Nafisa Isa is a mother, educator, and creative based in Northern Virginia. As an Educational Developer at Georgetown University’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, she works at the intersection of liberatory teaching, innovation, and community building. Her expertise includes engaged arts and humanities, experiential learning, and praxis for sustainable, just futures.
She first encountered In Your Shoes (IYS) as a graduate student and was drawn to its potential for empathy-building and embodied learning—aligning with her lifelong calling to bring people together through creativity and shared learning. She envisions its methods enriching classrooms, arts spaces, and community initiatives around the world.
Previously, Nafisa worked at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, curating programs and exhibitions that reimagined museums as collaborative and socially responsible spaces. Her writing can be found in “Change is Required: Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Museum,” published by Rowman & Littlefield and “APA101: Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture at the Smithsonian in 101 Objects,” which recently won the Secretary of the Smithsonian’s Research Prize. Outside of work, she can be found spending time with family, gardening, and DJing as one-half of Shuno Re (@shuno.re), playing all-vinyl sets and showcasing archival sounds from South Asia and beyond.
