Akela Franklin

Executive Assistant

Akela is a classical soprano, music educator, theatre director, and arts administrator originally from Oakland, California. She comes from a family of non-profit workers and has been passionate about community engagement and advocacy for equity from a young age. As a teenager, Akela frequently volunteered with Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network , an organization founded in 2004 by her mother, Melia Franklin. Through observing Melia and her colleagues dedicate themselves to empowering low income, immigrant parents of color to advocate for their children in California's inequitable school system, Akela became inspired to one day use her own strengths and skill set to make a difference in the non-profit sector. Fast forward about ten years... with its emphasis in music, education, inclusion, and social action, YoFES ended up being a natural fit! 

Akela has served as Mishella Etienne-Campbell's assistant since September 2019 and has been affiliated with YoFES since 2018. In addition to her work at YoFES, she teaches and performs in a variety of venues across the city. Akela holds a Bachelor of Music from University of Puget Sound (2015) and Master of Music from Longy School of Music of Bard College (2018).