Shala London
Writer, Editor, and Designer
My Professional Expertise
I help shape your ideas into clear communications and compelling visuals.
Whether it’s a brief one-pager, a candid and heartfelt memoir, or a multi-million-dollar grant proposal, I love co-creating masterpieces with a purpose. I seek to understand your project’s end goal and then dive right in to work magic in the details.
How Can I Help You?
My Services
Writing
Academic. Business. Creative.
Grant proposals, curriculum, and online courses. Copy writing for print and web. Ghost writing for strategic plans, annual reports, and marketing materials.
Editing
Precision. Accuracy. Clarity.
Ensuring logical flow, coherence, and readability. Mastery over voice and tone. Maintaining consistency and integrity of narratives, proposals, and website copy.
Design
Graphics. Layout. Websites.
Crafting products with attention to both substance and presentation. Editing that goes beyond error correction to the art of refinement. Visual cues and curlicues.
About Me
It all began way back…
When I went to the Lilith Fair and won a contest for a free Bondi Blue iMac computer, jumpstarting my self-guided tour of the Internet and exploration of HTML, PHP, pixels, and Pantones. Combined with my lifelong love of reading, writing, and enjoying eye candy, I found my niche helping others show off their best side.
#1 NYT bestselling author of E-Squared and 21 other books:
Pam Grout says…
I could easily name 4382 reasons to hire Shala London, but since she would undoubtedly edit them down, I will restrain myself and only list the top three: 1. She’s sensitive, bright and kind (oops! I cheated, that’s three right there), 2. She’s funny, and 3. She works quickly and always meets deadlines.
CliftonStrengths Assessment
My Strengths
- Maximizer – I love to take what’s working and dial it up to brilliant.
- Strategic – Connecting the dots is my superpower.
- Focus – I can turn scattered thoughts into coherent stories and visuals.
- Deliberative – I think twice — or thrice — so others don’t have to.
- Analytical – I connect logic with intuition to uncover the essence.
Subject Matter Expertise
Business Finance
& Startup
College and Consulting
I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/Finance with a master’s degree in Human Resources Management. I began my career as a consultant for entrepreneurs and small business owners, helping shape business plans and cash flow projections for startups. I built my first website for the University of Kansas Small Business Development Center where I began honing skills in graphic design while promoting the center and creating resource materials like, 21 Ways to Recruit and Retain Employees.
Personal Finance
Economic Education
For 13 years I developed curriculum and resources for K-12 teachers on how to integrate economics and personal finance into other elementary school subjects and secondary history classrooms. During this time, I learned to build sites in WordPress and developed two online graduate courses for teachers.
Grant Writing
Federal, State, and Private Funding
I am an experienced grant writer with certification from the American Grant Writers Association and success winning funds for academic research, state agency/social service initiatives, and teacher training. Read a few highlights.
Life Coaching
Freelance graphic design, writing, and web development
I have designed and written with life coaches to authentically reflect their coaching style while engaging and motivating audiences. See what coaches have said about me.
Initiatives for Kansas Children and Families
Early Childhood and Child Care
For the past decade, I have written extensively for the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund to promote child and family well-being and address issues of a broken child care system. I bring skills in writing, editing, and design to strategically frame complex content into compelling products, proposals, and reports.
Testimonials
Shala is a dream to work with. From graphics to ebooks to websites, I trusted her with designing my most treasured projects for over 7 years. She’s intuitive and incredibly talented. She’s open to feedback and a collaborative process that ensures high quality and true reflection of the essence of what we are working on.
I highly recommend her!
Paula Onysko
paulaonysko.com
A very professional designer with a great eye. Listens very well to what you desire and is able to create something really special!
Melli O’Brien
melliobrien.com
My Work
Portfolio
Winning Grant Proposals
Statewide Prevention and Public Health Activities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Funded at 7.8 million. Role: Research, writing, editing, formatting, and ensuring strict adherence to agency requirements and criteria.
Sodium Reduction in Communities, CDC, Fully Funded at $412,197. Role: Developed proposal framework and managed a cross-agency team of writers from the KS Dept. of Health and Environment. Served as primary editor, ensuring clarity and alignment to review criteria. Note: Kansas was one of only five proposals awarded nationally.
Economic Education Programming, Cloud L. Cray Foundation, multiple funded initiatives over a 14-year period, nearing one million in total awards. Role: Writing, editing, formatting, and post‐grant management.
Teaching Economics through U.S. History Online Courses, Improving Teacher Quality Grant Program, Kansas Board of Regents. Role: Concept development, writing, editing, post‐grant management, and lead developer of two online courses for teacher training.