Charla Freeman Elizabeth earned an A.B. in Art from Brown University and an M.Sc. in Communications Design from Pratt Institute. She is a two-time Pollock Krasner award recipient for her nature-referenced sculpture with artwork selected for inclusion in the permanent collection at the California African-American Museum in Los Angeles, CA. The District of Columbia Department of General Services recently awarded her a public art design commission with the District of Columbia Public School System.

Charla is a full-time lecturer at USC in Los Angeles, CA, where she teaches Intermediate Drawing, Foundation Design, Creating and Understanding Visuals, and The Design Challenge. She has worked as a Visual Arts Teacher/Mentor for Theatre of Hearts Youth First, providing visual arts education for predominantly Black and Latinx students, including at-risk and incarcerated youth, and pregnant minors. Charla serves on the Burbank City Council as a member of the Art in Public Places Committee.