Ayanna is an experienced planner and analytical thinker with expertise in Equitable Community Engagement. Ayanna Woods joined merged B Corp Habitus and Strategy Arts, a worker owned cooperative, from Strategy Arts. They serve in the role of Strategic Planner (Writing and Community Engagement Specialist). Their work primarily entails facilitation, detailed notation and analysis, community engagement, research, and strategic planning. Ayanna is also an expert writer, and community events specialist. With experience in the higher education, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors, Ayanna brings a well-rounded skillset to every project. Before joining the team, Ayanna was Program Manager of the Gloria Naylor Archive Project at Lehigh University, where they catalogued the archival collection, co-developed community engagement programs, and fielded all research requests. Prior to the Gloria Naylor Archive Project, Ayanna was a Program Manager with the Urban Affairs Coalition, where they managed youth workers’ experiences within the Work Ready program aimed at providing employment and skill-building opportunities to teenagers in their hometown of Philadelphia. 

Ayanna holds a B.A. from Howard University where they studied English as well as an M.A. from Lehigh University where they studied Social Justice Literature. They have presented their literary research on Black women writers at conferences, symposiums, and panel events. In addition to their experience and education, Ayanna has completed the Embodied Somatic Abolitionism Cultural First Aid course through the Black Octopus Society, with a focus on Somatics and Abolition. Ayanna is also bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish.

Some of Ayanna’s previous clients include: The Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Maternal Health Coalition, Mom Your Business, The Philadelphia Maternal and Infant Community Action Network (through the Philadelphia Department of Health), Read By 4th, Jewish Family Services (JFS), Acting Without Boundaries, and The Fund for Women and Girls.