Pronouns: she/her/hers
ShayLa-Kinyon (she/her) was born and raised in Danville, IL and joined CTSO as the Deputy Supervisor in January 2025. She has over 30 years of experience working and volunteering in the human service field and has spent the last 15 years as a passionate community advocate committed to serving disadvantaged youth, adult-individuals, and families experiencing homelessness. ShayLa-Kinyon has earned an associate’s degree in office administration from Southeastern Community College, a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Eastern Illinois University, and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois, with a concentration in Leadership & Social Change. She is skilled in transforming underserved communities through community organizing, building structural supports, fostering strategic partnerships, program leadership and development, best-practices, and data-driven outcomes. In 2013 ShayLa-Kinyon founded 3rd Day Necessities, an outreach team distributing toiletries to the unsheltered homeless on the streets of Washington DC and in the woods of Northern Virginia and Maryland. To date, a team is still distributing in those areas as she continues to distribute to the unsheltered homeless from the trunk of her car. She was instrumental in the creation of H.A.S.T.E. (Homeless Awareness Strategy Team Effort) under Cobb Collaborative in Marietta, GA. The aim was to address homelessness in Cobb County through community-wide efforts, including promoting awareness, coordinating services, and advocating for solutions.
ShayLa-Kinyon has survived homelessness and drug addiction. She is a great example of a person with lived experience and a journey of the half will never be told!
In her free time ShayLa-Kinyon enjoys family, traveling, nature, and the arts.
Professional Development:
- Bench Strength Leadership
- Train the Trainer
- Crisis Prevention and Management
- Trauma Informed Care
- Racial Equity & Inclusion
Licensure:
- Licensed Social Worker
- CWEL (Child Welfare)
Certifications:
- First Aid/CPR
- Mandatory Reporter
Affiliations:
- NASW (National Association of Social Workers)
- University of Illinois Alumni Association