Our Team
Founder + Executive Director
Dr. Lakeya Afolalu
A former elementary and middle school literacy teacher, Dr. Afolalu has spent over a decade working alongside youth, families, and communities across the United States and internationally. These relationships became the foundation for LitiArts and its core belief that identity, creativity, and community are not extras in young people’s learning. They are central to it. Since founding LitiArts, she has grown its in-person and digital programming to reach young people in Seattle and nationwide.
As an Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Washington’s College of Education, she brings the same commitment to her research, which focuses on the languages, literacies, and identities of immigrant and transnational youth across home, digital, and community spaces.
A creative writer, TEDx speaker, and 2026–2027 Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau member, Dr. Afolalu has shared her work in ESSENCE Magazine and on NPR. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Michigan State University, an M.A. from the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy Studies from The University of Texas at Austin.
Staff
Dorcas Bosango
Programs & Partnerships Assistant Coordinator
Sarah Chowdhury
Social Media Manager
Rejoice Nto
Operations & Administrative Support
Teaching Artists
Our programs come to life through teaching artists, literacy specialists, educators, and creative practitioners who bring their expertise into LitiArts spaces. LitiArts works with both emerging and experienced artists and educators whose practices and expertise align with our work. We create opportunities for these artists to develop their practice while bringing new ideas and creative approaches into our programs.
Our program teams shift across cohorts and partnerships, connecting young people with educators and artists.
Here are a few of the many artists we’ve had the privilege of working with.
Cindy Liang
Fal Iyoab
Kayla Gunn
Keiden Carlos
Advisory Board
Dr. Brianna Davis Johnson
Assistant Dean, The Ohio State University
Sarah Espinoza
Master of Arts in Teaching Candidate, University of Puget Sound
Tenaj Ferguson
Brand Marketing Director of L'Oreal & Founder of Black Girls at Target
Faith Okoro
College student, University of Texas at Austin (Student Representative)
Lauren Brown-Wellington
Interior Designer & Founder of Flowing West Interiors (Parent Representative)
Vera Schope
Seattle-Based Artist, Educator & Climate-Community Justice Organizer
Dr. Joel Walsh
AI Learning Technologies Postdoctoral Fellow, University of South California | Machine Learning Software Engineer, Privateer Space