Keneshia Raymond

Interim Executive Director

Tucson Urban League

Director of Programs, Startup Tucson

Author, “From HotMess Express to Achievable Goals”

As interim executive director of the Tucson Urban League, Keneshia Raymond is dedicated to empowering the Black community by dismantling systemic racism and securing generational prosperity through the advancement of social, economic and educational equity. Raymond’s diverse skill set includes more than a decade of extensive project management experience in the creation and cultivation of communities and small businesses. 

She also utilizes those skills as the director of programs and access to capital for StartUp Tucson, where she is committed to building the startup community and increasing the quality and diversity of startups and small businesses.  

A California native, Raymond relocated to Tucson five years ago. She realized immediately that “Tucson is a city that puts people first. It’s a place where people can come together and work to see change. By changing things here, we can change Arizona, the nation and then the world.” 

“People starting businesses have more support and opportunity here than anywhere else. They have opportunities for growth from within. You can get a leg up that you wouldn’t in a bigger city,” she said.