As a child of two teaching artists with different specialties, community involvement was an expansive, yet, essential, organic part of Adia Evans’s upbringing. As a teenager, Evans assumed several formal volunteer opportunities at the Humane Society of the United States, Beyond Fences (Durham, NC), Parks & People Foundation (Baltimore, MD), etc. Evans’s passion for social action continued into her collegiate experience at the University of Maryland College Park (UMD). During her undergraduate studies, Evans worked at the LGBT Equity Center, as an Undergraduate Outreach Team Member. During her three-year tenure, she planned and led several of the department’s major programs and events, including Queer Camp, Speakers Bureau, Lavender Convocation, and Lavender Graduation. Evans was responsible for establishing a clear communication channel for the Center’s partners, coordinating electronic marketing, and hosting dialogue about issues affecting the campus LGBT community at large. These experiences have provided Evans with the skills and experience to lead the open intergroup dialogue, successful conflict management, and resourceful event management in a variety of environments.

After leaving her university position, Evans began to work at Public Allies Washington DC. Public Allies is a national movement committed to advancing social justice and equity by engaging and activating the leadership capacities of young people. This program provided Evans with a myriad of professional development opportunities through weekly skill-building workshops and development coaching ranging from conflict management and self-care to grant-writing, budgeting, and volunteer engagement. As a capstone project, Evans and a small group of colleagues collaborated to advertise, budget, and host a Summer Kick-Off event to raise awareness for Randall Community Center and Sasha Bruce Youth Center with the goal of revitalizing community engagement.

During her two-year tenure as a Public Ally, Evans worked as Volunteer Engagement Associate at Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC), a nonprofit organization devoted to providing affordable housing in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. Evans streamlined the volunteering process by developing user-friendly and digitally accessible tools, online resources, and training materials to strengthen the CPDC volunteer experience. Evans developed and organized a training course called CPDC Volunteer Leadership Summit for volunteers based on individual site needs and educational weaknesses while serving as was the primary point of contact for all vendors, volunteers, and 21 volunteer site managers on our properties. During her tenure, CPDC welcomed 60 new volunteers and three new site managers.

In addition to this fulfilling work, Evans has worked as a music educator in her own private piano and voice studio. During her graduate studies, Evans was able to maintain her studio while also working as a teaching assistant for collegiate level Music History classes at the University of Tenessee School of Music. In the past year, Evans has also worked as the Volunteer Coordinator at Charm City Companions, an animal welfare nonprofit in Baltimore, MD, and as the social media manager for the University of Tennessee Opera Studio. This summer, Evans was able to work for the first time in arts administration as the Company Coordinator at Des Moines Metro Opera. Evans is always open to growing her unique skills and professional experiences.