MIP’s Diverse Perspectives: Tawanda Foster Artis

MIP’s Diverse Perspectives is a monthly blog feature to spotlight a member from North Carolina’s community of diverse attorneys and legal professionals. Members have the opportunity to share a personal perspective through a brief set of interview questions.

This month’s perspective is courtesy of Tawanda Foster Artis, Senior Staff Attorney, NC General Assembly, Raleigh, N.C.

What law school did you attend and what was your graduation year?

UNC School of Law, 2004.

What inspired or prompted you to become an attorney?

A desire to help others.

Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have overcome in your professional career?

Doubts — of others and my own.

Do you have a message of encouragement for others who may have experienced similar challenges or adversity as a diverse attorney?

Doubts usually come from fear. When others doubt you or your abilities, it could be fear of the unknown (not knowing you or your abilities) or fear of not getting what they need from you, or even fear of you exceeding their position or abilities. When you doubt yourself, it can also be rooted in fear, such as fear of being unprepared or under-resourced. No matter when doubt creeps in from others or ourselves, it’s important to refocus and look within yourself and remember who you are and what you’ve accomplished. Refocusing on your successes, your abilities, and your path forward will help you push past the doubts to reach your goals.

Tawanda Foster Artis is a career state government attorney, currently serving as a senior staff attorney at the North Carolina General Assembly. Tawanda is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association Board of Governors and the 2020-2021 NCBA Diversity Task Force. She also contributes to the NCBA as the Treasurer and CLE Co-Chair of the Juvenile Justice and Children’s Rights Section and as a member of the Professionalism Committee and Government and Public Sector Section. She is the Educational Resources Subcommittee Chair of the Wake County Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and a member of the Juvenile Justice Committee of the North Carolina Commission on Racial & Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System. Tawanda is a former co-chair of the NCBA Minorities in the Profession Committee and past president of the Capital City Lawyers Association. In 2020, Tawanda was honored with the “Citizen Lawyer Award” for providing exemplary public service to her community and the legal profession. Tawanda enjoys volunteering with child literacy and education programs in local schools, as well as with hunger relief and arts-related charities.