Ryan Turner

Ryan Turner is the founding executive director of GreenLight Fund Baltimore. He has over 10 years of experience in the human service and nonprofit sectors. During the course of his career, he has worked actively to establish equitable social support structures for communities that have been impacted by systemic racism.

Most recently, Ryan served as executive director of Community Law in Action (CLIA) – a Baltimore based youth leadership and advocacy organization. Under his leadership, CLIA developed a youth diversion initiative that directs youth who have been involved with the justice system into an opportunity pipeline that provides college/career access, wrap-around service support and advocacy training. In order to further sustain the work of the organization, Ryan facilitated a landmark nonprofit acquisition that would increase operational efficiency, deepen impact and engage a larger number of youths.

Youth engagement has been hallmarked in Ryan’s career. As a Baltimore native, he was motivated to establish a nonprofit that would give back to the city – The Akoben Foundation. The Akoben Foundation was developed to ensure that Pre-K through third grade students were able to read on or above grade level.

Ryan’s work within Baltimore has been recognized by local periodicals, news outlets and government officials. In 2019, he was recognized as a Very Important Professional by The Daily Record and later recognized by the Black Business Review as a top 40 under 40 professional.

As a committed servant leader and active Baltimorean, Ryan participates in a number of local auxiliaries. He is a member of the Board of Trustees at Green Street Academy, former chair of legal redress at the Baltimore City Branch of the NAACP, and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology from Coppin State University. He attributes his commitment of servant leadership to his spiritual and family foundation.