Avital Shira (she/her) is a creative consultant, community organizer, theatre director, and educator. Her focus is working at the intersection of community engagement, creative storytelling, and social impact. As an organizer, Avital got her start working on presidential campaigns. She went on to lead Colorado statewide community engagement strategy for Skillful, a startup initiative sponsored by the Markle Foundation that took aim at building a statewide skills-based hiring ecosystem that would provide sustainable employment pathways for middle-skill workers. As a theatre director, Avital is passionate about bringing community together around powerful experiences of story, and has spent a decade directing and assistant directing at theatres across the country, from small startup production companies to Lincoln Center. As an educator, Avital has taught theatre and public speaking to students ages 5 through adult, including at Boston University, Brandeis University, and Linfield College. Recently, Avital worked as a project manager for gradient, a consulting firm focused on diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for global firms, and served as the Strategic Director for IDEA Con, the largest student innovation and entrepreneurship conference in New England. Avital is also the Director of Strategy and Engagement for Creative Re/Frame, a creative consultancy focused on infusing arts and creativity into innovation and entrepreneurship centers.
Avital holds a B.A. in Theater Studies and English Literature with distinction from Yale University, and an M.F.A. in Directing and Graduate Certificate in Arts Management from Boston University.