By: Abigail G. Janik
“I zigged, and I zagged, and my portfolio kept expanding.” Tanuja M. Dehne L’98 is currently the President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation in Morristown, New Jersey, where she is “leading the Foundation’s transformation into an anti-racist organization dedicated to realizing a just and equitable New Jersey.” The Dodge Foundation is a large philanthropic organization and well-known grant-maker in New Jersey. While Tanuja has always engaged in transformational, change-making work, the road to her current position had its twists and turns.
Prior to law school, Tanuja graduated from Lafayette College, where she majored in Anthropology, Sociology, and International Relations. After, she pursued a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania (“Penn”). But in her first class at Penn, Tanuja realized she did not fully understand her “why” for pursuing this degree, aside from knowing many professors and generally enjoying teaching. Regardless, Tanuja followed her passions outside of the classroom. While at Penn, Tanuja worked multiple jobs, including a position as an Immigration Paralegal. She was also deeply engaged in international work, including studies on South Asian politics and women in South Asia. Before law school, she worked as a political intern at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India.
Throughout her academic years, Tanuja recognized her enjoyment of work that was particularly grounded, and accordingly applied to law school. After using her post-undergraduate years to grow personally and professionally, Tanuja was strategic when choosing a law school. Syracuse University College of Law (“the College of Law”) awarded Tanuja a scholarship and a Graduate Assistantship as a Pre-law Advisor in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences. Tanuja’s husband-to-be was also pursuing his doctorate in History at Maxwell, so all the pieces were starting to fit together. And Tanuja’s legal career began.
Tanuja fondly recalls law school, specifically her 1L internship with the Legal Services of Central New York, where she developed an administrative law foundation that later served her as a Corporate Attorney. Tanuja also recalls an especially touching memory from the College of Law. Just before graduation, she received an award, and the late Professor Donna Arzt gave her a book about a woman refugee in an immigration detention center. Professor Arzt wrote an inscription in the book that continues to move Tanuja. Tanuja describes Professor Arzt as a powerful advocate and a strong influence on her path toward social justice.
After law school, Tanuja worked for Saul Ewing in Philadelphia as a Corporate Attorney, then in multiple roles at NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 250 power company. She credits her legal background for her ability to flow from the legal side to the business and nonprofit worlds. Tanuja specifically speaks to the transferrable value of her legal training in precision and analytical, writing, and communication skills. As a Corporate Attorney, Tanuja always had a parallel career, taking on her fair share of corporate work and making time for as much pro bono work as possible. Through pro bono opportunities at her firm, Tanuja helped form nonprofits, which resulted in her first nonprofit board seat with the United Way of Greater Mercer County. As a Corporate Attorney, Tanuja was able to marry legal governance with nonprofit work delicately, and the doors to the business and nonprofit sides began to open.
Tanuja counsels current law students to “keep following your North Star, to the things that give you passion and purpose.” For practical law school strategies, Tanuja advises, “Do the very best that you possibly can…Sit in the front of class and be ready to be called upon by your professors.” She also advises students not to be afraid to speak up in class, “Even if your answer is wrong, so what? Half the battle is speaking up because you’ll need to as a lawyer and in life. Law school is a place where you don’t want to get lost in the shuffle or fall behind. It’s an investment of your time. It’s an investment in your resources. And you want the greatest return on your investment.”
At Alumni Weekend this year, the College of Law honored Tanuja’s remarkable achievements by presenting her with the Asian Pacific Islander (“API”) Legacy of Excellence Award. She points to this award as a career accomplishment that particularly moved her. Tanuja was humbled by her recognition as an alumna for her “distinguished accomplishments in the private and non-profit sectors, particularly in board governance practices, [her] commitment to excellence, creativity, leadership and community service, and [her] continued passion for racial equity and justice for all.”
Tanuja’s impressive story is a testament that through the many zig-zags your career may take, it is essential to follow not only your training in the law but also your purpose.
Sources:
Tanuja Dehne, GERALDINE R. DODGE FOUND., https://www.grdodge.org/people/tanuja-dehne/ (last visited Sept. 30, 2022).
College of Law Alumni of Color Awards, SYRACUSE UNIV. COLL. OF LAW, http://law.syr.edu/alumni-friends/syracuse-university-college-of-law-alumni-of-color-awards/ (last visited Sept. 30, 2022).