Founder's Corner
Katoya Palmer (pronoun: she/her)
How I Lead & Why It Matters
I’m a systems-minded fixer with a people-first lens.
With over two decades of experience across nonprofit, public, and private sectors, I specialize in untangling organizational chaos, aligning teams around shared goals, and building infrastructure that lasts. Whether stepping into executive leadership, reimagining broken systems, or bridging the gap between community voice and institutional power, I bring calm, clarity, and strategy to the table. If you're navigating growth, conflict, or change—I’m the partner you call when you need it done right the first time.
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I lead with integrity. I believe trust is built through transparency, consistency, and accountability—even when it’s uncomfortable.
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I center community. Every strategy I design is grounded in the lived experiences, wisdom, and needs of the people we serve.
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I design for liberation. My work disrupts systems that harm and builds structures that heal, empower, and uplift.
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I balance structure with soul. I bring rigor, but I never lose sight of humanity, intuition, or cultural nuance.
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I move with creativity and clarity. I honor the creative process as a tool for problem-solving, visioning, and strategic impact.
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I value relationships over transactions. I work in partnership, not hierarchy—collaborating with intention, humility, and care.
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I believe in the power of transformation. Whether it’s people, teams, or systems—I hold space for what’s possible.
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Founder, Strategist, Cultural Architect
Building Systems with Soul. Leading Change with Purpose.
​Katoya Palmer (she/her) is a visionary strategist, organizational architect, and founder of ToyBox Consulting & Management, LLC, a firm dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations and creatives build systems that reflect their values. With over two decades of cross-sector experience, Katoya specializes in operations strategy, project leadership, change management, capacity building, creative development, and AI integration.
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Since launching ToyBox in 2008, Katoya has guided nonprofits, government agencies, and BIPOC-led businesses in building infrastructure, aligning teams, and leading transformative change. In 2020, she expanded the firm’s offerings to include digital strategy and AI prompt engineering—helping clients harness emerging technologies to improve communications, automate workflows, and amplify creative expression. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges operations, equity, and culture—infused with systems thinking, spiritual intelligence, and deep community care.
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Katoya holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from Western Governors University and brings an extensive background in youth development, public service, and organizational leadership. Her tenure at the YMCA of Greater Seattle spanned from lifeguard to Senior Program Director, where she pioneered culturally responsive aquatics programs and led large-scale staff development efforts. As Chief Operating Officer of Community Passageways, she built out HR, IT, Finance, communication, community relations, and compliance systems, while co-leading strategic vision and leadership development for a nationally recognized justice reform nonprofit.
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Katoya currently serves as Vice President of the Board at The Sophia Way and is an active board member of SPLASHForward, KEEP (Kienan Ellis Educational Project), and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. She has launched and led high-impact initiatives such as the Beloved Campaign, where she served as Creative Director and Line Producer for a multi-platform storytelling and violence prevention effort.
Katoya has also coached high school swim and boys’ water polo for the Seattle and Bellevue school districts, bringing discipline, strategy, and mentorship to young athletes across King County. She applies that same grounded leadership and vision to every consulting engagement.
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​Outside of her professional work, Katoya is an avid home cook, plant enthusiast, and aspiring homemaker influencer. She gardens herbs, cultivates houseplants, and finds joy in the beauty of flowers—bringing life and intention into every space she curates. She enjoys crafting soulful dishes with garden-grown ingredients, designing environments that spark creativity, and building spaces that feel like home. She’s also a tech enthusiast, crypto investor, and lifelong learner who believes in the power of merging ancestral wisdom with innovation.
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Her work is grounded in the belief that sustainable change is built, not wished for—and that Black women and communities of color deserve systems that are designed to reflect their brilliance, not just their labor.
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From Theory to Practice
As a strategist and former Chief Operating Officer of a nationally recognized justice reform organization, Katoya understands both the challenges and opportunities of community-led work. Her approach blends structure with soul—centering relationships, data, and design to drive lasting change.
In 2024, she co-authored “Codeveloping Theories of Change for Improved Community-Based Violence Intervention Evaluation,” published in the American Journal of Public Health. This research, grounded in collaborative efforts across Washington state, reframes how violence prevention initiatives are evaluated—by aligning community voice, structural root causes, and healing-centered outcomes within a shared theory of change.
Through ToyBox, Katoya continues to partner with organizations, artists, and visionaries who are reimagining systems—and brings the tools, strategy, and insight to help them build what comes next.
🎬 Featured In: Drowning in Silence
Katoya Palmer appears in the award-winning documentary Drowning in Silence, a powerful exploration of grief, water safety, and healing through community and personal resilience.The film follows the journey of filmmaker Chezik Tsunoda after the loss of her son to drowning, and uplifts the stories of individuals and families working to prevent similar tragedies.
Katoya shares her experience as a Louisiana native discussing the Shreveport Six; an aquatics leader, swim coach, and advocate for expanding access to water safety and education across all communities. Her voice in the film underscores her long-standing commitment to systems change—not just in boardrooms and policy—but in the everyday spaces where life, loss, and leadership intersect.
📚 Published Work: Digital Equity & Social Justice
In recognition of World YMCA Social Justice Day 2021, Katoya Palmer contributed to a global reflection on equity in the digital economy. Her article, “The Digital Economy Can Uplift or Isolate Us,” explores how access to technology and opportunity shapes pathways to liberation, particularly for historically marginalized communities navigating education, entrepreneurship, and public systems. In this piece, Katoya speaks to the urgency of bridging digital divides—not just through tools, but through culturally responsive leadership and policy.