Tanya Hamada is a lifelong democracy activist who has moved between civil society and civil service throughout her long career. From 2014 to 2016, Hamada served as the Assistant Secretary in the Department of Budget Management in the Office of the President.

Previously, Hamada served as the executive director of the International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance (INCITEGov), a membership-based, non-profit organization. INCITEGov was formed for civil society and civil servants, committed to strengthening democratic institutions in both private and public sectors. She is also a founding member of Young Public Servants (YPS), an allied organization of INCITEGov focused on promoting good governance and democratic citizenship among the youth.  

Additionally, she was the presidential assistant under the Presidential Task Force for Indigenous Peoples in 2002 and as senior technical officer of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) from 2003 until her resignation in 2005.