President, AC Consulting and Media Services
Through Many Roles, She Elevates Young People — and the Entire Community
Ayanna Crawford, it needs to be said up front, is the model of a Woman of Impact, who has made her mark — and made people’s lives better — in numerous ways: as a public speaker helping young people find their own voice, as a community leader both locally and in legislative circles in Boston, as a media consultant boosting local businesses and nonprofits … the list goes on.
But it’s an honor she finds both gratifying and a bit humbling.
“It’s not something I look for. I’m just humbled by it, and sometimes I feel, is this really for me? Am I worthy enough? Did I do enough? Is there more that I need to do before I get recognized?” she said.
“That’s always in the back of my mind because I think about so many great leaders in our community, in our world, that have gone unnoticed or not been recognized,” she added. “But I’m grateful for the recognition. I’m grateful that someone has seen the work that I’m doing.”
To be sure, many have noticed, including LaTonia Monroe Naylor, a member of the Women of Impact class of 2024, who nominated Crawford for this year’s honor.
“Ayanna doesn’t seek recognition — she builds infrastructure: programs, relationships, and movements,” Naylor wrote. “She mentors emerging leaders, elevates marginalized voices, and constantly returns to the core question, ‘what did I do for someone else today?'”
Naylor knows Crawford well; the two of them co-founded a nonprofit seven years ago called Parent Villages, which connects families, educational institutions, and community partners to enhance learning and support systems for children. It was born from the sobering statistic that 93% of local children aren’t ready to succeed in kindergarten.
“She thought, ‘what could we do to encourage parents and families, and help their children get ready for kindergarten?'” Crawford recalled about the origins of Parent Villages, which Naylor still leads as CEO. “We did meetups and focus groups around the city at different libraries and community centers to talk to parents and families about how can we help children get ready for school.
“It has grown immensely, to the point where we’ve bought a building, we have over a million-dollar budget, we’ve got staff, we have six or seven different types of programs. It’s just flourishing,” said Crawford, who serves on the board.
But that’s only one of the ways she has demonstrated a passion for helping children. Originally interested in a broadcast journalism career, she switched to an education track at Westfield State University and became a teacher, teaching creative writing in middle school and reading and language arts in elementary school over the years.
“Ayanna doesn’t seek recognition — she builds infrastructure: programs, relationships, and movements. She mentors emerging leaders, elevates marginalized voices, and constantly returns to the core question, ‘what did I do for someone else today?'”
It was in the latter setting that she noticed many children were shy about giving presentations — some so shy, they would cry. So she asked her principal if she could conduct a mini-lesson around public speaking — which turned into an afterschool program, which soon drew middle-schoolers as well, and eventually emerged in the broader community as a still-flourishing initiative called Take the Mic.
Backed by a group of interns and volunteers, Crawford has partnered with colleges, especially Springfield Technical Community College, creating a curriculum within its College for Kids summer program, and also conducted programs in the Springfield Public Schools and an afterschool program at the East Springfield branch of Springfield City Library. In all, the program serves young people from ages 6 to 18. She also conducts workshops for adults who want to improve their speaking skills and confidence.
“About 75% of the world’s population is afraid of public speaking,” she said. “Even myself, growing up, I was afraid to as well. But there are strategies, techniques, resources, so many different things that you can use. I’ve done a lot of training myself to make sure that I’m on the cutting edge of the nuances of public speaking and making sure that not only the students have what they need, but the adults, too.”
Helping both children and adults achieve what they need — in these ways and others we’ll talk about — is a hallmark of a life of passion and purpose. It’s the life of a Woman of Impact.
Community Champion
When asked when she developed a passion for young people, Crawford said it’s always been there.
“I remember, when I started teaching, having students from all different socioeconomic statuses and wanting to see all of them flourish and thrive. Then, I was always the one at my schools to either help organize the open house or get the parents together, get them excited about events we had with our school, or go out in the community and talk to families about the work that we do in our school.”
Her teaching career was also the fountain from which her business, AC Consulting and Media Services, sprung. Her principal noticed she was doing a lot of community work, so she became the go-to person for connecting the school with community leaders, elected officials, and the media as well. From there, other businesses and nonprofits started asking her for help with press releases, media invitations, flyers, and other forms of marketing, and the enterprise was born.
“Our mission is to provide media and public relations services and supports to nonprofits and corporate businesses to enhance their brand awareness and client base,” she explained. “We simply are a firm that believes in amplifying the message and awareness of our clients in their communities.”
Her foray into politics, culminating with her current role as chief of staff to state Rep. Orlando Ramos, also began with her volunteer service on school PTOs, neighborhood councils, and, eventually, political campaigns. She later became chair of the Democratic City Committee for Springfield’s Ward 8, worked on Ramos’ campaign for the State House, and then joined him in that work, much of which she’s personally passionate about, especially when it comes to issues that affect young people, like education, healthcare, parks, and the environment.
An advocate for neighborhood safety, Crawford spearheaded a local Stop the Speed initiative, a public safety campaign born out of Springfield residents’ concerns about dangerous driving through residential streets. It was born out of an incident in which a vehicle her daughter was riding in was struck by a speeding car. Another passenger was in the ICU for weeks.
“It was very traumatic; it was a very serious accident. So I said, ‘what can I do to help curtail it, to stop it? I knew that the East Springfield community had done some Stop the Speed events … so I started them here in Springfield on Boston Road, particularly.”
With Ramos’ backing, she spearheaded monthly awareness events for about a year, and other legislators and community leaders, in 16 Acres and the North End, picked up the cause as well. “So, through my efforts raising some more advocacy around it, other communities decided to start doing them.”
It’s typical of the impact Crawford can have when she has a goal in mind, Naylor said. “Through this work, she’s not just raising awareness — she’s organizing, coordinating with city officials, and pushing for tangible policy solutions. Her leadership reflects a commitment to safety, accountability, and resident-led change.”
Crawford has long been committed to the revitalization of the Indian Orchard community. To that end, she has organized food truck festivals, promoted small business development, and supported entrepreneurial opportunities, creating accessible platforms for local vendors and artisans to thrive.
She also founded the annual Sylvia Barksdale Wilson Scholarship in Nursing Brunch, a program that provides scholarships for individuals going into the nursing field in honor of her mother, who was a nurse. She also founded the Literacy Champion community event held annually at the Brookings Elementary School to promote literacy and showcase local authors, and she is president of the Springfield Women in Business Club, which highlights and provides support to women entrepreneurs and executive leaders.
“Through this work, she’s not just raising awareness — she’s organizing, coordinating with city officials, and pushing for tangible policy solutions. Her leadership reflects a commitment to safety, accountability, and resident-led change.”
“From the classroom to the Capitol, from Indian Orchard streets to statewide strategy rooms,” Naylor wrote, “Ayanna is not just making an impact — she is building one and deserving of finally being recognized for what she has done to contribute to our region.”
Fearless and Impactful
When Crawford takes the stage at the Log Cabin on Dec. 9 to accept the Women of Impact honor, it will cap a busy year of recognition.
This past April, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra chose her as a recipient of its annual Fearless Women Awards, which are given to area women who embody bravery, advocacy, passion, perseverance, and authenticity. And in June, she co-emceed BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty Gala at the MassMutual Center.
Asked to give some perspective on her many roles in the community, she said, “I never know the extent of what I do and how it is really impacting others. I just do it because it’s important to me.” But she said she’s equally proud of her role as a mentor to her now-grown children.
“We have what we call healthy conversations with my adult children, helping them navigate through life and being an example to them. I want them to see what I’ve done, and I want to see what they can do,” she told BusinessWest. “And I have two grandsons, and I want them to also know that this is a legacy that I’m building for our family, for our community, and for folks that are yet to be born.
“Again, I’m not looking for recognition because I’ll do it regardless. I’ll continue to work to elevate voices, to elevate our community, especially women, but men, too, because I have a daughter and a son. I want men to see me as an example too; I’ve mentored young men in my lifetime as well as young women.”
And she aims to continue to be a leader, in all her different roles and maybe some she hasn’t discovered yet.
“My children keep on telling me, ‘mom, you’re getting a little older now. I think you need to slow down.’ But I’m fine. I feel like I’m just hitting my apex, where I can do this work and know I have the tools and the skill set to do it. I’ve got the training; I’ve got the wherewithal and the tenacity and the capacity.”
And now she’s got the title of Woman of Impact.
