Core Team

Sabrina Dorsainvil

^{director of design strategy and creative practice | she/they}_{“Sabrina has been part of the Boston art and design scene for some time. She is plugged into all the cool things happening and is known in all corners of the city. From her work as a civic designer in local government, non-profits, and the public art scene in Boston and beyond. Sabrina brings all this goodness to her work at Agncy–blending her art-making and illustration practices with her drive to use design strategy to make real change possible for communities. Her good humor and sense of play and fun are integral to how she approaches life and her work. She’s quick to remind us to take time to care for ourselves when we forget.

Sabrina holds a BFA in Industrial Design from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a MS in Design and Urban Ecologies from Parsons School of Design.”

— Candace}

Zach Narva

^{designer and facilitator | he/him}

_{“Zach is a human-centered designer focused on collaborative research, participatory design and storytelling. He uses these methods to build innovative learning environments, sustainable operations and equity-centered strategies for resilient systemic change. Recently, Zach created a participatory experience for parents to challenge bias and change behavior, enabling more resilient relationships with their trans and gender non-conforming kids—in the inviting and judgment-free setting of summer camp!

Zach has an MFA in Human-Centered Design from the School of Visual Arts and a BA in Graphic Design from American University. When he steps away from work, you might find Zach meditating over a stovetop with a hearty meal underway.”

— Joey}

^{Savanna Li
^{designer | she/her}}
_{“A RISD-trained designer (which we don't hold against her. Go MassArt!), Savanna is dedicated to creating beauty and clarity out of complicated and dense information. Her toolbox contains whimsy, tenacity, joy and inventiveness. Her limitless curiosity about the world is her most stunning quality.

Her previous experience is an expression of her dedication to shaping meaningful and playful experiences for people, from toy design with Cas Holman to serving as a play guide for the Providence Children’s Museum.”

— Candace}

Radhika Dhanak

^{designer and researcher | she/her}
_{“Radhika’s overlapping interests have naturally led her into design (and right to us!). She’s bounced from psychology and neuroscience to sociology to philosophy and now to her grad program in “Transdisciplinary Design” at the Parsons New School. She’s always been deeply interested in how people work and why they do the things they do, and now with design she does this exploring in a way that impacts lives positively.

At Agncy this summer, she brings a curiosity, clarity, and thoughtfulness to the work. Her Agncy independent project is focused on alternative methods of engagement that touches people at an intellectual, emotional, and physiological level. In her free time, you can find her reading or photographing clouds.”

— Savanna}

Augusta Meill

^{executive director | she/her}

_{“Underneath layers of earth toned-clothing and a gentle smile, Augusta is a powerful sharp designer and strategist. She is a natural storyteller that can communicate beauty in the mundane, find patterns in the chaos, and lead the direction towards progress. As an avid reader, she loves words and people’s stories— she’s absolutely down to be nerdy about the thing you’re nerdy about too.

After a long history in the corporate design and innovation world, she founded Agncy Design to apply and adapt human-centered design practices to the social sector. She sometimes teaches at MassArt.”

— Savanna}

Candace Brooks

^{director of research strategy and learning practice | she/her}

_{“It’s one thing to listen to someone tell their story, and it’s another to care deeply about really understanding it. Candace is an expert at weaving portraits of people’s lives into larger tapestries and finding patterns that emerge.

With BAs in psychology (BU) and industrial design (MassArt) and an MDes (IIT), Candace transitioned her experience in traditional design consultancies and internal groups to the global education nonprofit Education Development Center.

A skilled collaborator, a wonderful mentor, and a lover of peanut m&ms, Candace also teaches industrial design at MassArt and is a member of the Marsh Chapel Choir at BU.”

— Lou}

Ava Nordling

_{^{designer | she/her}

Ava brings into every relationship deep care and consideration for our connections with our body and our environments. Born in California and blooming in Boston, Ava has for years been working to create thoughtful, inclusive, and creative civic opportunities for youth in Boston Public Schools.

She is a dot-connector and brings experience in human-centered design practices, including user research, UX/UI design, prototyping and testing, together with an embodied practice that seeks to embrace individuals’ humanity.

Ava graduated from Northeastern with a BFA in Experience Design. When you see her be sure to ask about the leaf of the day, the power of sharing kudos, zines, or how to move with intentional slowness.

— Sabrina}

Janasia Williams-Thompson

_{^{sisters unchained fellow | she/her}

Janasia Williams-Thompson is the Director of Programs for Sisters Unchained. Janasia first joined Sisters Unchained in 2015 and worked her way up from a participant to a leader. She joined Sisters Unchained because of the impact her father's incarceration had on her and the isolation she felt from other children who didn't have an incarcerated parent. Now she works directly with girls who have similar experiences with them helping them navigate their own paths in life.}

Hawa Hamidou Tabayi

_{^{sisters unchained fellow | she/her}

Hawa Hamidou Tabayi is part of the class of 2026 at Dartmouth College. She intends to major in Black Francophone Literature & History with Economics Modified Public Policy while minoring in International Studies. Hawa’s upbringing at the intersection of French, American, and Cameroonian culture form her interest. She is fascinated by the study of postcolonialism concerning African socioeconomic development.

Hawa’s experience in grassroots organizing with the Black Lives Matter movement, environmental justice, and mutual aid network drew her to Sisters Unchained, joining the summer of 2021 cohort. During the program, she combined art and knowledge of abolition, which centered on those directly harmed by the police and prison, to expand her knowledge of Black liberation. Today, she returns to work with Sisters Unchained as the Policy and Program Coordinator.}

Dan Marie Grieco

_{^{designer and researcher | any/all}

Dan is a designer and educator who is great at developing frameworks to make information accessible and usable and supporting young people through creative processes.

A short list of why we love working with Dan:
they can jump into data and diligently make sense of it
they has easy energy that resists freak outs

they’re the kind of person that mothers tell their children to be like (true)

they uses design to make complex ideas simple without losing the nuance

Dan is a double MassArt graduate: a BA in Communications Design and an MA in Arts Education.
— Augusta}

Charlie Hubbard

_{^{life science partnerships | he/him}

Charlie began his career as a Special Education teacher and has undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Boston College. Prior to joining Agncy, Charlie was with the Boston Public Schools’ Office of Opportunity Gaps in their Excellence for All (EFA) Program. The EFA Program taught STEM enrichment in robotics, coding and 3D printing and led to Charlie’s interest in life sciences.

Charlie comes to us via our partnership with the Nubian Neighborhood Network (N3) through the Children's Health Equity Initiative grant from Boston Children's Hospital. Charlie’s focus is on supporting N3 in developing life science career pathways in the Nubian Square neighborhood and to increase awareness of life sciences workforce development opportunities.}

Evan Chan

_{^{designer and strategist | he/him}

Evan's north star is to care for people. He started by mentoring college students through a Christian student organization in Los Angeles. After earning a master of design degree from the Institute of Design in Chicago, he shifted his attention to supporting community members and government employees in the nation's capital. What drives him is a deep curiosity about people's experiences, an interest in improving services, and a love for facilitating enjoyable and productive discussions.

When not buried in his work, you'll find Evan teaching human-centered design through hands-on, experiential workshops with various professional communities.}

Nice to Meet You

We’re a Boston-based team with projects and partnerships around the country. We seek to have deep relationships across our city so that we can do the super localized, contextual work from a place of reciprocity and knowledge. History matters, connections matter, politics matter.