equitable strategies
Soneela customizes her services to meet a variety of needs. She is intentional with an application of a racial equity lens in all of her work. Areas of expertise include:
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Assessing and strategically advancing organization-wide plans for EDI work
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Supporting the creation of inclusive organizational culture
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Executive/Management/Leadership coaching
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Supporting artists and non-artists working in community, within arts organizations and in an educational context
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Inclusive Meeting/Convening/Program design
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Fostering inclusive partnership and collaboration practice
Soneela is a classically trained theatre performer with an MFA from Columbia University with extensive experience working in devising and community-engaged processes. She also has a background in economics and arts management, having earned a BA in Economics from University of Pennsylvania and having held roles in producing, marketing and finance for several arts and non-arts organizations.
Soneela is a co-founder of Center for Performance and Civic Practice (CPCP), an organization that supports the efforts of artists looking to use their artistic assets to transform systems and improve the impacts of government and community-driven efforts and programs. She served there, first, as Managing Director, and then Executive Director. As Executive Director, Soneela led CPCP’s efforts toward impact-driven programming and sustainable organizational practices as well as guiding the organization’s endeavors to clearly articulate its commitment to racial equity and justice in its mission, values and work.
Most recently, she was on the founding Board of PANA (Professional Audiobook Narrators Association), where she served as liaison/advisor for the DEI committee, facilitated monthly DEI committee meetings, and co-organized an organization-wide racial equity training. She is currently serving as a Board Member for Dance Exchange, serving on its Racial Equity committee and supporting an organization-wide racial equity assessment
As a consultant, Soneela’s experience as an artist, arts administrator and EDI professional have led her to the work of supporting the development and maintenance of strategies aimed at generating a culture of equity in workplaces and education spaces, as well as advising artists engaging in community-based social justice work. She customizes her approach to fit a variety of needs and intentionally applies a lens of racial equity to all of her work.
Select Engagements
Other engagements include: Center for Performance and Civic Practice, The New School, Portland State University
ioby + artplace america
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Production and moderation of webinar, "Racial Equity in Creative Placemaking"
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Coaching of artist leading community engaged projects over a three-month period
onsite opera
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Internal EDI consulting over a 6-month period from initial survey to EDI strategy development.
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Leadership of Working Group focused on fostering a culture of equity within the organization.
middlesex school
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Co-led development, over a 3-month period, of an original online theatre piece performed by 16 high school students dealing with issues of race and racism on the school's campus.
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Co-facilitated discussion with faculty to extract lessons on how to make a cultural shift in the institution.
groton school
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Co-leadership of a series of classes for high school students about the intersection of theatre and activism.
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Co-leadership of the development of a piece meant to incite community dialogue around issues of race, equity, and intersectionality
pig iron theatre company
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Conducted organization-wide racial equity assessment
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Facilitated conversations amongst leadership to digest findings and discuss/explore implementation of appropriate changes
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Provided support for new organizational leaders