Vanessa Whang

Vanessa Whang has been engaged professionally in the cultural sector for nearly forty years—variously as a cultural worker, artist, researcher, program designer, funder, and thought partner—with a wide range of entities from community-based organizations to national funders and public agencies. Her work grapples with how to build a just society in a diverse nation founded on codified inequality; she believes a deeper understanding of cultural equity and justice is critical to imagining a better future.

Since January 2025, Vanessa has been serving as Programs Strategy Advisor to California Humanities. Previously, she was lead program design consultant for the SF Foundation’s Bay Area Creative Corps, the Surdna-supported Just City Cultural Fund partnership, and the Mellon-funded Cultural Strategists-in-Government Program. She was the lead consultant and writer on Belonging in Oakland, Oakland’s first cultural plan in 30 years.

Vanessa served as Director of Programs for California Humanities; Director of Multidisciplinary Arts and Presenting for the National Endowment for the Arts; and a consultant to numerous foundations, intermediaries, and nonprofits across the country. She started her long journey in nonprofit cultures and arts at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley and is grateful to all she has worked with along the way.