Richard Crews serves as the Community Impact Manager of Thriving Together for Valley of the Sun United Way, a birth to career initiative to ensure that all children, youth and young adults in Phoenix realize their full potential in school, career and life.
Richard is committed to changing the voice of Generation Next into Generation Now. Originally from Queens, New York, but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, with his roots planted in faith-based and community collaboration.
Richard is also the co-founder of Just Listen Training and Consulting, a company devoted to providing technical assistance for sustainable peer leadership programming in schools and local community based organizations.
He is an Alliance Fellow with the foundation St. Luke’s Health Initiatives. He has been privileged to speak on numerous panels and facilitate workshops across the country addressing issues pertaining to collective impact, race power and privilege, and many other challenges facing today’s educators and scholars within the education system.
Above all, Richard holds two things closest to his heart: his family and working in solidarity with historically disenfranchised communities. He is a dedicated husband and father of three boys. His greatest desire is to be an instrument in unlocking the space within individuals and organizations to operate on purpose and authenticity. When we remove our masks, we expose our truth. When we work from our truth, humanity can collaborate in solidarity to build better systems that reflect Justice instead of Just Us.