Tammi Tiger's lifelong curiosity and love of learning were shaped in part by her grandmother. Although a serious car accident temporarily interrupted Tiger's studies, she remained committed to finishing her education while balancing motherhood and work.
Tiger joined Clark County in 1998 and eventually acquired credits and completed her bachlor's. By 2015, she'd earned a Master of Public Administration degree at UNLV.
Today, Tiger is both a Ph.D. student and the founding director of Tribal Education at UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. A citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a descendant of Muscogee and Seminole people, she brings more than 20 years of experience in Native community organizing, advocacy and leadership to her work.
What are a few of the defining moments of your educational journey?
When I was young, I dreamed of going to Harvard or Stanford, fancy colleges I saw on TV that my grandma said I could go to if I had “good grades.”
My grandmother Geraldine (Frazier) Tiger was the first in our family to go to college, yet she never got to finish her bachelor's degree. She missed graduating by one semester because she became pregnant while attending Oklahoma City College (out of wedlock in 1953) and made the difficult decision to give her daughter up for adoption to give her a better life. My aunt Dodie was later adopted by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans after the loss of one of their children. Mr. Rogers said he was Choctaw and was then eligible to adopt a Choctaw child.
Growing up, my grandmother instilled in me the importance of going to college and becoming an independent woman. She was a social worker for Los Angeles County when I lived with her. Sadly, she passed away when I was in high school, and I went on a dark path — living through a period of gang violence in Northtown.
I had been told to go to college, but I had no idea where to start. There were no college fairs at Rancho High School back then. My counselor enrolled me in keyboarding skills, a disk operating system (DOS) computer class and business law. I really enjoyed the classes and did well.
Coach Johnson taught business law and invited a business college to campus — Phillips Junior College. He encouraged me to apply and I did. I started taking classes for a paralegal program the summer after I graduated. I was in my second year and enjoying the program when, in April 1993 at age 19, I was in a serious car accident where I went through a windshield. I was lucky to be alive but remained unconscious for a couple of days at UMC. I had to drop out of school.
I had some major life changes after that, including becoming a mom on Sept. 29, 1994. I worked a full-time job with a technology company that provided wireless cable services and worked part time for Radio Shack. I was learning the office suite of Windows and QuickBooks and loved it.
In 1997, I decided to go back to school and find a way to finish my degree, which led me to take classes at the University of Phoenix. They accepted my credits into a business information systems program. I lived in the “projects” off Nellis Boulevard, worked two jobs, and was raising a 3 year old.
In 1998, my IT professor at the University of Phoenix, who was manager of IT at the county, asked me to apply for a job in his department. I hadn't considered going back for a master's degree until I started to work on sending my son to a university and advancing in my career with the county, which was about 10 years later.
My graduate journey started when my son moved out of state to attend the University of Oklahoma in 2012. He received a scholarship from our tribes, and I wanted him to experience university life away from home.
At the time, I had spent 14 years with Clark County and knew I needed an advanced degree to qualify for management positions.
Through a partnership between UNLV and the county, I took graduate certificate courses right after work in our county building. For our capstone project, I was part of a group with the topic: The Public Cost of Homelessness in partnership with Clark County Social Services. Our research and recommendations led to policy change at the county that is still in place today.
Describe a time when a mentor (personal or professional) made an impact on your life.
My professional mentor became my personal mentor and was one of the most important people in my life. Caryn Key was my first supervisor at the county. I am so grateful for the years I had with her. She was brilliant and kind. Always positive, respectful and supportive.
I learned about the importance of community outreach and customer service in public service as a government employee. How to convey complicated engineering information to the public in ways that were easy to understand.
It was a time of technology and innovation, and she just let me learn and explore even though it meant I was promoted from her team. I became a web programmer and designer and learned GIS. She retired in 2003, and we continued to be close until she crossed over on Feb. 11, 2025.
If you could give advice to a younger version of yourself, what would you say?
Take better care of yourself.
Can you share a few words about the photo that you selected to highlight your story?
I love this photo because I feel like it shows what's in my heart. I'm in nature, wearing my culture — the dress and belt made by a Muscogee artist and jewelry made by a Choctaw artist; my son is behind the camera capturing the moment.
