Fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Kahshanna Evans is an enthusiastic, detail-oriented independent strategist with 10+ years of experience as the primary driving force for planning, executing and managing branding, marketing communications, and public relations initiatives in the tech, hospitality, startup, communications and wellbeing industries. She is a seasoned content developer, storyteller, and published writer. Kahshanna is a scrappy, serial motivator and process-minded creative with an affinity for developing and empowering leaders, brands, and movements.

Kahshanna brings her passion for uniting people through stories and trauma-informed awareness to her role as the New York State Trauma Informed Network and Resource Center (TINRC) Advisory Council Member, and, formerly, as the Director of Creating Resilient Communities at PACEs Connection. Kahshanna has been a leading strategic thinker in various industries, including communications, tech, professional services, and wellness. During her recent tenure at a wellbeing tech company, Kahshanna was a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, Belonging, Inclusion & Allyship (DEIB/A) Council. On the council, Kahshanna played a role in overhauling action-oriented solidarity and helped unapologetically redefine the collective understanding of the relationship between equity and lived experience. As a lifetime student of human nature, interconnectivity, and play, Kahshanna studied the performing arts in New York City, traveled extensively during her early career, and immersed herself in various modalities of wellbeing. Kahshanna maintains an evergreen affinity for human rights, the freedom of expression, and the regenerative power of transformation as a vehicle for a better world.

Kahshanna has spoken about trauma-informed awareness and resilience as a guest presenter for the Hanna Summit, the Happy Summit, and Resilient Yolo Summit. She has led digital educational experiences for Zintro and The EventPreneur Club. She has been a guest educator at LIM College and at CUNY/Murphy Institute for the National Women's Political Caucus NYC Chapter. She has been a guest panelist for Linkedin's TransformHER premier tech event and moderated a panel during the CUNY Women's Leadership Council alongside Andrea Shapiro Davis.

PACEs Story: My interest in PACEs and resilience science is inspired by witnessing a world without access to interventions, protection, and medical care during my early years. I would later learn my challenges were intersectional as a result of a deeply flawed system that trickles down to communities and families. It took what feels like a lifetime to process life-changing violence I witnessed and experienced as an adolescent at the hands of a law enforcement official and then caretaker. After immersing myself in personal development work, I took Trauma-informed Outreach training through The Connection Coalition (CoCo), a nonprofit organization that certifies volunteers, community members, and organizations to become trauma-informed to create connection and self regulation through mind / body practices.

An alchemical process of sorts happened as I began to incorporate discoveries that I made during the training and related wellbeing methods I’d studied and practiced over the years. It all combined, giving me a new language and increased my capacity to deepen, sweeten, and expand my intuition, emotional intelligence, empathy, joy, discernment and integrity in work and life. I finally arrived at the “P” in PACEs, for positive and adverse childhood experiences, and the need to focus on the role of communities to create these nurturing experiences that help buffer the impact of adverse experiences. To me, it’s an incredibly significant acknowledgement of the wholeness and humanity of those who have witnessed or experienced adverse childhood experiences. I am beyond thrilled to amplify trauma-informed awareness through my work as a TINRC Advisory Council member.