Taysha DeVaughan

Taysha is a resident of Wise County, Virginia, and lives in Big Stone Gap with her son, Aiden. She was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma. Taysha is a graduate of UVA-Wise and is the Donor Engagement Coordinator at the Appalachian Community Fund.

Taysha is an active participant in social justice and flood relief efforts in Central Appalachia, including serving as a representative at UVA-Wise for Indigenous Peoples Month, a founding member of Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid, and the former president of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards.

Taysha was appointed by former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to serve on the Virginia Environmental Justice Council in 2020, which she now chairs. She is the recipient of the Upper Tennessee River Roundtable Good Citizen award for her work as a water protector and also received the 2023 Democratic Grassroots Organizer award. Taysha was the Democratic candidate for the 9th District congressional race in 2022.