Meet Miss Tee — Sweet Tee Time

About Miss Tee

Tamaira Sandifer, affectionately known as “Miss Tee” by thousands of youth nationwide, is an award-winning arts advocate, entrepreneur, and visionary leader who has spent over 30 years empowering underserved youth through the transformative power of dance, arts education, and creative career development. As the founder and CEO of Studio T Arts & Entertainment, Tamaira has expanded her Sacramento-based nonprofit into a nationwide platform of hope and opportunity, addressing systemic challenges such as poverty and lack of access to resources.

Since founding Studio T Art in 2005, Tamaira has implemented culturally relevant programs that combine creative expression with financial literacy, life skills, and entrepreneurship training. Under her leadership, Studio T has served as a lifeline for countless young people, providing pathways to self-confidence, economic independence, and personal growth.

In 2024, Tamaira spearheaded the $30 million Innovation Factory expansion project, in collaboration with world-renowned architecture firm Gensler. This groundbreaking initiative, supported by partners like BEHR Paints, the State of California, the City of Sacramento, and a $100,000 grant from Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), aims to provide sustainable access to state-of-the-art arts and technology education facilities across the U.S. The flagship 44,000-square-foot Sacramento location is set to complete Phase One renovations in 2025, with plans to expand to cities including Tulsa, Philadelphia, Harlem, and Atlanta by 2026.

Tamaira’s remarkable contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including a Gold Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year, a 2024 LA Times Inspirational Women Leadership Award honoree, and recognition on the 2024 Involve x YouTube Heroes Women Role Model List. Studio T Arts has also won Silver for the 2024 Stevie Awards Organization of the Year and the 2024 Global Recognition Award. Previous honors include being named on a Forbes List as a Forbes 50 Culture Champion and the CA Legislative Caucus Woman of the Year.

Her influence extends beyond arts education, as Tamaira also developed PassToClass.com and the Side Hustle Academy to address the challenges of distance learning during the pandemic, serving over 192,000 youth and 7,800 educators nationwide. She established a Sacramento-based Social Media Production Studio, training youth apprentices in creative entrepreneurship and supporting local businesses with digital content creation.

Tamaira is also the founder of California’s Day of Dance, an annual statewide celebration that brings youth from diverse backgrounds together to perform and honor legends in the dance world. Plans are underway to make this event the first televised dance-only award show. Her graduates have gone on to achieve global success, working with artists like Beyonce, Drake, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Usher, and Chris Brown. Tamaira also served on the Americans for the Arts - Arts Education Council and is the holds chair role on the board of California for the Arts, further cementing her legacy as a champion for youth and the arts.

Above all, Tamaira Sandifer is a devoted mother, grandmother, and community leader who continues to set the bar for public service and empowerment. Through her visionary leadership and unwavering dedication, she is shaping a brighter future for the next generation of creators, leaders, and innovators.

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Accomplishments

U.S. Small Business Administration - Business Person of the Year 2025
LA Times 2024 Inspirational Women Leadership Awards - Honoree
Stevie Awards for Women in Business - Gold Stevie® Award - Female Executive of the Year - 2024
Studio T Arts & Entertainment - Silver Stevie® Award - Organization of the Year - 2024
California Legislative Women's Caucus - "Woman of the Year" Award - 2022
Forbes Magazine inaugural Forbes The Culture 50 Champions list - 2021
Californian's for the Arts - Board member | Program Committee Chair
Americans for the Arts - Arts Education Council - Chair
Access Sacramento TV Program "Get Up & Dance" - Best New Series of the Year
Exceptional Women Of Color - Arts & Culture Award winner
City of Sacramento - Race & Cultural Equity Task Force
22nd Annual National Association of Women Business Owners - Outstanding Women Leaders Awards - Award Winner
SVP Fast Pitch, winner, Mayors Award
City of Sacramento - Office of Arts and Culture - Cultural Equity Investment Grant winner

Programs Engineered

California’s Day of Dance - Founded the first Dance Day for the State of California. Annually we celebrate dance with festivals, dance concerts, free statewide access to dance classes. and dance award show honoring pillars in the dance profession.

Studio T Urban Dance Academy - Using performing Arts to make a lifetime impression on the hearts and minds of community youth as well as creating opportunities for professional careers in dance.

Studio T Media Production - The premiere creative Arts and Entrepreneurial training facility for youth in Northern California

Side Hustle Academy - Young Adult entrepreneurship program that trains youth in business and creative workforce development

PassToClass.com - Our distance learning tool for social emotional learning, VAPA, and supplemental P.E. program

LVL Up - A creative social justice course that builds marketing campaigns to educate youth and vulnerable communities about staying mentally and physically healthy.

3 Point 0 - Studio T Arts & Entertainment - Founded to change the lives of At-Risk Youth and their families by using basic social services as a tool to support difficult-to-serve populations, especially low income, minority communities

Hire 2 Hired - Trains youth and their parents in applying for diverse careers and securing jobs