Founder and Creative Arts Strategist at Get Fokus’d Productions & Poet Laureate of Buffalo, NY

Aitina Fareed-Cooke is the Creative Arts Strategist, Poet Laureate of Buffalo, NY, and founder of Get Fokus'd Productions, an award-winning digital storytelling company. With over twenty years of experience stretching across the creative industry, including a decade of business leadership, she has secured contracts with small businesses and nonprofit organizations and has managed collaborative digital storytelling teams in producing hundreds of visual narratives that articulate community impact and drive sustainability. Over the last 5-7 years, Aitina has raised close to $500,000 for community-based digital storytelling and literary arts initiatives, significantly benefiting hundreds of emerging artists and enriching the cultural landscape.

Aitina holds a BA in English and an MS in Education from Buffalo State University. She has developed project-based arts in education programs that have impacted over 20,000 young creatives, integrating various art forms to share her journey from foster care to freedom through the creative arts. An active board member of CEPA Gallery and Buffalo State University, Aitina supports marketing initiatives and student advocacy, notably through Buffalo State’s G.R.I.T. Scholarship, which has awarded over $100,000 to deserving students.

Recognized for her contributions, Aitina has secured funding from organizations like Creatives Rebuild New York and the New York State Council on the Arts. Her accolades include 43North’s Ignite Buffalo $100k People's Choice Award, Citizens Bank Community Champion award, Buffalo State University’s Young Alumnus Achievement award, and the Arts Services Inc. Trailblazer Award to name a few. Her creative work has been exhibited and presented in institutions such as the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Villa Maria College, and Buffalo State University.

As a national recording artist, she has executively produced four albums and contributed to a Grammy Award–winning album, amassing more than two million streams. Aitina’s remarkable achievements establish her as an inspiring leader and a catalyst for positive transformation in the creative arts industry.