By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dwayne Crenshaw was selected among 18 candidates as CEO of The Greater Sacramento Urban League. Still, after a little more than three years the organization has parted ways with Crenshaw.
The Urban League board of directors did not disclose an explanation for the change in leadership, only thanking Crenshaw and wishing him well in his endeavors.
Crenshaw sent a message to community members that he was disappointed that he is no longer leading the GSUL but remains committed to advocating and supporting marginalized communities.
“I am not in despair and not done advocating for those communities, families, individuals whose struggles and trauma match my own personal life experiences,” Crenshaw wrote.
The GSUL will be led on an interim basis by Sacramento native Ken Barnes, a veteran of corporate governance and processes, policies and procedures.
“I go into companies that have a leadership change and stabilize them, and keep the staff moving forward,” Barnes told The OBSERVER.
Board Chair Lisa Cardoza said in the statement that the GSUL Board of Directors unanimously chose Barnes to lead the nonprofit through its leadership transition. “We are confident in his ability to guide us through the local, state, and national issues we are facing to ensure the economic, civil, and human rights of those we represent.”
Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnes oversaw a workforce of more than 400 employees as CEO of Options For All, a San Diego-based provider for adults living with developmental disabilities.
Barnes, who used to volunteer for the Urban League, is the son of a single mother who was raised in the oft-forgotten Meadowview neighborhood of South Sacramento.
For him, the mission of the Urban League is personal.
“Understanding the extremely thin line which separates many from housing insecurity, loss of employment, educational attainment, and incarceration requires one to walk in both empathy and love,” Barnes said in the statement.
Barnes, who was called last week about the position, expects to be in the role for about six months while the GSUL board searches for a permanent replacement.
“We have a lot of new projects on the horizon, and so really, it’s just to ensure that everything is ready and kind of prep for the car to go quick and go fast,” Barnes said.
The Greater Sacramento Urban League is a nonprofit organization focused on empowering African Americans and other underserved communities in the Sacramento region through economic and social programs. It’s part of the National Urban League network, which works nationwide to promote civil rights and economic self-reliance.
Barnes added that there has never been a more important time for an organization like the Urban League to be firing on all cylinders as the Trump administration’s attempts to end DEI initiatives throughout the country, seen as an attack on the advancements made during the Civil Rights era of the 1960s.
“We’re at a time right now that we have not seen since the 1960s where America has been under attack concerning civil rights,” Barnes said. “It is crucial that we’re executing our mission to defend and represent marginal marginalized communities when it comes to economic development, job opportunities and career opportunities. And that’s what we’re going to be focused on.”