Tinny Widjaja is the Compassionate Austin Community Liaison Catalyst. She started her leadership role in July 2019. Tinny works as a bridgebuilder among organizations, businesses, schools, and faith and interfaith communities to support collaborations, alliances, and liasons to strengthen compassionate action in our community.
She was a financial executive for 20 years in Asia for global institutions such as Bank of New York Mellon and JP Morgan Chase. Moving back to United States with her family has been her catalyst to reinvent herself into community connecter and social entrepreneur.
Born in Indonesia, educated in Australia, having lived in Singapore, and having worked for multinational companies, Tinny is familiar with building bridges across cultures and people. Her passion for human connection and community service helps shape her next path beyond the business world.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Buddha’s Light International Association-Austin Chapter (BLIA Austin), an NGO in special consultative status with The Economic and Social Council and Department of Public Information under the United Nations. BLIA Austin supports FGS (Fo Guang Shan) Xiang Yun Temple Austin. Fo Guang Shan is an international Chinese Buddhist monastic order based in Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism, a modern Buddhist philosophy that integrates Buddhist practices into everyday life using education, culture and community service. As a Director, her responsibilities include managing community events for BLIA members and building alliances with Austin government agencies, non-profit, interfaith and community orientated organizations. She also develops community programs and teaches Chinese tea ceremony, meditation and Dharma talks for the temple.
Leveraging on her connection with non-profits and faith communities in Austin, she co-founded Interfaith Ambassadors of Lake Travis (IAMLT), an initiative in building bridges with people of all faiths while empowering them to care for themselves and others through friendship, food, fun, and serving the Lake Travis community. IAMLT is grateful to be the Program Partner for Central Texas Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry Distribution in Lake Travis area. Every first Saturday of the month, families in need can pick up food from Apache Shores Community Center or have food delivered to their homes by IAMLT volunteers.
Besides these roles, Tinny also volunteers with Texas Advocacy Project (TAP), a non-profit that prevents domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in Texas by providing free legal services, access to the justice system, and education. And using her passion in holistic medicine and Chinese tea, she consults for Lakeway Pharmacy & Wellness. She introduces the culture and health benefits of Chinese tea using traditional Chinese tea ceremony.
Tinny moved to Austin from Singapore in 2014 with her son and tech exec husband. When not busy volunteering and building connection within her local community, she loves to cook and host her family and friends at their home in the beautiful hill country Lakeway. Her love for traveling and continuous learning drives her #EveryYearGoal: “Achieve 1 New Thing, Learn 1 New Skill and Visit 1 New Place”.
Compassionate Austin 