Tonya grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She spent her childhood, baking, playing volleyball, basketball and hanging out with family. She loved to tube down a good hill on snow days, have big slumber parties with girlfriends and playing at her grandma’s house and “Cousin-ing” (she made that word up). She graduated from Ambassador College with a bachelor’s in psychology and family studies. her favorite classes were nutrition, psych, and dabbling in German.

She has two sons – one is a deputy here in the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department and the other is a recent SMU graduate living in California. They’re still in their early 20s, figuring out adult life. Tonya and her sons love to do the same things! Whisky by the fire, cornhole, cards against humanity, tennis, and watching scary movies and Star Wars!

She’s played tennis since her mid 30’s but before that volleyball was her passion. She loves to camp on her family land (off grid!). “It’s so great being unreachable and having zero access to social media on those summer camping weekends. My boyfriend and I listen to hours and hours of true murder podcasts.” (We hope not while they’re alone and off the grid).