More Than Words
Ayanna Crawford is a public speaker who has helped many people, especially young women, find their own voice.
For the past three years, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has presented its Fearless Women Awards to area women who embody bravery, advocacy, passion, perseverance, and authenticity.
Ayanna Crawford certainly represents all five qualities, which explains why the SSO included her among its class of 2025. But she also finds the honor humbling, recalling a recent conversation with SSO President and CEO Paul Lambert.
“He said, ‘oh my gosh, we’re so honored to honor you because you just do so much great work.’ And I’m thinking, ‘but I do what everybody else does, right? We just help and serve the community.’
“To be recognized like that was a little overwhelming because I’m not looking for the recognition,” she went on. “I just want to do a good job. I want to be a servant for the people I want to help. I want to be positive. I want to encourage everybody, no matter your walk of life, your religious background, your economic status, whatever. I want to help all of our people, you know?”
Many folks in Western Mass. certainly do know, because Crawford has been serving and helping in many ways for decades. And on June 19, she will take the stage at the MassMutual Center as co-emcee, along with White Lion Brewing Co. owner Ray Berry, of BusinessWest’s 19th annual 40 Under Forty gala.
Her career journey began in education — she taught for two decades in the Springfield Public Schools and as an adjunct professor at Springfield Technical Community College — and she is now both president of AC Consulting and Media Services, which helps nonprofits and other organizations with public relations, press releases, social media management, and marketing; and chief of staff to state Rep. Orlando Ramos, a role she assumed in 2020.
She also created a public speaking program about 10 years ago called Take the Mic, which helps young people in the region grow their confidence and self-esteem while becoming comfortable addressing large groups of people. Meanwhile, she’s an in-demand speaker herself on a wide range of topics, including race, women’s issues, and parenthood.
In short, Crawford has been speaking, teaching, and inspiring for a long time — and has no plans to slow down now.
Speaking Up
Crawford didn’t initially pursue an education degree at Westfield State University; she originally studied broadcast journalism, but found she didn’t like the camera and editing work. So she switched majors and found a different way to be a presenter: in the classroom.
“I’ve taught creative writing for middle school, and I’ve taught reading and language arts for elementary school. Those are the two areas I focused in on through my career, which was really awesome because I saw the fundamentals of reading and writing with my younger students and was able to be more creative with my older students,” she recalled.
During that time, she volunteered quite a bit in the community — a passion that has continued until today — and was gratified when students saw her in that setting.
“They were like, ‘Miss Crawford’s not just a teacher, she’s also part of our community. We see her at the grocery store, we see her at the mall, we see her at community events.’ So that was also an opportunity to connect more with my students.
“I want to be positive. I want to encourage everybody, no matter your walk of life, your religious background, your economic status, whatever.”
“And they knew that I wanted to see them successful, so whatever things that I could do to support them, with their families, with themselves, I was always there to help them,” she went on. And that philosophy became the basis of Take the Mic.
Ayanna Crawford says she wants to be a servant who encourages everyone.
“When I was teaching elementary, I found that my children would do their presentations, and they would be really shy. They would cry; they wouldn’t want to do them. So I said, ‘well, what can I do to help?’ And I asked my principal, ‘can I just do a mini-lesson around public speaking?’”
The principal agreed, and the session went well, but Crawford thought she needed more time with them, so she received permission to create an afterschool program. When the middle schoolers caught wind of that, they wanted to join as well. And she knew she had something. So she took her initiative into the community.
Backed by a cadre of interns and volunteers, she has partnered with community colleges, especially STCC, 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.
“Now some of the parents were saying, ‘oh, I need to take a public speaking class. You know, I want to do that too.’ We can’t do the full program with the adults, but we do a workshop around public speaking,” she noted, adding that all this work with Take the Mic is especially gratifying in that it can truly impact people’s lives in the long term.
“About 75% of the world’s population is afraid of public speaking. 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.
“We have had graduates come back to tell us, ‘I had a college interview, and I was more prepared than I thought I was because I took your course,’” she went on. “We’ve had youth come back to us to talk about their job interviews, saying, ‘I was more prepared than I thought I was for the job interview.’ So I think it does work, and it does help, and we do see impact.”
Making Connections
Crawford’s work with AC Consulting and Media Services also emerged from her time in education. He recalled her principal noticing 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.
“I used some of that early groundwork to create my firm, where people ask me today, ‘hey, could you help us with this press release?’ ‘Could you help us getting the media to attend our event?’ ‘Can you help us with a flyer?’ ‘Can you help us with a little bit of marketing?’” she explained.
“I’ve helped nonprofits and small businesses that are up and coming; I’ve worked with folks with marketing and branding stuff, folks that want to get more exposure on TV and radio, helped them with their talking points, helped them put their press release together.”
Her foray into politics, culminating with her current role as chief of staff to Ramos (one of this year’s Alumni Achievement Award finalists; see story on page 19) 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.
Take the Mic has helped young people develop self-esteem and empowerment through speaking skills.
“Anything around education and our teachers, he always leans on me for that. I’m also very very concerned and passionate about our environment and anything that has to do with safety for our children,” she explained. “So it’s been a pretty positive experience being in that role and being a part of initiatives that can help people and change people’s lives.”
Crawford noted that many people in her role came from law or politics, but she joined Ramos from a background in education and community service, and that’s valuable.
“I’m just like everyone else that calls our office looking for support or assistance. I can say to them, ‘I get you, I understand,’ because we all can fall into situations where we need someone to help us. People call, and sometimes they’re ashamed, and I say, ‘there’s no reason to be ashamed. Everyone needs help once in a while.’ So I assure people, and I give them the confidence that they need.
“My whole premise, I think, is all about elevation, positivity, and helping those that are in need,” she added. “Whether it’s an individual or an organization, if I can help fill a need, then I want to be able to do that.”
As for her community work — she is currently on the boards of Parent Villages, American Service Alliance, and Behavioral Health Network, among other volunteer roles — Crawford said she learned about service from her mother.
“She was a nurse for many, many years, and she was always about helping and health and wellness for our community. I saw the work that she was doing, and I wanted to be authentically me, and asked, ‘what can I contribute to the community?’”
Crawford has been answering that question in many ways — fearlessly and impactfully — ever since.
