At 37 years old, Tenesha Payne is a mother of four, a leader, and a dedicated advocate for parents and families across Illinois. As the Program Support Manager with the Parent Engagement Institute (PEI) for the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), Tenesha now helps guide organizations across the state. But her journey into organizing began much closer to home, as a young mom simply wanting to be present in her children’s lives.
Tenesha grew up on the west side of Chicago and moved to the south side when she was 17. At the time, she was already a mother of two. Determined to stay involved in her children’s education, she began volunteering at their afterschool program in Woodlawn. Watching the women who worked with her children sparked something in her. She started small, helping serve meals and participating in daily activities like “word of the day.” Over time, her commitment deepened, and she became part of the program staff, eventually working there for nine years.
After volunteering, Tenesha was offered a position as a teacher’s aide and later became the site supervisor. Being a young mom working alongside other young mothers was especially meaningful to her. She saw an opportunity not just to grow personally, but to lead by example. “I wanted to be a voice for not just myself, but for the young moms in similar situations who needed to be heard,” she said. That experience sparked her passion for helping other parents see their own potential and become more involved in their children’s lives.
Today, in her role at SWOP, Tenesha works on a statewide level, overseeing and supporting six partner organizations. Through the Parent Engagement Institute, she coaches and guides these organizations as they start and grow their Parent Mentor Programs. She helps ensure programs run smoothly while staying true to their mission and vision, offering troubleshooting, guidance, and support along the way.
For Tenesha, this work is about much more than programs—it’s about people. “This work is necessary because it’s helping build other leaders and pull people out of the space that they know into spaces that they can be a part of to grow,” she shared. “It helps them pursue avenues they hadn’t even thought of or knew they were capable of.”
Her philosophy is grounded in relationships and action. She believes real change begins when people move from frustration to leadership. “You know you’re a real leader when you feel that frustration because you want to spring into action. You aren’t content with how things are,” she said. “Change starts when we build real relationships. It keeps us grounded in connection, not control.”
Tenesha also encourages others to take chances on themselves, even when it feels uncomfortable. “I would advise people to be willing to get out of their comfort zone. I am a living idea of the quote, ‘each one teach one.’ If there’s only one, then it takes that one to reach out to someone else.”
Reflecting on her own journey, Tenesha knows how easy it is for people to feel defined by circumstances or labels. “Being a young Black girl from the west side and a young mother, I realized all the labels that had been attached to me, and I did not want to be just another statistic,” she said. “So I encourage everyone to try new things and step forward when you can, because you never know where it may take you.”
From volunteering in her children’s afterschool program to helping shape parent leadership across Illinois, Tenesha Payne’s story is a powerful reminder that organizing often begins with a simple decision: to show up. And by stepping forward, she has helped create pathways for countless other parents to do the same.
