Tonya M. Evans is a global leader, accomplished academic and administrator, and world-renowned speaker with over twenty years of experience in law, innovation, academia, and entrepreneurship. She writes, speaks and teaches primarily in the areas of intellectual property, blockchain and crypto assets, tech and innovation, information privacy, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment.

Prof. Evans currently serves as tenured Full Professor at Penn State Dickinson Law School. Prior to joining the Dickinson Law faculty, Professor Evans served as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, created and directed the law school’s Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Law Online Professional Certificate Program.

Prof. Evans was named to the Fastcase 50 of 2021, an annual award that recognizes 50 of the smartest, most courageous, innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the law. She also received the inaugural Blockchain Enterprise Award in 2018 in the category of Governance and Policy Leadership during the 2019 Blockchain Revolution Global Conference in Toronto.

She has presented on some of the world’s biggest and most prominent stages around the globe, including The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Blockchain Central during the United Nations General Assembly, IBM, SxSW and SxSW Edu, Microsoft Tech Summit, Lesbians Who Tech, HUE Tech Summit and North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) Fintech and Cybersecurity Symposium.

She has also contributed to the development of policy and law before state and federal governments, including testifying before the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee and presenting to the United States Senate Innovation Caucus.

Prof. Evans is a regular contributor to TV and print media, including Bloomberg Markets, Cheddar TV, CNBC, FoxSOUL, Sportico, Unchained Podcast with Laura Shin, The Decrypt Podcast, The LA Times, Protocol, and SportsIllustrated via SI.com.

Prof. Evans serves as Chairperson of the Maker DAO’s Maker Ecosystem Growth Foundation, member of the Bermuda Global FinTech Advisory Board, and Observing Member of the Global Blockchain Business Council. She is also founder of the Advantage Evans™ Academy creator of the From Cash to Crypto™ and NFT Law Guide for Creatives and Collectors courses and hosts a weekly show via the Tech Intersect™ Podcast (law, business, technology). She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she attended on a full tennis scholarship. Thereafter she competed on the professional tennis tour and competed, most notably at the US Open. She graduated cum laude from Howard University School of Law, where she also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and hails from Philadelphia, PA.