Lakiyra “Oompa” Williams is an award-winning artist, educator, and creative leader serving as Creative Director at Boston Arts Academy. A Boston native, she brings experience across music, performance, arts education, cultural strategy, and community engagement to her work building opportunities for young artists.
As Creative Director, Williams helps shape BAA’s artistic vision, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, cultivate partnerships, and expand pathways for students to develop as artists, thinkers, and creative problem-solvers. Her work is grounded in the belief that artists are not only makers, but innovators whose ability to imagine, communicate, experiment, and collaborate is essential to shaping the future of the creative workforce and the world.
Outside of BAA, Williams is a nationally recognized recording and performing artist known as Oompa and the founder of Outlaud and CULTRx. Her work has earned multiple Boston Music Awards, voting membership into the Recording Academy, and recognition from Boston Magazine as one of the city’s most influential leaders. She has headlined tours and performed on stages like Boston Calling and TD garden, and continues to work at the intersection of art, culture, education, and creative entrepreneurship.
