La Shonda Coleman
Award winning international speaker and educator, La Shonda Coleman serves as an administrator within higher education. In addition to overseeing the University’s response and prevention of sexual violence and sex-based discrimination, La Shonda provides leadership in the areas of Health, Wellness, Resilience and Student Care.
La Shonda earned her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Southern California with a concentration in Community Organization, Planning and Administration. She advanced her clinical career by earning her state license as a social worker and established a private practice in Los Angeles, California, in 2015. La Shonda has served as a clinical provider, consultant, and global speaker on the issues of interpersonal trauma and restoration, healing and wellness. She has worked tirelessly to equip individuals and communities to prevent violence and foster healing for those that have been impacted by interpersonal violence, oppression and intergenerational trauma.
La Shonda has cultivated an expertise in the areas of somatic-based therapeutic healing. She is the Founder of Trauma & Healing In Colour (THIC), a program designed to empower people to flourish amidst adversities through education, training, and wellness programs. In 2019, La Shonda earned her certification as a wellness champion and yoga teacher, completing 200 hours of education and training through Breathe for Change, an organization aimed at fostering wellness and resilience in the lives of students in primary, secondary, and higher education. In 2020, La Shonda earned her certification in Mind, Body Wellness and Social Emotional Learning to promote wellbeing amongst students, faculty and staff in higher education and first responders impacted by COVID-19. As a senior trainer for organizations such as the Trauma Resiliency Institute, A Window Between Worlds (AWBW) and Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Strategies, La Shonda has helped to transform communities, local and national government leaders, individuals, and educational systems to address trauma, wellness and interpersonal violence prevention using an intersectional anti-oppression framework.
La Shonda has served as the Keynote for the Cayman Islands Government’s International Women’s Day program, 2020. This program successfully raised funds to empower single mothers and their children to receive counseling services, parenting support, and other holistic services to combat the impact of trauma on their lives.
As the first and long-time Director of College Programs for the Rape Treatment Center (RTC), UCLA- Santa Monica Medical Center, she provided comprehensive services to colleges and universities throughout California. La Shonda has served as a consultant to President Napolitano’s UC System-wide Sexual Assault Prevention Task Force, reaching over five-hundred thousand students. La Shonda was selected the inaugural recipient of UCLA’s 2015 Excellence in Management, Rising Star Award as a result of her tireless efforts in developing successful programs and inspiring transformational change on campuses across the nation. She currently serves as a founding board member for This Is Girls Power, Inc., Kingdom Builders 100, LLC, and serves on the board of the Racial Solidarity Project (RSP). Her passion for cultivating organizations and programs that empower people and communities to thrive is evident.
La Shonda anticipates completing her doctorate in the philosophy of clinical social work at The Institute for Clinical Social Work (ICSW) in Chicago, IL. La Shonda is known for living her values and love for Christ through her collaborative efforts to promote social justice, inclusion, healing and resilience in higher education and beyond.