Richard Crews

From Possibility to Leadership

Richard Crews is the kind of leader whose roots stretch across boroughs and deserts, from the bold hum of New York City to the sweeping sky of Phoenix, Arizona. Born in Queens and raised under the Arizona sun, Richard grew up straddling two worlds, one steeped in relentless drive and cultural rhythm, and the other in search of its identity. That duality didn’t just shape his worldview. It became his blueprint.

"New York never leaves you," he says. "That city taught me to think beyond the boundaries of where I stood."

From the start, Richard didn’t chase titles; he chased transformation. There was no singular epiphany, no lightning-bolt moment that told him he was destined to serve. His calling was woven into his DNA, born from the heartbeat of the Black church and the echo of justice work that always felt like home. Raised in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, he found both theology and resistance, a space where liberation was not only preached but also practiced.

"Those two spaces, equity work and the church, were where I could breathe," he says. "They made room for my ideas, and they taught me to challenge what is for what could be."

Even before holding leadership titles, Richard knew impact was his fuel. While working in corporate settings in the early 2000s, he often found himself calling mentors like Calvin Terrell to reimmerse himself in community workshops and equity spaces. He missed the alignment, the urgency, the sacred work of lifting others.

Fatherhood, too, became a pivotal lens through which I viewed the world. With three sons, Jeremiah, Malachi, and Jelani, Richard leads with legacy in mind. "Jeremiah saved my life," he shares. "When he was born, I knew I had to turn my ideas into action."

His children each see the world uniquely, and Richard carries their perspectives into every room he enters. "I ask myself: Am I being the kind of leader I want them to meet someday?"

Today, Richard is the driving force behind Keys to Change and the Foresight Foundation, two powerful platforms that confront the twin crises of homelessness and racialized wealth gaps. His days may start in conversations about shelter policy and end with capital strategies for BIPOC-owned businesses, but his mission stays constant: shifting systems toward equity.

Despite national awards and prestigious fellowships, the lesson that humbled him most was simple: he belonged. As a young changemaker without a degree, he once questioned his place among those with impressive credentials. But then he realized: "It's not the letters before or after your name that qualify you, it's the God who made you."

Richard has become a bridge between boardrooms and Blacktop corners. He’s fluent in both the language of the community and the language of institutions. And he uses that fluency to unlock spaces where others can rise.

One of his favorite examples? A long-abandoned lot in South Phoenix was transformed with the help of First Pentecostal Church, MentorKids USA, and Valley Presbyterian. What once sat dormant for 30 years is now a thriving hub, featuring a community garden, playground, and prayer space. "Potential is everywhere," he says. "But transformation happens when we act."

That belief, that solutions are not only possible but necessary, is what sustains him. He rejects the notion that we must settle for incremental change. "The only thing that settles is dust," he says. "In liberation work, the people must rise."

Richard's voice is not just his own. It's a vessel for the unheard. "If you’re silent at the table, then you are the meal," he says. "We owe it to our people to speak up, create access, and make systems answer to the suffering they’ve too often ignored."

And when it comes to the next generation, he doesn’t believe in waiting for them to be handed the torch. He believes in lighting their flame now. "Every movement was driven by youth," he reminds us. "The time is not tomorrow. It’s today."

As he reflects on legacy, Richard doesn't speak in terms of resume lines or personal accolades. He speaks of his sons. Of systems that no longer oppress. Of problems that, one day, no longer exist. He imagines a world where homelessness is rare and brief, not because we dreamed it, but because we built it. Where leadership is no longer gatekept, but grown in the soil of justice.

"I want to be an element in the water," he says, "pouring into people and places until freedom flows like a current."

In every space he enters, Richard Crews brings more than ideas. He brings heat, humility, and hope. He doesn’t just talk about equity. He lives it. And because of that, our communities are not only stronger—they’re rising.

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