Shawn René Graham serves as Program Associate at Math for America New York. She has held this position since MƒA’s inception in 2004, and has been a part of all areas of program development during that time. In her current role, she coordinates the application process and orientation sessions. In addition, she supports Fellows in their first program year with attaining their master’s degree, student teaching and acclimating to New York City.
Shawn René also spends her time as a freelance writer and dramaturg. She assists playwrights in the development of their work, acting as a consultant to Blackberry Productions of Harlem, NY and as the chair of the A.R.T. Institute Alumni Lab. In addition, Shawn René has served as a guest dramaturg numerous times and has been included on panels for organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Theatre Residency Program for Playwrights. She has worked with many writers, including Kia Corthron, Paul Rudnick and Nilo Cruz. She is the former Literary and Education Associate of the Hartford Stage company, where she contributed to many productions, including Digging Eleven and Dutchman.
Shawn René has extensive writing and research experience, including contributing several entries for the African American encyclopedia, African Society from A to Z. She holds degrees from the California State University, Los Angeles and the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training (A.R.T.) at Harvard University. Shawn René enjoys watching all sports and is an avid cyclist. She lives in Harlem.
