Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Generic

Tenaj Wallace

New Orleans,LA

Summary

Creative cultural strategist, nonprofit leader, and racial justice practitioner with over a decade of experience designing narrative-driven programs that shift culture, policy, and public consciousness. Proven expertise in building cross-sector partnerships, facilitating transformative learning spaces, and leading equity-focused initiatives rooted in storytelling, arts-based engagement, and healing justice. Brings a grounded, imaginative approach to cultural strategy - shaped by lived experience, political clarity, and a commitment to care, truth-telling, and collective liberation.

Overview

7
7
years of professional experience

Work History

Artistic Director

The NOLA Project
08.2024 - Current
  • Reimagined the mission and season programming of a 20+ year-old nonprofit theater company to center racial justice, bold storytelling, and civic engagement.
  • Designed and launched Stories That Matter, a narrative-based school program using performance, workshops, and standards-aligned curriculum to spark dialogue around identity, history, and justice.
  • Secured funding from city and foundation partners for equity-driven education and public programming.
  • Cultivated partnerships with Dillard University, Lafitte Greenway, and New Orleans public schools to expand access to cultural programming.
  • Led strategic planning, board engagement, and community outreach to build organizational sustainability and cultural relevance.
  • Directed or produced productions addressing incarceration, identity, mythology, and race in America, using theater as a tool for public discourse.

Founder & Licensed Massage Therapist

BodyWerk by Naj
04.2022 - Current
  • Founded and operate a bodywork practice centering the wellness needs of Black women, trans clients, survivors of sexual violence, and others often excluded from mainstream wellness spaces.
  • Provide trauma-informed massage therapy and somatic support rooted in healing justice principles, with a focus on body autonomy, safety, and radical rest.
  • Designed an affirming, consent-forward environment where clients of all genders, body types, and experiences are seen, respected, and cared for with intention.
  • Built a sustainable, community-driven business model that values accessibility, interdependence, and care as a cultural strategy for collective liberation.

Political Organizer / Campaign Strategist

Self-Employed
09.2023 - 05.2024
  • Ran for Louisiana State Representative on a platform of racial and economic justice, organizing a grassroots campaign focused on minimum wage, education, and reproductive rights.
  • Developed narrative strategy, speeches, digital content, and public programming to engage voters across communities.
  • Mobilized a diverse coalition of volunteers and community stakeholders.
  • Facilitated voter engagement workshops and strategic messaging rooted in accessible, community-informed language.

Associate Artistic Director & Collective Liaison

The Radical Buffoons
09.2018 - 05.2023
  • Helped lead a collaborative, ensemble-based company committed to disrupting white supremacy through performance, satire, and civic engagement.
  • Directed and co-devised original theatrical works rooted in anti-racist analysis and radical imagination.
  • Facilitated collective decision-making and internal accountability structures that reflected the company’s values around equity and shared leadership.
  • Built partnerships with community organizations and artists to create programming that responded to urgent cultural and political moments.

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Organizational Leadership

Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
05-2027

Skills

  • Strategic Narrative Development

  • Cultural Strategy & Ecosystem Building

  • Community-Centered Program Development

  • Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

  • Equity-Focused Facilitation

  • Public Speaking & Panel Moderation

  • Cross-Sector Collaboration

  • Grassroots-to-Institutional Partnerships

  • Survivor-Centered Care

  • LGBTQIA Affirming Wellness

  • Somatic & Embodied Practice Integration

  • Asana, Slack, Google Workspace

Timeline

Artistic Director

The NOLA Project
08.2024 - Current

Political Organizer / Campaign Strategist

Self-Employed
09.2023 - 05.2024

Founder & Licensed Massage Therapist

BodyWerk by Naj
04.2022 - Current

Associate Artistic Director & Collective Liaison

The Radical Buffoons
09.2018 - 05.2023

Bachelor of Arts - Organizational Leadership

Pennsylvania State University

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