Dana Xavier Dojnik has a knack for creating new spaces.
She started out in the competitive New York advertising scene in the 90s and quickly forged her path in the emerging world of digital. After years of consulting during the dotcom boom she eventually founded her own design consultancy which ultimately brought her to Atlanta in 2006. Since then she’s gone on to grow teams domestically and globally, build immersive technologies, bring maker spaces to life, and find cutting-edge use cases for virtual and augmented reality for corporate giants like the Southern Company, UPS Foundation, and Porsche.
Now, Xavier Dojnik is ready to create new space at The Lola, Atlanta’s womxn’s club, workspace and digital community, where she was named CEO on October 1.
The CEO role feels like a natural extension of her work building communities both in the digital and physical spaces. Yes, she has been The Lola since 2022 as a community manager and growth strategist. But even before coming to The Lola, she was the COO of CreateATL, a coworking, event and maker space and was the first female partner at Foundry 45, a local VR startup that was acquired in 2022. Her other previous professional roles were at IHG, 22Squared and BBDO, to name a few.
GET TO KNOW THE LOLA
The Lola, which was started by Martine Resnick and Eileen Lee, is probably most known for its inviting and beautiful coworking space in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. Across the street from Ponce City Market, The Lola has advanced as an intentionally inclusive space. It also serves as an important “third space” for individuals, entrepreneurs, corporate, and non-profit members who want to connect with other professional women through curated events or serendipitous conversations in the communal areas.
The Lola’s commitment to inclusivity has brought tangible benefits to its community. Xavier Dojnik said that around 50% of Lola members are women of color, something that Xavier Dojnik is a genuine representation of Atlanta. This underscores The Lola’s long-standing efforts to create a safe and inclusive workspace for all womxn, she added.
“You walk in here and you see this beautiful, inviting space that just welcomes you to sit down. What I love most about The Lola is that you’re not a stranger when you walk in the door. There is a smile and a friendly face, not just from our community managers. It’s from members to members,” she told Hypepotamus. “We’ve been governed and guided by a male dominated society steering our course for so very long. It’s high time we embrace the emergence of women to illuminate pathways forward toward a brighter future.”
Since the pandemic, The Lola also has grown its digital presence and its membership options to meet the needs of more women inside and outside of Atlanta. Its in-person events like Founders & Freelancers, CommuniTEA and Wellness Wednesdays have almost doubled in size over the past few months. Others, like the upcoming Demystifying AI for Women, are designed to bring professional development opportunities to members and “not-yet” members alike.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE LOLA
To date, Xavier Dojnick said many of The Lola has attracted a diverse array of members, including those working in nonprofits, small business owners and professionals in social justice, and those in the health and wellness fields. She shared there is a burgeoning presence of tech entrepreneurs and female founders who have chosen The Lola as their workspace.
If you haven’t seen The Lola’s space before, the community opens up to not-yet members on the third Friday of every month (the next one will be on October 20). And if you would like to see how Lola members support one another best, come out to one of their member’s nonprofits events hosted at The Lola one on Nov 1st – Emerge Georgia – Seat at the Table Awards – or on Nov 9th Athena’s Warehouse – Gala: The Princess & The Prom.
