Yoi Tanaka (she/her) is an innovative higher education leader with a rich 18-year trajectory of progressive leadership in student-centered enrollment strategy, financial aid advocacy and institutional equity.
She brings deep, ground-level operational expertise to her current role as the Vice President of Admissions and Financial Aid at Otis College of Art and Design—one of the most diverse private colleges in the United States. At Otis, Yoi has been a fierce champion for diversity and access, notably driving the institution's first-generation student population to 35%. She champions a seamless student experience by leading wrap-around support efforts, contributing to strategic retention initiatives and orientation programming, and chairing the International Student Support Committee.
Yoi previously served as the Vice President of Admissions at ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles and held impactful leadership roles at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. Her diverse institutional expertise also includes serving as the Associate Dean of Admissions and Records at Santa Ana College, giving her a deep, systemic understanding of student pathways across both specialized private colleges and public community colleges.
A global perspective shapes Yoi’s approach to community engagement. Having traveled to over 35 countries conducting international admissions recruitment—and having studied abroad in South Africa, Brazil, and England—she brings a culturally expansive lens to student support and cohort building.
Yoi holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with an emphasis on race, ethnicity, and migration from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Arts in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. Outside of her administrative leadership, she maintains an active creative practice in cyanotype photography and fiber arts—a background that continually informs her holistic, empathetic approach to supporting the next generation of makers, thinkers and innovators.