La‑Vena Francis is a transformational operations and strategy executive with more than 25 years of experience leading large‑scale initiatives, strengthening organizational performance, and expanding community impact across New York City.
In her role at Beyond Bedtime, La‑Vena oversees nationwide logistics, procurement, inventory systems, and fulfillment operations. She also leads the recruitment, training, and development of a national network of volunteer Chapter Presidents, building leadership capacity and ensuring consistent mission delivery across the country.
La‑Vena spent more than two decades with the YMCA of Greater New York, rising through Executive Director leadership roles where she drove major membership and program growth before being promoted to Vice President of Field Operations, overseeing five branches and off‑site programs across the borough of Queens. Her leadership has been recognized with honors including Queens Power 100, Queens Power Women, and the Black Achiever in Industry Award.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Brooklyn College and is currently pursuing her MS in Business Administration. Dedicated to continuous professional development, La‑Vena also earned multiple credentials from the Association of National Advertisers, including Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, Certified ANA Marketing (CAMS), MarTech Foundations and Generative AI for Marketers and a Certificate of Strategic AI Mastery from Brooklyn College’s Koppelman School of Business.
Outside of work, La‑Vena enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and two dogs.