Faculty
Alisa Osunfunke Orduña
Adjunct Faculty
Programs
Education
Doctorate in Depth-Psychology with an emphasis in Community, Liberation, and Eco-Psychologies, Pacifica Graduate Institute
Master of Public and International Affairs (MPIA) – University of Pittsburgh
Expertise
- Participatory community engagement practices
- Qualitative Research Practices (e.g. indigenous, storytelling, narrative, case studies, art-based data)
- Homelessness and Housing Policy
- Developing equity frameworks
- Program design and evaluation
- Liberation Arts as tool for social healing, community voice, and creating a sense of belonging
- Leadership Development in Homelessness Services
Biography
Dr. Alisa Orduña is a nationally recognized strategist and scholar-practitioner in homelessness policy, racial equity, and community development. With over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, she has shaped housing and homeless systems in cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Santa Monica.
She is the founder of Florence Aliese Advancement Network, LLC, a consulting firm advancing equity-centered, community-driven solutions to homelessness through system design, stakeholder engagement, and participatory research.
A depth psychologist and Adjunct Faculty at USC’s Price School of Public Policy and Santa Monica College’s Homeless Service Work Certificate program, Dr. Orduña’s teaching and research interests include the intersection of race, homelessness, and housing opportunities; community participatory planning and engagement; qualitative and culturally responsive research methodologies; and community development theory.
Her community praxis bridges the academy, grassroots leadership, and institutional change, offering a powerful model for liberatory systems transformation. She is frequently consulted by government and philanthropic organizations, and serves on the boards of local nonprofits and on multiple advisory committees at the state and local levels.
Selected Publications
Orduña, Alisa. Osun Consciousness: Unearthing the Anti-Black Biases in the Los Angeles Homeless System Soul as reflected in the Sacred Histories of the African American Experience, Pacifica Graduate Institute: Carpiteria, CA 2020
Orduña, Alisa. Unearthing the Feminine, Blurb Press: Los Angeles, CA 2020
Orduña, Alisa. Oshun’s Calabash: Dancing across Cuba into the memory of the embodied African soul & finding home, Self-Published: Los Angeles, CA 2018
Orduña, Alisa. “Stepping into Forest: Incorporating the Lost Girl Back into Self” in Seeing in the Dark: Wisdom Works by Black Women in Depth Psychology, Ed. Sharon D. Johnson, PhD, Malibu Press: Los Angeles, CA 2016