Meet the Team

Our team at Beyond City Limits is a dedicated group of individuals, many with lived experiences similar to the youth we serve, committed to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for young people. With expertise in the arts, mentorship, and community engagement, we empower youth to dream big, express themselves, and build brighter futures.

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  • Co-Founder

    Author, Poet, Actor, Art Coordinator, Creative Director, Community Advocate, using art to serve underrepresented communities.

  • Administrative Support

    An advocate for the importance of storytelling and elevating the stories of those typically silenced by society. She often resides in the intersection of stories and data, utilizing data to empower underrepresented communities.

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  • Co-Founder

    Storyteller, Poet, Visual scholar, and founder of Papillon Creative Lab, amplifying marginalized voices through film, photography, and design, harnessing the transformative power of storytelling to drive meaningful change.

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  • a passionate youth advocate and community leader dedicated to serving underserved populations, particularly returning citizens and young people affected by crime and gun violence. Raised in poverty and shaped by personal experience with the criminal justice system, Shama overcame a difficult upbringing marked by homelessness, adversity, and early incarceration. Through faith, mentorship, and an unwavering drive for change, he transformed his life and now works tirelessly to uplift others facing similar struggles. His journey from “The Struggle” to service has become the foundation of his mission: to create opportunity where there once was none.

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  • A Chicago South Side–born slam poet, spoken word artist, and hip-hop activist whose work turns lived experience with the carceral system into art and advocacy. He received a National Spoken Word Award in 2024 for his community-centered performances. A two-time nationally nominated artist and two-time poetry slam champion, Orion holds a degree from Northeastern Illinois University in Urban Aesthetics and Culture and has trained with The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago since 2022. He is the author of three poetry collections and the founder of SAHU CREATIVE, amplifying under-recognized, system-impacted artists.

Board Members

The Board of Beyond City Limits brings together educators, artists, practitioners, and community leaders who steward the organization’s mission with care, accountability, and a shared commitment to youth possibility.

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  • President

    The founder of Thinc Design, an internationally recognized New York–based firm known for innovative exhibition and experiential design. His projects include the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Empire State Building Observatory, Freedom Park in South Africa, the U.S. Pavilion at the Milan World Expo, and Terra: The Museum of Sustainability in Dubai. He developed Relational Design, a psychoanalytically informed approach to shaping human experience, in collaboration with psychologist Dr. Billie Pivnick. Since 2023, he has led Human Experience Design Consulting for New York City’s Borough-Based Jail Program. He is a former editor of Curator: The Museum Journal and a Trustee of the William Alanson White Institute.

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  • Vice President

    A board-certified clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, and Founder/President of PsychAssets and Kliger Consulting Group. She is a founding member of Black Psychoanalysts Speak and holds a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard Kennedy School. She serves in leadership roles with the American Psychoanalytic Association and the International Psychoanalytical Association, focusing on education, ethics, and racial justice. Her art-informed, relational work supports transformational change and trauma recovery across global contexts. She is an award-winning researcher and creative, producer of We Are Human First, and a Clinical Assistant Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

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  • (she/her/hers)

    Treasurer

    The Director of Project Impact @ BMCC at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)/CUNY, a campus-based student success program for current and prospective students impacted by the criminal legal system. As Director of Project Impact @ BMCC, she leads efforts to create pathways to BMCC for students impacted by the criminal legal system, overseeing programs that support their academic success, graduation, and career development. With over a decade of higher education experience, particularly within CUNY, she has spearheaded initiatives to create a more inclusive university system for students with conviction records. At the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity, she directed special projects, including developing the CUNY Justice Learning Collaborative. Her publications include the CUNY Supports for Students with Conviction Records.

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  • General Board Member

    An award-winning executive who is passionate about innovation’s ability to drive social change.She boasts a 20-year career spanning industries such as technology, media, and education, and is currently the Founder & CEO of MAE Ventures and The Method Coach, with clients including REI, Pinterest, NetApp, and Clif Bar. She has served organizations such as Second Chance Studios, /dev/color, Singularity Education Group, and UC Berkeley. Lajuanda has been featured in publications like Forbes and Silicon Valley’s 40 Under 40 Tech Diversity.