What’s Her Story with Tanna Clews

Linda is a Director in the Litigation Department. She co-chairs the firm’s Education Law Group and is chair emeritus of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.  The primary focus of her current practice is on understanding and serving the legal and risk management needs of independent day and boarding schools in New Hampshire and throughout the country. She has 40 years of experience litigating cases in state and federal agencies and courts, and in representing the interests of management and independent schools in all aspects of employment and independent school law. Linda served as Chair of the firm’s Employment Law and Education Law Groups for over 15 years, 4 years on the firm’s Management Committee, and was a former Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Linda has been the recipient of many awards during her career. She was the first women officer of the New Hampshire Bar Association when she became its treasurer in 1988. She was selected as an Outstanding Businesswoman of New Hampshire by N.H. Business Review, was awarded the Philip Holman Gender Equality Award, and was a recipient of the Jon Meyer Civil Rights Award and the Marilla Ricker woman lawyer of the year award. For twelve years, Linda served as a trustee and secretary of Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire. She served for several years on the board of the Center for Ethics in Business and Governance at St. Anselm’s College and was involved in several women in leadership programs for the Center. She has served for over six years on the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation and was its chair in 2022 and 2023.  She served in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for 10 years. She previously served as a Commissioner for the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women where she was chair of its Gender Equity in Education Task Force. In 2008, she was selected as her firm’s Client Service Employee of the Year, an honor she is especially proud of.  Linda was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers for Education 2018. In 2019 and 2021, she was selected by New Hampshire Business Review as part of the “New Hampshire 200” of The Granite State’s Most Influential Business Leaders.

With nearly 25 years of nonprofit management, fundraising, advocacy, and consulting experience, Tanna has a track record of overseeing significant growth in the organizations she leads—including the Women’s Foundation, which she joined in 2016. During her tenure, the Women’s Foundation has tripled its budget and staff, launched three new program areas including the very successful Women Run! program, which empowers women to run for office, and dramatically increased the organization’s grantmaking.

Tanna started her career working in politics working on state and federal campaigns in California, Montana, and New Hampshire before transitioning to nonprofit management, development and consulting. Prior to joining the Women’s Foundation, Tanna was an Executive and Strategic Consultant advising and leading nationally funded initiatives at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire Department of Education and Community College System of New Hampshire. She also served as Executive Director of Educate Maine and of the La Napoule Art Foundation.

Tanna has been an active volunteer on political campaigns and an advocate for women and children’s causes for more than three decades. She has served on the Boards of A Safe Place (HAVEN), Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (including two years as Chair of the Board), and South Church in Portsmouth. Tanna is a graduate of Smith College and Northeastern Law School. She and her wife live in Portsmouth with their two children.