Hi! I’m Shana…

I build narrative systems that help mission-driven organizations cut through the noise.

Senior communications executive. 15+ years building the external engagement infrastructure that lets mission-driven organizations communicate at scale — across digital, editorial, media, and multimedia channels.

I've spent my career at the intersection where policy meets public trust and complexity meets clarity. At SaverLife, I built a communications operation from the ground up — brand, media, crisis comms, executive voice, data storytelling — as the organization scaled from a small San Francisco nonprofit to a nationally recognized fintech platform with 600,000 members and coverage in the New York Times, Forbes, and Bloomberg. Before that, I led communications and development at OneJustice, a statewide legal access nonprofit, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine.

Most recently, I designed national communications infrastructure for Commonwealth's Emergency Savings Initiative — a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership with BlackRock, Starbucks, and Humana.

I'm a systems thinker. I don't just write — I architect the frameworks, governance, and voice systems that make organizations legible to the people who matter most to them.

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What I Do

External Engagement Strategy

I build and govern the integrated communications systems — social, editorial, multimedia, earned, and paid media — that give institutions a coherent, credible public voice. I've done this at organizations ranging from a 600K-member national fintech nonprofit to a nationally visible cross-sector policy initiative.

Team Leadership & Operational Build

I build communications teams and the infrastructure that makes them durable — KPI dashboards, SMART goals, editorial standards, planning frameworks. I've led direct reports and matrixed across research, product, policy, and executive stakeholders in distributed environments.

Crisis & Rapid Response

I've led communications during federal funding crises, economic disruption, and organizational restructuring. I know how to coordinate press strategy under compressed timelines, advise executive leadership, and keep an institution's narrative coherent when the situation is anything but.

Strategic Counsel

I'm the strategist you bring in when the message has to hold across leadership, stakeholders, media, and the public — simultaneously. I develop messaging architecture, executive briefings, and communications governance frameworks that create consistency without killing agility.

What People Say About Me

  • I had the opportunity to work with Shana when we were both consultants at Commonwealth. Shana is a highly skilled and dedicated marketing professional with a strong understanding of financial inclusion and wealth building. She quickly becomes an integral part of any team, seamlessly adapting to new environments and taking initiative on projects. Her strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously make her a valuable asset. Shana excels at translating complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives. Her strong writing and communication skills combined with her strategic thinking enable her to effectively engage with diverse audiences. I wholeheartedly recommend Shana for any role that requires a creative, resourceful, and results-oriented marketer.

    Catherine New, Senior Project Marketing Lead, Commonwealth

  • Shana is a strategic thinker, and we valued her help in everything from positioning the company to developing relevant pitches. I think she’s super creative, proactive and a storyteller at heart who is able to combine complex data with first-person stories to create a powerful, yet easily digestible and media-friendly storylines that resonated with our core media. I am proud of what we achieved together as we built SaverLife from a small San Francisco nonprofit to a nationally recognized brand.

    Rick Popko, Senior Account Director, Stanton PR

  • Shana's comms work made it clear to the world that only is SaverLife working to help our members save more, but that we are also working on the systemic and policy level to remove the systemic blockers that make it hard for Americans to build savings over time. Shana excels as a strategic thought partner, working cross-functionally on everything from brand positioning and design to SEO and content creation to help execute our vision.

    Susan Lyon, Director of Growth Marketing, SaverLife

  • Shana has been instrumental in the positive evolution of numerous facets of the organization’s communication strategy during her tenure, including ensuring SaverLife’s research and data tell an impactful story while being digestible to a wide array of audiences, driving the brand to ever-greater degrees of sophistication, exponentially growing SaverLife’s media exposure, and ensuring SaverLife is always part of wider, national conversations.

    Tim Lucas, VP Research & Analytics, SaverLife

  • I had the pleasure of working with Shana on the EARN to SaverLife rebranding project. In just a short time, Shana was able to pull together all the elements of a successful launch for their new brand. She helped develop messaging, an outreach strategy, plan a launch event, and create a brand new website. I was impressed by Shana's attention to detail, her knowledge and skills, and her ability to manage multiple components and problem-solve.

    Leeann Alameda, Brand Strategist

  • Shana led a full organizational rebrand, creating a unique and recognizable brand identity and point of view. Since the start of the pandemic, Shana's efforts amplified SaverLife's research insights, member stories, and impact in publications including the New York Times, Forbes, MarketWatch, Bloomberg, Nerdwallet, and more. Shana is an empathetic storyteller, and she treats SaverLife clients (and all) with respect, dignity, and warmth.

    Patty Moddelmog, Senior Manager, SaverLife