Tonya M. Evans

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. Dr. Evans currently serves as tenured Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law School. Beginning July 1, 2022, she will commence a five-year co-hire appointment to the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences to continue her interdisciplinary research. Her work focuses on the legal, regulatory, policy, and economic justice implications of new technologies and innovation; specifically, distributed ledger technologies, cryptocurrencies, and other cryptographically secured digital assets including non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized finance (DeFi), and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).

Dr. Evans was named to the prestigious Forbes 50 Over 50 List in the category of Investment to honor 50 women who are shaping the future of finance, fueling high-growth businesses and forging a more innovative and inclusive financial future. She was also named to the Fastcase 50 of 2021 list, an annual award that recognizes 50 of the smartest, most courageous, innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the law. In 2018, Prof. Evans received the inaugural Blockchain Enterprise Award in the category of Governance and Policy Leadership during the Blockchain Revolution Global Conference in Toronto.

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.

Dr. Evans served as Chairperson of the Maker DAO’s Maker Ecosystem Growth Foundation from 2020-2021 to oversee the final phase and full decentralization of the MakerDAO. She is also member of the Bermuda Global FinTech Advisory Board and Observing Member of the Global Blockchain Business Council.

In 2020, Dr. Evans created the Advantage Evans™ Academy and launched her popular course, From Cash to Crypto™, and NFT Law Guide for Creatives and Collectors. She also hosts a weekly show, the Tech Intersect™ Podcast, that features both new and notables working at the intersection of law, business, and technology to lead in the future of work, wealth and creativity.