Community Impact

Leadership across nonprofit boards, advocacy coalitions, maternal wellness networks, and cultural collectives building collective care.

Organizations & Leadership

The coalitions I serve.

Multi-year leadership across a network of organizations advancing maternal wellness, healing, and educational equity.

Co-Chair · 5+ Years

Community Voices

Strengthening collaboration, systems alignment, and community engagement across family centers throughout Allegheny County through leadership within a 30+ year community-rooted organization.  

Community Voices PGH | Facebook

Group of women gathered around a table in a room, smiling for the camera, some standing and some sitting, with decorations and artwork on the walls. 
Program Designer · Facilitator

Place-Based Healing Affinity Circles (PBHAC)

Trauma-informed healing cohorts rooted in mindfulness, reflection, storytelling, and collective care. Facilitated 10 healing cohorts supporting more than 120 participants through restorative healing and community-centered wellness.

pbhaffinitycircles.org 
Hub Leader · 3+ Years

MomsRising

Advocating for mothers, families, and equitable policy initiatives through national organizing, maternal wellness advocacy, and community-centered engagement with MomsRising. Recognized as a Beacon of Hope Hub Leader since 2023.

momsrising.org 
Ambassador · 1 of 5

Ujamaa Collective

Selected as 1 of 5 ambassadors from over 40 collective members to promote cooperative economics, cultural empowerment, and Africana artistry through Ujamaa Collective. Active member of the Ujamaa Fashion Circle supporting sustainable fashion, cultural storytelling, collaborative design, and community-centered creativity.

ujamaacollective.org
Woman smiling in a patterned dress, wearing black pants and boots, holding a black purse, standing in a modern indoor space. 
2024 SPAA Fellow · 1 of 9

Generation Hope

Selected nationally as 1 of 9 parenting students for Generation Hope’s Student Parent Advocacy Alliance, advancing advocacy efforts centered on educational equity, student parent support, and policy reform.

generationhope.org 
Reproductive Justice Cohort

New Voices for Reproductive Justice

Completed the New Voices for Reproductive Justice advocacy cohort, deepening knowledge in reproductive justice, community organizing, equity-centered advocacy, and collective care rooted in lived experience and liberation work.

New Voices
Five women standing behind a table with a sign that reads 'New Voices' in bold black letters. The women are holding black t-shirts with writing on them, smiling in a room with large windows showing a cityscape and a sunset. 
writer and faclitator

Aya Duafe Writing Workshop in partnership with Ujamaa Collective

A 12-week healing-centered creative writing cohort developed for teens through Ujamaa Collective, designed to encourage self-expression, storytelling, confidence-building, and cultural connection through writing, reflection, and community dialogue. Participants collaborated to create and publish a youth-centered zine highlighting their voices, creativity, and lived experiences.

Also Serving

Continuing the work.

Three forces one purpose. The values that shape every circle, every conversation, every initiative.

  • CAB Member · Founding

    First Steps and Beyond

    Founding and ongoing Community Advisory Board member supporting systems transformation, community engagement, collaborative resource initiatives, and maternal and family wellness advocacy.

    firststepsandbeyond.org

  • Committee Planning Member

    Hello Baby Support Network

    Supporting planning and development of community-centered maternal and family wellness initiatives across Allegheny County.

  • Chair · Parent Advisory · 5+ Yrs

    East Liberty Family Center

    Chairing the Parent Advisory Council for more than five years advocating for parents and helping develop family-centered programming and engagement initiatives.

  • Kingsley Association Wellness Contributions

    Kingsley Association

    Rooted in Healing event planning and facilitation, bringing trauma-informed programming and community healing experiences to the Kingsley community. Provided monthly “Herbalist of the Month” wellness contributions for Kingsley Association, offering community-centered herbal education, seasonal wellness tips, and holistic care practices designed to support everyday healing and self-awareness.

    PLAY ON YOUTUBE

Selected Moments

Where community meets purpose.

Galas. Cohorts. Civic meetings. Storytelling spaces.

  • A woman standing on a red carpet at a celebration event, smiling at the camera. Behind her is a backdrop with logos and text, including 'Celebrating 20 Years,' 'AMACHI HACHI PACHI,' and 'USW.' She is wearing a patterned beige and black dress with lace details and black shoes.

    Community Leadership Celebration

    Celebrating 20 Years of community initiatives and advocacy work

  • Two women standing indoors, smiling, dressed in elegant blue and patterned dresses, wearing high heels and jewelry.

    Brown Mamas Advocacy

    With Brown Mamas CEO and Founder Muffy Mendoza

  • A group of four people, including children, standing in an official room with American flags and a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the wall behind them. One person is sitting at a desk in the foreground.

    Civic Engagement

    Meeting with the Former Mayor of Pittsburgh

  • A diverse group of ten women standing together indoors, smiling at the camera, with a stack of tables and chairs nearby and a colorful cityscape art piece in the background.

    Author Sharon G. Flake

    "The Skin I'm In" community event

  • Two women dressed in formal attire standing together in a room with white chairs, brown curtains, and artwork on the wall.

    Brown Mamas Monologue

    Featured Speaker, 2023

  • A woman in a royal blue dress standing in front of an abstract pink and purple floral artwork, holding a black clutch purse, smiling.

    Community Gala

    Speaking Engagement

  • MomsRising National Advocacy Leadership

    With Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO & Co-Founder of MomsRising

  • Maternal Health Equity Leadership

    With Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, Professor and Academic Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology

  • National Policy & Community Advocacy

    With Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley discussing maternal wellness, equity, and family advocacy

  • Healing Leadership & Community Collaboration

    With April Jackson, Founder & Executive Director of PBHAC

  • Educational Equity & Student Parent Advocacy

    With Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder & CEO of Generation Hope

  • MomsRising Advocacy Brunch

    With Congresswoman Summer Lee

  • White House Advocacy Visit

    Advocating for affordable childcare and family-centered policy alongside MomsRising and advocates from across the nation.

  • Aya Duafe Youth Zine

    Created and published through the 12-week Aya Duafe Writing Workshop in partnership with Ujamaa Collective, uplifting youth voice, storytelling, and creative expression.

    UJAMAA COLLECTIVE

  • FAME Youth Yoga Series

    In partnership with FAME Academy, “Move, Breathe, Believe with Ms. Alana” is a youth mindfulness and yoga series centered on confidence-building, emotional wellness, self-awareness, movement, and healing-centered practices for young people.

  • HEAR Foundation Healing Cohort

    Through PBHAC in partnership with the HEAR Foundation, facilitated a healing-centered cohort supporting mothers impacted by the loss of a child due to gun violence. The space centered grief support, reflection, emotional wellness, storytelling, and collective care for mothers navigating trauma and loss.

    VISIT HEAR FOUNDATION

  • National Advocacy Gathering

    Joining advocates, organizers, and policymakers in conversations centered on family policy, maternal support, and community advocacy.

  • Author

    Published author and storyteller exploring themes of motherhood, healing, identity, resilience, and transformation through personal narrative and community-centered storytelling.

    BUY ON AMAZON

  • Supporting community wellness, leadership,

    With Dexter Nelson II, Executive Director of Kingsley Association

Cooperative Economics

Supporting Black & Africana Artisans Through Cooperative Economics

As an Ambassador of Ujamaa Collective and member of the Ujamaa Fashion Circle, Alana supports local and global Black/Africana artisan communities through cooperative economics, cultural empowerment, and collective impact. Ujamaa Collective is a nonprofit cooperative boutique rooted in celebrating handmade artistry, sustainability, and community-centered entrepreneurship. Through advocacy, storytelling, and creative collaboration, she helps amplify spaces where culture, commerce, and community healing intersect.

Shop Ujamaa Boutique
Member Profile

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Foundations, nonprofits, civic leaders, and collaborators ready to build community-centered programming let's begin.

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