(she/her) Shana Lancaster is the Special Projects Manager + Office Manager at Akonadi Foundation, where she manages the Racial Justice Poster Project, produces foundation events, and supports Akonadi by managing the day-to-day administrative needs of the office and team.
Before joining Akonadi, Shana co-founded and served as the CEO of Mamacitas Cafe, a mission driven and youth-centered social enterprise. Mamacitas was an award-winning effort, recognized by both the public and private sector for its innovation and contribution to the community. Shana’s passion for Oakland and its people inspired her to create Mamacitas, along with co-founder Renee Geesler, as a way to invest in the City’s youth.
Shana is also passionate about leveraging art and design as a vehicle for social change. As a collage artist, Shana has exhibited at galleries throughout the Bay Area including SomArts, Betti Ono and Omi Gallery. She also works as a costume designer and stylist and most recently served as the costume designer for “Unlord the Land,” a short film by Tommy Orange, starring D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Produced by Offsides Productions. One of Shana’s most ambitious and proud accomplishments was serving as creative director for the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts “YBCA 100” honoree celebration in both 2018 and 2019. For these events, she created and oversaw the development of the theme, menu and design for the luncheon, attended by hundreds of local luminaries.
Shana lives in Oakland, CA with her partner Darren. She enjoys traveling, camping, seeing art and live music, and being an Auntie to her nieces and nephews.
Shana can be reached at Shana [at] akonadi.org
