SPOTLIGHT: Teresa R. LeGrair of The Akron Urban Leauge

Terese LeGrair is not new to the world of non-profit organizations. She is a person who always wanted to help and felt driven and compelled to make a difference. As a young woman moving from Washington, D.C. to Akron, Ohio, Ms. LeGrair could not have anticipated how this attitude toward helping would manifest.

Before her current role as the CEO of the Akron Urban League, she held numerous leadership roles, including the Akron Community Foundation as Director, Community Investment, the National Inventors Hall of Fame as Executive Director of Human Resources, Akron Canton Regional Foodbank as Vice President,

Programs and Member Services and as President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve. Teresa holds her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Malone University and is a graduate of Leadership Akron, Class XXIV. Teresa believes her professional work was a spillover to the way she’s always been.

She always understood the importance of volunteerism and mentoring young people, and over the years, has mentored countless youth and young professionals.

“We don’t sell widgets; we serve people. That humanity part of the work is what I’m passionate about. I just try to make the work meaningful, so it’s meaningful for the people who do the work – because it’s not easy – and for the people we serve. So, we can help them have a better life as a result of what we’re able to provide them.”

Teresa began her work at the Akron Urban League in September 2019.

In the first year of working at the AUL, her goals were to build capacity, stabilize the organization, and conduct a SWOT analysis. Teresa’s priority was to do a deep dive into the organization. However, Teresa’s plan changed a lot due to COVID-19. Indeed, no one could anticipate a pandemic when entering a new role as an organization’s CEO.

“It certainly added a level of stress… and then the whole racial unrest added a whole other level of stress that was very, very difficult to navigate. We try something, and if it doesn’t work, we pivot. We don’t have a roadmap on how to navigate a pandemic. All you can do is the best you can. That’s what we tried to do. We tried to be thoughtful, attend to every detail, and keep the staff safe while still delivering programs at an impactful level.”

Then, the racial unrest that occurred beginning in the spring of 2020, sparked by the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and more deaths related to police brutality and racism, added to the changing of plans. Teresa expressed how this time made her fearful for her two sons and more afraid than she has ever been in her adult life. The deadly effects of racism and discrimination are not new to the Akron Urban League. As Teresa said, “it’s not that it is now – it’s just so ridiculously graphic.”

“As a black person, my goal always is to dismantle racism. Because it is omnipresent – microlevel, macrolevel, it’s just everywhere. When you see something like that happen – many people, the goal was to protect our mental health.”

In the first year of work, Teresa was able to accomplish most of the goals that she set in the beginning. She was proud of the support that she got from the community, and from a financial perspective, the AUL was able to do the things they needed to do. Teresa is incredibly proud of the team at AUL.

“The details are so important because it speaks to the care you put into whatever you delivered.”

Teresa’s success in her career and at the Akron Urban League is partly due to the care she puts into every community relationship and partnership. Teresa recognizes as a non-profit, AUL has lots of relationships. Clients, board members, staff members, interns – there are so many different types of relationships that the AUL needs to manage.

Since Teresa understands the importance of relationship building, she’s created an organizational culture where everyone builds relationships with the same level of importance in mind. Teresa says about relationships, “I work hard to protect them.” She’s someone who can admit when she’s wrong and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that right.

Teresa is excited about the fantastic exciting things moving forward. She noted she’s anticipating sustained success across the board, great programs, and beautiful deliverables. The organization and Teresa are particularly excited about the rebuilding of a strong education program, in addition to the continuation of stable finances and talented people on the team.

“We’re operating at optimum level and moving the needle in the community.”

“One of my personal goals has been this…. don’t spend your life waiting until you are perfect and bulletproof. Be willing to show your vulnerability and be highly engaged even when you are afraid. Live your authentic self with courage and transparency without turning your back on meaningful relationships and opportunities that can benefit you and in turn allow you to support others.”