Priscilla Tyson is a lifelong resident of Columbus, The middle of child of five, Priscilla Tyson grew up in the Near East side neighborhood of Shepard, and graduated from Eastmoor High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Franklin University, after also attending what is now known as Columbus State Community College. She and her husband, Attorney Renny J. Tyson, Sr, are the proud parents of five adult children and four grandchildren. They are also Deacons at First Church of God, Columbus.
Priscilla R. Tyson’s career has spanned over four decades, touching the sectors of banking, healthcare, public service, the arts, local government, and human services.
Her dynamic career includes more than 16 years of distinguished service in banking and healthcare, before helping to found and lead City Year Columbus – an organization that inspires diverse young people, and helps them understand the importance and impact of community service. While serving as the Executive Director of City Year Columbus, Tyson became a member of The Columbus Civil Service Commission, appointed by then-Mayor Greg Lashutka.
She was appointed to Columbus City Council in January of 2007, and then popularly elected by the citizens of Columbus in November of the same year. Since her initial election, Columbus City Council Member was reelected by the voters three more times, being the top vote-getter in each election.
Council Member Tyson’s signature achievements are wide ranging, and have benefitted all parts of our community. Most recently, Tyson established the 25-member Commission on Black Girls to study and assess the quality of life of Black girls, 11-22, in Central Ohio. The Commission’s recommendations are currently being used by the City to impact and improve the quality of life for Black girls in Columbus and Central Ohio.
Priscilla R. Tyson has been a community advocate for Columbus at the federal, state, and international level. Ms. Tyson served on the board of the Greater Columbus Arts Council for 14 years. Currently, Tyson is a member of the Columbus Chapter of The Links, Inc, The Columbus, Ohio Section of The National Council of Negro Women, Inc, and The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Central Ohio Chapter. Throughout her career, she has been honored with numerous awards, from an exhaustive list of local, national, and international organizations.
Priscilla Tyson is a lifelong resident of Columbus, The middle of child of five, Priscilla Tyson grew up in the Near East side neighborhood of Shepard, and graduated from Eastmoor High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Franklin University, after also attending what is now known as Columbus State Community College. She and her husband, Attorney Renny J. Tyson, Sr, are the proud parents of five adult children and four grandchildren. They are also Deacons at First Church of God, Columbus.
Priscilla R. Tyson’s career has spanned over four decades, touching the sectors of banking, healthcare, public service, the arts, local government, and human services.
Her dynamic career includes more than 16 years of distinguished service in banking and healthcare, before helping to found and lead City Year Columbus – an organization that inspires diverse young people, and helps them understand the importance and impact of community service. While serving as the Executive Director of City Year Columbus, Tyson became a member of The Columbus Civil Service Commission, appointed by then-Mayor Greg Lashutka.
She was appointed to Columbus City Council in January of 2007, and then popularly elected by the citizens of Columbus in November of the same year. Since her initial election, Columbus City Council Member was reelected by the voters three more times, being the top vote-getter in each election.
Council Member Tyson’s signature achievements are wide ranging, and have benefitted all parts of our community. Most recently, Tyson established the 25-member Commission on Black Girls to study and assess the quality of life of Black girls, 11-22, in Central Ohio. The Commission’s recommendations are currently being used by the City to impact and improve the quality of life for Black girls in Columbus and Central Ohio.
Priscilla R. Tyson has been a community advocate for Columbus at the federal, state, and international level. Ms. Tyson served on the board of the Greater Columbus Arts Council for 14 years. Currently, Tyson is a member of the Columbus Chapter of The Links, Inc, The Columbus, Ohio Section of The National Council of Negro Women, Inc, and The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Central Ohio Chapter. Throughout her career, she has been honored with numerous awards, from an exhaustive list of local, national, and international organizations.
I think that most importantly was to trust God, put him first, learning that I think with God, all things are possible. So making sure that you put him first, you don't really have to worry about what's going to happen in your life, that he will take care of you if you are doing the things that glorify him.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone, this is that Coach Tim Brown and I'm excited to have on today's show former city councilwoman Priscilla Tyson. She was a four term city councilwoman. She was the longest woman to serve on Columbus City Council. Her career of service has expanded over four decades, and so today, priscilla and I will talk about building a lifelong legacy. And, most importantly, she is a deacon with her husband, rene, at the First Church of God in Columbus. So she's a strong woman, in fact. So, priscilla, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Thank you, tim. It's really a pleasure to be here and I'm so excited about being here because of the work that you've been doing on this show, to be able to expose individuals to other people in the community that are doing great things alongside you, who are doing great things with this show.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you. I know you're a strong woman of faith. Can you talk about your faith journey growing up?
Speaker 1:Well, yes, and so I grew up in a household, not only in my own household with my mother, but also my grandmother, and so when I think about faith and also thinking about just my, my ancestors, it was nothing but faith that bought them here, and so I'm just a legacy of that faith, and my, my ancestry, on my mother's side, goes to a place called Chubtown, georgia, and it has. The one of the oldest churches in Georgia is in Chubtown, which is outside of Cays Springs, and most people know about Chubtown because of Nick Chubb.
Speaker 2:You're right, right, and that's all part of my and that and that's all my family. Yes, yes, yes, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:What were?
Speaker 2:some of those life lessons that you grew up, that you learned growing up about faith, about God.
Speaker 1:Well, I think the most important life lessons was to trust God. To. You know, we were always going to Sunday school and then, as I grew up, you know, as a young adult I mean I was always going to Sunday school went to Trinity Baptist Church, then I attended St Philip's Episcopal Church and then went back to Trinity. I taught Sunday school at Trinity Baptist Church and then I came to First Church of God, which is probably over 26, 27 years ago. But I think that most importantly was to trust God, put him first, learning that I think with God all things are possible. So, making sure that you put him first, you don't really have to worry about what's going to happen in your life, that he will take care of you if you, you know, if you're doing the things that you know, that glorify him. Hey there.
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Speaker 2:You are a lifelong resident of Columbus, now what has kept you here at this city? I know you had other opportunities, but what's kept you here in the capital city?
Speaker 1:Well, I would say this I love Columbus and I what probably kept me here is that, you know, I went to high school here. I, as I went out and worked in the community. I've been working since I was 14 years old, so I was picking up trash at the neighborhood house, and then I got another job from right down the street, from Eastmore High School, and so I worked while I was always in college, so to help to be able to support, you know, my family and allowing me to attend college, and so, based upon that, it's just been a place that I've known as home, and then it's afforded me the opportunities to be able to have some amazing work opportunities, which led to amazing career opportunities, and so I really have never thought about leading Columbus I. You know I love to travel and see other places, but, again, there isn't any place like home.
Speaker 2:That's good you know. Speaking of that, you have a career that has included banking, healthcare, public service. How has God used you in these areas impacting?
Speaker 1:Well, I tell you, tim, God has used me in many ways and, first and foremost, I believe that he's given me the opportunity, first of all, the opportunity to be able to help people and to recognize that the opportunity came from him and that I truly believe that we're put on earth to serve, and so by that, he's given me these opportunities, and I think the opportunity gave me that are really important is to make sure that you're looking out for the least of those, that you're looking out, especially for black and brown individuals in this community and, again, people that are the least of those. So people that may be having challenges with their health or their mental health or physical health, people having financial challenges, just to look out for people and try to be able to implement programs to be able to move people forward. As a banker, I'll just mention this one that there is a development. Now there's a lot of development going on, but while I was a banker, a couple of things that I was able to do with my other banking colleagues and one was there really wasn't any development happening within the East Side, and so I don't know if you're aware of there's a development of homes that was on Atchison Avenue called Capital View Estates, and so I participated in that transaction which really allowed people to be for one new builds.
Speaker 1:People allowed to be able to purchase those homes and, if they, with financing, that would wipe away their mortgage. They live there, you know, significant period of time and those houses would be there so that people could build equity, so things of that nature. That's one and another one that you remember. Home ownership, which is important to building wealth, was to be able to how do you look at financing, especially people of color loans, to be able to look at them a second time, do a re-evaluation of those loans to be able to help provide them with opportunities to be able to build housing.
Speaker 2:You know, I know you're also very much invested in young people and you kind of led and founded City Year in Columbus and I see those kids with the red, with the red jackets, all in the schools and whatnot. What was the vision behind City Year?
Speaker 1:Oh, you know I absolutely love City Year and City Year is 30 years old. This year and City Year. I had the opportunity. I was a banker for 16 years, which is what now is P&C. Back then it was Ohio National. I was recruited to go to work for what is now Ohio Health and I was recruited by Erie Chapman, and Erie Chapman's son was an was attending Harvard and City Year started in Harvard and I'm starting in Boston. And so he asked me. So I left banking. I've been a banker for 16 years. He recruited me and I will have to say that, being recruited by Erie, I had to think long and hard about it. I really wasn't thinking about leaving the bank, but I realized that this is going to be an opportunity that only God would have sent to me, and how this came about. And so while I was at when I was at what's now Ohio Health that he asked me to go and see this program in Boston. I saw the program in Boston, I came back and I was now the first vice.
Speaker 1:I went to work as a for Ohio Health. I was the first African American vice president for Ohio Health and then one of my roles was to help bring City Year to Columbus and that's how we began. I started it. The core members, or core members, came from Boston to help me start it. They lived in my house and we began to work with the community to bring City Year here. It is an amazing program. So brings diverse groups of people to work together to do service in the community but also to break down the barriers that sometimes prevent people from getting to know people, for whether it be diversity of education, race, sexual orientation, religion, it breaks all that down in terms of service and then to do great work in our community. So I loved it and I was able to do that work for about 13 years, not only in Columbus, but I also led five other cities across the country.
Speaker 2:Now, it's a great program.
Speaker 1:It is, I see them all the time.
Speaker 2:They're so happy, those kids are so happy and the children, the students that they're working with are just as happy Just to see somebody, and I think it's really near peer mentoring.
Speaker 1:That's exactly right.
Speaker 2:Because they're getting near to their age and they can really relate to them because they really were high schoolers a couple of years ago, fresh out of college, with them. So it's really been a blessing, you know. And then you shipped the gears on this. You work from that. Well, you've done so much. You appointed the city council in 2000. 2007 and here's the. Here's the other thing that was amazing to me you got reelected three more times being the top vote getter. You know now what is it about councilwoman? The silly Tyson that the people saw you and just kept electing me well, I think one.
Speaker 1:You remember, you that wasn't the first question. You're asking what kept me in Columbus, and so I think that one, being someone from Columbus and you know, just knowing lots of people from various backgrounds, I think they do they knew me and I think so that's important. But I also believe that people see me as a person that wants to be able to listen to everyone. I mean, you may not get exactly what you wanted, but you've been heard. I believe that people know that I'm a woman of faith and that they see me as a person who has been that they feel is a person of integrity. And so, and I would say, I don't view myself as a politician do I this politics involved? Sure, I view myself as a public servant and I believe that people see that. And so when you see me, you know I'm always gonna be willing to, to want to help, to want to listen, and I really care about making the community a better place you always say that I tell young people this people know, know, know you.
Speaker 2:People know a lot of people. But the question is not who do you know, but what they know about you. What do they know about? They know you now, but what do they know about you? Obviously people know you, as what you just said, as a public servant the politics is involved with everybody. But but councilwoman Tyson is a public servant, you know she's for the people and you know Tim.
Speaker 1:I really I will say this I wasn't interested at all in being an elected official. It was not something that you know some people this is. They know that's what they want to do. This wants to be their profession.
Speaker 1:I really ran away from it. And I ran away from it for about 10 years and then, three different times, people stated to me presul this, something you'd be great at. You've got your between your business background. You know, with for-profit, nonprofit, this, you know you're caring about community, this would be a great place for you, but I just couldn't see it. And people saw it in me, which sometimes happened with women, but I didn't see it. I'm thinking this cannot be for me. But after the third time it coming to me, I thought, well, let me just think about the people that have brought this to me in the past. And then, lastly, I'm thinking, you know, since this keeps coming and based upon where I was at my own faith walk, I'm like I don't want to be like Jonah because God's gonna get you where he needs you to be sooner or later.
Speaker 1:So I need to really think about this and and I, and I did, and I, basically I really put my application in about the last 45 minutes before the deadline because I wasn't sure. But what I did do is pray to say, god, if this is what you want me to do, then I will do it, and but don't have. But I also said, but, god, if you don't want me to do this because I also know how hard life is when you, when you are not doing God's work, when he is not, you know he is not saying this is what I need you to do he definitely I said don't have him, pick me, take me out of it if this is not your desire. And then I then you know, I was, you know, selected. And then I soon realized that God had been preparing me on my life to do this work and I thank God for allowing me to do the work and and to be able to help, help people and help our community.
Speaker 2:Speaking of that, while you're in city government, who were some of your mentors?
Speaker 1:Well, I would tell you my mentor that I just dearly, dearly love, is the first African-American councilwoman, les Wright, and Les was just honored by the mayor last Thursday to be in the Columbus Ohio Hall of Fame. But Les, not only was she the first African-American woman on city council, but I'd known Les before that, and so Les went to Trinity Baptist Church. She's still, if she doesn't live here now, but Trinity is our Columbus home. She taught in the nursery school. She told me my son was in our class and we had a relationship together. So Les is someone that I would say has been a mentor to me, someone else that, even though we're the same age, we went to Eastmore together. I have a lot of respect for Shelly de Tavares. She is another person that is a woman of integrity, cares about community, not afraid to stand up for what she believes is right. So I do appreciate her advocacy and her work in the community.
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Speaker 2:You know, this podcast is about building a lifelong legacy. What would you say is a legacy of Percelatizing.
Speaker 1:Well, let's see, I think my legacy is one. You know, I had the opportunity to chair some committees that really touched the people, so a legacy, I would say, at least from my public service time, would be one my very first. One of the first committees I chaired was Recreation and Parks, and that touches the people, and something that I did there that was really important was making sure that our facilities had air conditioning and put a plan in for them to get air conditioning, and so put it that in the capital budget.
Speaker 1:That's just you know, another was to make sure people weren't discriminated based upon their race, sexual orientation, disability. So I can go. I can mention a number of things, but as I look at how the city has grown, especially over the last 15 years, I think my legacy is that I know I played a role in it from my different positions on council to be able to improve the community for the betterment of all. So between Health and Human Services, you know, thinking about zoning, thinking about as a finance chair, just different roles, that thinking about all the people in this community and individuals and businesses, of how our city continues to grow. Is it perfect? No, it's not, but we certainly have a city and we have leaders that are moving us forward. So I think that is a legacy. I think that a legacy that people care. At the end of my, before I was leading council, I have something that was near and dear to me and that was the creation of the commission on Black.
Speaker 2:Girls? Yeah, I know that was one of your signature achievements. Was that commission on black girl study? It was a study impact and improve the quality of life of black girls in Columbus and central high. What was the reason for the study?
Speaker 1:Well, I was the chair of health and human services and when you begin to look at Some of the issues that are that were facing a special black women in our community, I thought about how do we begin to change this trajectory. So things like we're looking at you know infant mortality, that you know that our babies are dying. You know two to three times out of white babies. I look at maternal mortality, black women dying you know two times more than white mothers. I look at the Looking at our, the wages that women make in our community and black women making. You know, if you think, about 60 cents on the dollar compared to a white man, and so I can go on and on about this, the disparities, home ownership. I can go on and on about the disparities between, you know, black families and Caucasian families, and so if you're really going to ever begin to change a trajectory, especially of a black girls life, we need to understand right now how do we work on programs that are focused on women now, but also how do we change their trajectory, and to be able to do that, we need to have an understanding of what their quality of life happens to be in Columbus, ohio, and so we worked with. We had a great commission of 25 amazing individuals in our community and then we Surveyed over four, got surveys back for 464 girls. We also talked with individuals who worked with our girls and and a major player, and that was the Columbus East school system. That's where our girls spend a lot of their time.
Speaker 1:But we got a lot of information from our girls and people who work with our girls and the parents, etc. And based upon that, we were able to now have what's called the commission on black girls, a report About our girls, and there's a lot of great things our girls are doing. There's some stillness and challenges and how do you move those challenges for? And so it's a tool now that's being used by non-profit organizations. Like Erin pink that you know. Our girls are asking for leadership opportunities and so there is a so through her program providing leadership opportunities for our girls there, for a brown girl mentoring. There's lots of a non-profit organizations that are using that report and making, helping to Enhance a girl's life. There's also the sororities, churches, so it was really the schools Taking this information to understand what's going on in their lives and how do we help to improve those lives, help them to see that make them feel good about themselves and Help to move them forward.
Speaker 2:You know we do a lot of study. We've got a lot of reports, you know, to come out. The blessing of this is this wasn't just a report, this was a plan of action. Mm-hmm, I just I just talked on a piece of paper, and the beauty of this whole thing that I love about this report is that we listen, we asked the children, we ask kids, because real change happens when the people who need it lead. So we had to ask them, and you did a great job of making sure this wasn't just taught. You know that there was, there was gonna be something after, after we got to study. Now what? Now what? So can you talk briefly about some of those programs and how they have impacted black and brown girls in the city?
Speaker 1:Well, thank you. Yes, so even while I was still there, we had for the first couple years we did a couple things. One, we had a television show that focused on our girls and our girls helped to lead, and so you can still see that on on Columbus's ctv and On topics the girls cared about. But we also had two leadership summits for our girls and again we let them participate and help to lead those sessions and we we also one of the one of the areas that black girls were very much concerned about was, you know, their hair and the crown act. So I was able to pass the crown act and counsel my favor. She coast, she co-sponsored that legislation with me. But I had black girls be able. They made a, a videotape about what it's like to be able, about their hair and of course that was shown to help us to pass that legislation. But again, besides kind of so those programs, but also being able, while I was still there and now that we still, even though I'm no longer there, I'll share this that we now have a permanent a commission on black girls, I would say initiative program within the city of Columbus, that is, that is led by out of the Department of Neighborhood, led by Nicole Harper, is a program officer. So still, the city is still doing a lot of work in that area for our girls, as well as funding other programs, just like the Erin pink program, which is a leadership program for girls, and so it's giving them. I'm elevating those organizations that are supporting girls, providing them with significant funding to be able to support and in and move our girls forward, and then setting that you know get by, giving them money, allowing that then other organizations would also find those programs. So it's. It's really about kind of the legacy of how you, you know, have a report that is Meaningful to give people kind of the blueprint of what our girls are saying. They need it.
Speaker 1:And the last thing I'll say, tim, when I first decided to create this commission on black girls, there were people that said you shouldn't call it that, maybe you shouldn't do that, and I'm like well, the data is clear. The data is so clear here, you know, I have to talk about this is about black girls and and and and. If we can help black girls move forward, all the work that we're doing will help all girls to move forward, but you don't start at the girl that's, that's excelling and everything. You have to be able to understand that our girls are being, you know, suspended more than any other girl. I mean, you have to understand what's happening and what you understand was happening. We can now begin to take this data and begin to, you know, begin to enhance their lives, because I never want to say that our black girls lives. They don't have good lives All we all have good lives but can they all could be better, and that's what this was really about.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's powerful. Just see your heart. I know your heart is. You know, as we kind of wrap up, you have given so much to Columbus. You know longtime residents resident of the city. What is next for facilitation?
Speaker 1:Well, what is next for me is that I'm gonna take some time, you know, retired from the city, and of December 2021, and prior to that I also have been for nine years I create a prop program for Elvis, for cover family and children's program, and it was to support women and their children women who were dealing, who were just coming out of the prison system, and Also women who have addiction, illness, to be able to work, to make sure that their children would be, you know, move forward and be successful and what was needed for them. And so, for nine years, I also created this program and ran this program with some amazing individuals, and so I just retired from there and they and, and so one it's really good to be able to leave. I believe this, you know, leaving the world, about me, leaving a place when then you found it, and that and and so, and also I believe in leaving women, you know, at the right time, which was, which, I think, for both jobs. I have both. What I'm doing now is, when you are a public servant and I've always worked two jobs that you do what you have to do, and what I had to do was go to work and do the best, best job I could. It also meant doing the best I could for my family, you know, also making sure I'm doing my assignments, or for my church and for God, and so what happens is you really don't have enough time to spend with your family, like you with.
Speaker 1:So right now, focusing my family and my friends, and I'm focusing on my faith as well as my overall wellness. So my physical wellness, my financial wellness, just the, my wellness period, traveling's caught in part of that wellness. But, and then I did create, because there are a couple initiatives that are near and dear to me, and I created Priscilla Tyson consulting really to focus on this one project and that the city Be one of me to kind of continue to work on, and so I'm very excited to be doing that. And then I'll be doing maybe, maybe a couple things, but mainly focusing on my family, my friends, my faith and Whatever God has in store for me. Because, again, you know it's all about what God wants me to do.
Speaker 1:I mean, I was things I'm thinking I know need to be done, but but God, god, whatever, what does God say? So I'm letting him continue, leading guy in my life to do the things he needs for me to do and Tim, I also will be spending more time at the, a cultural arts center. It's now named the Priscilla art Tyson cultural arts center and I want to make sure that I am going there for their Programs and because I'm really grateful that the mayor named the facility downtown in an honor of my service. So I'll be doing that too, thank you.
Speaker 2:Well, priscilla, I want to thank you for your time. This has been a wonderful episode, great wisdom, great knowledge that you share. But I want to thank you also for answering the call, the call that God has on your life. Just answering that call and being obedient. Being obedient, you say you got in there the last 45 minutes of four hours. You know for that, counselor, that's truly God. So I want to thank you for your time. Thank you all for listening, for listening to the be a baller podcast with a special guest, assistant Tyson. Thank you for your time.
Speaker 1:Thank you, it's been pleasure. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3:If you enjoyed this episode, please share this podcast with family and friends. Be a baller podcast is available on all major podcast stations. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller. This podcast was created by coach Tim Brown. It was edited by Tehran how and produced and recorded by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School.