Women Matter– Monday, October 20, 6 p.m. Janis Room, Dennos Museum

Our series Women Matter continues this fall as we meet local women in professions that were once (or still are) dominated by men. Women are often under represented in local government but hopefully that is changing. Meet TJ Andrews, a Grand Traverse County Commissioner since 2023 and a local attorney. She says she has plenty to say about how gender has played a role in her work and how (or if) it has changed over the last 20 years. Ms. Andrews reflects on her career, what women bring to the table, and why women’s voices are essential. For more details, check her bio below.

This not-to-miss monthly gathering will be in the Janis Room at the Dennos Museum Center, 6:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided by the Bridge group.

Free and open to the public.

Biography 

Bio: TJ Andrews has served since January 2023 as the county commissioner representing Grand Traverse County District 7. Since January 2025, she has served as the vice chair of the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners. She also serves on several committees and boards, including the Pavilions, Materials Management Planning Commission, the Executive Committee of the Jail Steering Committee, the Michigan Association of Counties’ Environmental, Agricultural, and Tourism Committee, and a variety of ad hoc committees.

TJ has over 20 years’ experience litigating environmental, land use and addressing climate change since she graduated with top honors from the University of Texas School of Law. TJ manages her solo practice firm and is of counsel with Troposphere Legal. She represents local, statewide, and national environmental and land use non-profit organizations that advocate for water quality, environmental protection, clean energy, and community quality of life issues. She previously served as a civilian JAG attorney in the U. S. Air Force in its environmental litigation group, an associate at public interest law firm Olson, Bzdok & Howard in Traverse City, and an Honors Attorney in the Environmental and Natural Resources Department of the Texas Office of the Attorney General.

TJ is married to Traverse City native Mike Grant and is the proud mother of a sophomore at TC Central High and an eighth grader at East Middle. Go Trojans! In her free time, TJ practices yoga and also makes time for open water swimming, with an unabashed bias in favor of the pristine waters of Grand Traverse Bay.