Shawna Young is the interim CEO of the Ada Developers Academy, as well as co-founder of Mo-saiq and Forward Impact Academy, two organizations focused on democratizing access to advanced learning opportunities and high-quality college and career guidance for young people from diverse communities. Young also co-founded the Onyx Black Wealth Collective and the Black Computer Science Network. She identifies as a Black social entrepreneur with degrees from Howard University, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From teaching science in North Carolina to leading nonprofit organizations at MIT, Duke University, Scratch Foundation, and now Ada Developers Academy, Young has focused her work on advancing equitable access to education, business, nonprofit leadership and STEM fields.
