Contact Information
Phone: (202) 238-9088
Fax: (202) 238-9003
Pronouns: she/her (what’s this?)
Shay Leonia is honored to serve as the Communications Manager for the American Humanist Association. Raised in a household of professional musicians and inevitably becoming one herself, she brings a lens that invites listening, brave collaboration, and heartfelt connection. Although she’s only recently come upon Humanism, she sees it as language for the beliefs that have shaped her life from the start.
Shay’s nonprofit background includes operational and event planning work in the Black maternal health space, as well as supporting a wide range of nonprofit leaders and consultants serving diverse communities through her own company. She founded 44th Minute Media in 2017 in homage to her mother, supporting fellow independent musicians with marketing, communications, and strategy, and eventually expanding her work to include nonprofit and small business owners. A multi-passionate professional with a well-documented love for long voice memos, she centers storytelling in everything she does.
Since graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Shay has built a career as a professional vocalist. Notable performances include singing alongside Janelle Monáe on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, singing for VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, and collaborating with artists such as The Pharcyde, Treach of Naughty by Nature, and Monifah. She balances her work as a wedding singer with an ongoing obsession with bully breeds.
Whether increasing awareness around FTD, advocating for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, or helping uphold the separation of church and state, Shay remains a firm believer in humor as a remedy. Possibly thanks to her lifelong proximity to New York City, her “make ‘em laugh” approach has followed her to Philadelphia, where she now resides, Jersey accent fully intact.