Shuya Ohno is the Director for the Just and Inclusive Society Project at Democracy Fund, an independent foundation working to ensure that our political system is able to withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. In his role, Shuya helps to lead and strengthen the JIS project’s strategy on building social infrastructure and resilience to division and political violence, with a particular focus on supporting BAMEMSA communities, litigation/legal services/legal education, domestic peacebuilding efforts, and philanthropic partnerships.
Shuya joined Democracy Fund in 2022 after decades of experience as an organizer, communicator, and campaigner in racial, immigrant, and social justice. Prior to joining Democracy Fund, Shuya most recently served as the Managing Director of Strategy at the National Office of Advancement Project where he helped lead strategic campaign and capacity building with grassroots partner organizations across the country. He also helped lead crisis response efforts with two impacted communities following major immigration raids in Massachusetts, Iowa, and more recently in Mississippi, and after the police killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Over his career, Shuya has worked in over 30 states to help build up community organizations serving African-American, Native American, Latinx, immigrant, refugee, and formerly-incarcerated communities.
Shuya has served on non-profit 501 (c)(3) and (c)(4) boards, and is committed to building power among under-represented and under-served communities of color.